Yonhap News Agency: Korean Pronunciation Guide40

Introduction

The Yonhap News Agency (YNA) is South Korea's largest news agency. It was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Seoul. YNA provides news, photos, and videos to newspapers, magazines, radio, and television stations around the world. The agency also operates a website and mobile app.

Korean Pronunciation

Korean is a language with a unique pronunciation system. The following guide will help you to pronounce Korean words correctly.

Vowels

Korean has 10 vowel sounds. They are represented by the following letters:
ㅏ (a)
ㅑ (ya)
ㅓ (eo)
ㅕ (yeo)
ㅗ (o)
ㅛ (yo)
ㅜ (u)
ㅠ (yu)
ㅡ (eu)
ㅣ (i)

The vowels are pronounced as follows:
ㅏ (a) is pronounced like the "a" in "father".
ㅑ (ya) is pronounced like the "ya" in "yard".
ㅓ (eo) is pronounced like the "o" in "caught".
ㅕ (yeo) is pronounced like the "yo" in "yacht".
ㅗ (o) is pronounced like the "o" in "bone".
ㅛ (yo) is pronounced like the "yo" in "yolk".
ㅜ (u) is pronounced like the "u" in "put".
ㅠ (yu) is pronounced like the "yu" in "cute".
ㅡ (eu) is pronounced like the "eu" in "neutral".
ㅣ (i) is pronounced like the "i" in "feet".

Consonants

Korean has 19 consonant sounds. They are represented by the following letters:
ㄱ (g)
ㄴ (n)
ㄷ (d)
ㄹ (r)
ㅁ (m)
ㅂ (b)
ㅅ (s)
ㅇ (ng)
ㅈ (j)
ㅊ (ch)
ㅋ (k)
ㅌ (t)
ㅍ (p)
ㅎ (h)
ㄲ (kk)
ㄸ (tt)
ㅃ (pp)
ㅆ (ss)
ㅉ (jj)

The consonants are pronounced as follows:
ㄱ (g) is pronounced like the "g" in "go".
ㄴ (n) is pronounced like the "n" in "no".
ㄷ (d) is pronounced like the "d" in "day".
ㄹ (r) is pronounced like the "r" in "red".
ㅁ (m) is pronounced like the "m" in "mom".
ㅂ (b) is pronounced like the "b" in "boy".
ㅅ (s) is pronounced like the "s" in "sun".
ㅇ (ng) is pronounced like the "ng" in "sing".
ㅈ (j) is pronounced like the "j" in "jump".
ㅊ (ch) is pronounced like the "ch" in "chat".
ㅋ (k) is pronounced like the "k" in "kite".
ㅌ (t) is pronounced like the "t" in "top".
ㅍ (p) is pronounced like the "p" in "pat".
ㅎ (h) is pronounced like the "h" in "hat".
ㄲ (kk) is pronounced like the "k" in "kick".
ㄸ (tt) is pronounced like the "t" in "tot".
ㅃ (pp) is pronounced like the "p" in "pop".
ㅆ (ss) is pronounced like the "s" in "sass".
ㅉ (jj) is pronounced like the "j" in "jeep".

Syllables

Korean syllables are made up of a vowel and one or more consonants. The vowel is always placed at the end of the syllable. The consonants can be placed before the vowel, after the vowel, or both before and after the vowel.

Stress

Korean words are stressed on the first syllable. This means that the first syllable is pronounced with more force and higher pitch than the other syllables.

Practice

The best way to practice Korean pronunciation is to listen to native speakers and try to imitate them. You can find Korean audio and video recordings online and in libraries.

Here are some tips for practicing Korean pronunciation:
Start with simple words and phrases.
Repeat words and phrases until you can say them without hesitation.
Pay attention to the rhythm and intonation of native speakers.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes when learning a new language.

2024-12-30

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