The Pronunciation of Korean Syllables19

IntroductionThe Korean language is a syllabic language, meaning that each syllable is pronounced as a single unit. There are 19 consonant sounds and 21 vowel sounds in Korean, and each syllable can be made up of one or more consonants and one or more vowels.
The pronunciation of Korean syllables is relatively straightforward, but there are a few rules that need to be followed in order to pronounce them correctly.

ConsonantsThe 19 consonant sounds in Korean are:
* 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 "do"
* ㄹ (r) is pronounced like the "r" in "red"
* ㅁ (m) is pronounced like the "m" in "me"
* ㅂ (b) is pronounced like the "b" in "boy"
* ㅅ (s) is pronounced like the "s" in "sea"
* ㅇ (ng) is pronounced like the "ng" in "sing"
* ㅈ (j) is pronounced like the "j" in "joy"
* ㅊ (ch) is pronounced like the "ch" in "church"
* ㅋ (k) is pronounced like the "k" in "key"
* ㅌ (t) is pronounced like the "t" in "top"
* ㅍ (p) is pronounced like the "p" in "pie"
* ㅎ (h) is pronounced like the "h" in "hat"
* ㄲ (kk) is pronounced like the "kk" in "kick"
* ㄸ (tt) is pronounced like the "tt" in "stop"
* ㅃ (pp) is pronounced like the "pp" in "pop"
* ㅆ (ss) is pronounced like the "ss" in "scissors"
* ㅉ (jj) is pronounced like the "jj" in "judge"

VowelsThe 21 vowel sounds in Korean are:
* ㅏ (a)
* ㅓ (eo)
* ㅗ (o)
* ㅜ (u)
* ㅡ (eu)
* ㅣ (i)
* ㅐ (ae)
* ㅔ (e)
* ㅒ (ya)
* ㅖ (ye)
* ㅘ (wa)
* ㅙ (wae)
* ㅚ (oe)
* ㅝ (wo)
* ㅞ (we)
* ㅟ (wi)
* ㅢ (ui)
* ㅑ (ya)
* ㅕ (yeo)
* ㅛ (yo)
* ㅠ (yu)
The vowels are pronounced as follows:
* ㅏ (a) is pronounced like the "a" in "father"
* ㅓ (eo) is pronounced like the "eo" in "seoul"
* ㅗ (o) is pronounced like the "o" in "go"
* ㅜ (u) is pronounced like the "u" in "put"
* ㅡ (eu) is pronounced like the "eu" in "neutral"
* ㅣ (i) is pronounced like the "i" in "machine"
* ㅐ (ae) is pronounced like the "ae" in "aegis"
* ㅔ (e) is pronounced like the "e" in "bet"
* ㅒ (ya) is pronounced like the "ya" in "yard"
* ㅖ (ye) is pronounced like the "ye" in "yes"
* ㅘ (wa) is pronounced like the "wa" in "water"
* ㅙ (wae) is pronounced like the "wae" in "wafer"
* ㅚ (oe) is pronounced like the "oe" in "foe"
* ㅝ (wo) is pronounced like the "wo" in "won"
* ㅞ (we) is pronounced like the "we" in "well"
* ㅟ (wi) is pronounced like the "wi" in "win"
* ㅢ (ui) is pronounced like the "ui" in "ruin"
* ㅑ (ya) is pronounced like the "ya" in "yard"
* ㅕ (yeo) is pronounced like the "yeo" in "yes"
* ㅛ (yo) is pronounced like the "yo" in "yoke"
* ㅠ (yu) is pronounced like the "yu" in "yule"

Syllable StructureKorean syllables can be made up of one or more consonants and one or more vowels. The following are the possible syllable structures in Korean:
* CV (consonant + vowel)
* CVC (consonant + vowel + consonant)
* CCV (consonant + consonant + vowel)
* CCVC (consonant + consonant + vowel + consonant)
The most common syllable structure in Korean is CV. However, CVC syllables are also very common, and CCV and CCVC syllables are also possible.

Pronunciation RulesThere are a few rules that need to be followed in order to pronounce Korean syllables correctly.
* The first consonant in a syllable is always pronounced.
* The second consonant in a syllable is pronounced if it is followed by a vowel.
* The third consonant in a syllable is pronounced if it is followed by a vowel.
* The final consonant in a syllable is pronounced if it is followed by a vowel.
* If a syllable ends in a consonant, the consonant is pronounced with a glottal stop.

ExamplesThe following are some examples of Korean syllables:
* 가 (ga)
* 고 (go)
* 구 (gu)
* 기 (gi)
* 게 (ge)
* 까 (kka)
* 꼬 (kko)
* 꾸 (kku)
* 크 (kki)
* 께 (kke)
* 나 (na)
* 노 (no)
* 누 (nu)
* 니 (ni)
* 네 (ne)
* 다 (da)
* 도 (do)
* 두 (du)
* 디 (di)
* 데 (de)

ConclusionThe pronunciation of Korean syllables is relatively straightforward, but there are a few rules that need to be followed in order to pronounce them correctly. By following these rules, you can learn to pronounce Korean syllables accurately and speak Korean with confidence.

2025-01-03

Previous：Japanese Weekend-Themed Vocabulary

Next：German Exam Vocabulary Preparation