Korean Pronunciation: A Guide to the Basics200

Korean pronunciation can be a bit daunting for beginners, but with a little practice, it's definitely possible to master. Here's a guide to help you get started.

Vowels

There are 10 vowels in Korean:

ㅏ (a)
ㅑ (ya)
ㅓ (eo)
ㅕ (yeo)
ㅗ (o)
ㅛ (yo)
ㅜ (u)
ㅠ (yu)
ㅣ (i)
ㅡ (eu)

The vowels are pronounced as follows:
ㅏ (a) - like the "a" in "father"
ㅑ (ya) - like the "ya" in "yacht"
ㅓ (eo) - like the "eo" in "seoul"
ㅕ (yeo) - like the "yeo" in "yeouch"
ㅗ (o) - like the "o" in "go"
ㅛ (yo) - like the "yo" in "yoyo"
ㅜ (u) - like the "u" in "put"
ㅠ (yu) - like the "yu" in "yucca"
ㅣ (i) - like the "i" in "machine"
ㅡ (eu) - like the "eu" in "neutral"

Consonants

There are 14 consonants in Korean:
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)

The consonants are pronounced as follows:
ㄱ (g) - like the "g" in "go"
ㄴ (n) - like the "n" in "no"
ㄷ (d) - like the "d" in "do"
ㄹ (r) - like the "r" in "run"
ㅁ (m) - like the "m" in "mom"
ㅂ (b) - like the "b" in "ball"
ㅅ (s) - like the "s" in "sun"
ㅇ (ng) - like the "ng" in "sing"
ㅈ (j) - like the "j" in "jump"
ㅊ (ch) - like the "ch" in "chat"
ㅋ (k) - like the "k" in "kick"
ㅌ (t) - like the "t" in "top"
ㅍ (p) - like the "p" in "pop"
ㅎ (h) - like the "h" in "hat"

Putting it all togetherOnce you've mastered the individual vowels and consonants, you can start putting them together to form words. Here are a few tips:

Vowels and consonants are always pronounced together in a single syllable.
The stress in Korean is usually on the last syllable of a word.
Korean has a "syllable-timed" rhythm, which means that every syllable is pronounced with the same amount of time.

With a little practice, you'll be able to pronounce Korean with confidence. Here are a few resources to help you get started:

2025-01-14

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