Korean Pronunciation of Consonants61

The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, is a unique and efficient writing system that was created in the 15th century. One of the most distinctive features of Hangul is its use of consonant and vowel blocks, which are combined to form syllables. In this article, we will focus on the pronunciation of Korean consonants.

Korean Consonant Chart

The Korean consonant chart consists of 19 consonants, which can be divided into five groups based on their place of articulation:

Group
Labial
Alveolar
Palatal
Velar
Glottal


Stops
ㅂ (p)
ㄷ (t)

ㄱ (k)



Nasals
ㅁ (m)
ㄴ (n)





Liquids

ㄹ (l)





Fricatives

ㅅ (s)
ㅈ (j)

ㅎ (h)


Approximants


ㅇ (y)

Pronunciation of Korean Consonants

Here is a detailed description of the pronunciation of each Korean consonant:

Labial Consonants

ㅂ (p): This is a voiceless bilabial stop consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "p" in "pat".
ㅁ (m): This is a voiced bilabial nasal consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "m" in "man".

Alveolar Consonants

ㄷ (t): This is a voiceless alveolar stop consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "t" in "top".
ㄴ (n): This is a voiced alveolar nasal consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "n" in "nose".
ㄹ (l): This is an alveolar lateral consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "l" in "long".
ㅅ (s): This is a voiceless alveolar fricative consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "s" in "sit".

Palatal Consonants

ㅈ (j): This is a voiced palatal fricative consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "j" in "jam".
ㅇ (y): This is a voiced palatal approximant consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "y" in "yes".

Velar Consonants

ㄱ (k): This is a voiceless velar stop consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "k" in "kite".

Glottal Consonant

ㅎ (h): This is a voiceless glottal fricative consonant, pronounced similarly to the English "h" in "hat".

Aspiration and Voicing

Korean consonants can be either aspirated or unaspirated. Aspiration refers to a puff of air released after the consonant is pronounced. Unaspirated consonants are pronounced without any aspiration. Voicing refers to the vibration of the vocal cords during consonant production. Voiced consonants are pronounced with vibration, while voiceless consonants are pronounced without vibration.

In Korean, most consonants are unaspirated and voiceless. However, there are a few exceptions. The consonants ㄱ (k), ㄷ (t), and ㅂ (p) can be aspirated when they appear at the beginning of a syllable. The consonant ㄹ (l) can be voiced when it appears between two vowels.

Conclusion

The pronunciation of Korean consonants is an important aspect of learning the Korean language. By understanding the different consonants and their pronunciation rules, you will be able to speak and understand Korean more accurately.

2025-02-01

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