Korean Pronunciation Guide188

Korean pronunciation can be challenging for native English speakers, but with a little practice, you'll be speaking Korean like a native in no time. Here's a quick guide to help you get started:

Vowels

Korean has 10 vowels: ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ, ㅣ, ㅐ, ㅔ, ㅚ, ㅟ. The first six are monophthongs, while the last four are diphthongs.

Monophthongs
Diphthongs


ㅏ (ah)
ㅐ (ae)


ㅓ (eo)
ㅔ (e)


ㅗ (o)
ㅚ (oe)


ㅜ (u)
ㅟ (wi)


ㅡ (eu)



ㅣ (i)

Here are some tips for pronouncing Korean vowels:
The vowels ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ are pronounced with a clear, open sound.
The vowel ㅡ is pronounced with a short, muffled sound.
The vowel ㅣ is pronounced with a long, high sound.
The diphthongs ㅐ, ㅔ, ㅚ, ㅟ are pronounced with a combination of two vowels.

Consonants

Korean has 19 consonants: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ, ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ.

Consonants


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)

Here are some tips for pronouncing Korean consonants:
The consonants ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ are pronounced with a clear, strong sound.
The consonants ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ are pronounced with a soft, nasal sound.
The consonants ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ are pronounced with an aspirated sound.
The consonant ㄲ is pronounced with a double consonant sound.
The consonants ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ are pronounced with a triple consonant sound.

Tones

Korean has three tones: high, low, and falling. The tone of a syllable is determined by the consonant that follows it.

Consonant
Tone


ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ
High


ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ
Low


ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ
Falling

Here are some tips for pronouncing Korean tones:
The high tone is pronounced with a high, clear pitch.
The low tone is pronounced with a low, soft pitch.
The falling tone is pronounced with a high pitch that falls to a low pitch.

Practice

The best way to improve your Korean pronunciation is to practice regularly. Here are some tips for practicing:
Listen to Korean music and podcasts.
Watch Korean movies and TV shows.
Talk to native Korean speakers.
Use online resources to practice your pronunciation.

With a little practice, you'll be speaking Korean like a native in no time.

2025-02-04

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