Sounds
Plain, aspirated and tense consonants, and the vowels to watch.
Most Korean sounds are close to English ones. The hard part is a set of consonants that come in threes, and a few vowels English lacks.
Plain, aspirated and tense
Four consonant sounds come in three kinds, and ㅅ in two: plain, said softly; aspirated, with a strong puff of air; and tense, said with a tight throat and no puff at all.
| Plain | Aspirated | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ g/k | ㅋ k | ㄲ kk |
| ㄷ d/t | ㅌ t | ㄸ tt |
| ㅂ b/p | ㅍ p | ㅃ pp |
| ㅈ j | ㅊ ch | ㅉ jj |
| ㅅ s | ㅆ ss |
- Plain ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ: at the start of a word, close to an English k, t, p and ch with only a little breath; between vowels, like g, d, b and j: 아기 agi "baby", 바다 bada "sea".
- Aspirated ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ: a strong puff of air, stronger than English k, t, p in kit, top, pin. A hand in front of your mouth should feel it.
- Tense ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ: the throat tight and no puff of air, like the k in sky or the p in spy, but harder.
The three kinds tell words apart:
| Plain | Aspirated | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| 불 bul fire | 풀 pul grass | 뿔 ppul horn |
| 달 dal moon | 탈 tal mask | 딸 ttal daughter |
| 자다 jada to sleep | 차다 chada to kick | 짜다 jjada to be salty |
Vowels to watch
- ㅓ eo is one sound, like the u in up or the aw in saw said without rounding the lips. ㅗ o is rounder: 거기 geogi "there", 고기 gogi "meat".
- ㅡ eu is one sound: oo said with the lips spread flat. ㅜ u is rounded: 그 geu "that", 구 gu "nine".
- ㅐ and ㅔ are both e as in bed for most speakers: 개 gae "dog" and 게 ge "crab" sound the same. ㅚ, ㅙ and ㅞ are all we.
ㄹ: r and l
ㄹ is a light tap of the tongue, like the tt of American butter, before a vowel: 나라 nara "country". At the end of a syllable, and when two meet, it is l: 물 mul "water", 빨리 ppalli "quickly".
ㅅ before ㅣ
ㅅ is said sh before ㅣ, ㅟ and the y-vowels: 시간 sigan "time" sounds like shigan, and 쉬다 swida "to rest" like shwida.
Rhythm and intonation
Korean has no strong stressed syllables: each syllable gets about the same weight. Questions rise at the end and statements fall, and in everyday polite speech that is often all that tells them apart: 가요 gayo "I'm going", 가요? gayo? "Are you going?"
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
What makes ㅋ different from ㄱ in sound?
A strong puff of air: ㅋ is aspirated.
How is a tense consonant like ㄲ said?
With a tight throat and no puff of air, like the k in sky but harder.
불, 풀 or 뿔: which one means 'grass'?
풀 (pul).
How is plain ㄱ said at the start of a word, as in 가방 (bag)?
Softly, close to an English k with little breath; Revised Romanization writes it g.
ㅓ or ㅗ: which vowel is in 고기 (meat)?
ㅗ (o).
How is ㅡ (eu) said?
As one sound: oo with the lips spread flat.
Do ㅐ and ㅔ sound different?
Not for most speakers today: both are e as in bed.
How is ㄹ said between vowels, as in 나라 (country)?
As a light tap, like the tt in American butter: nara.
How is ㅅ said before ㅣ, as in 시간 (time)?
As sh: 시간 sounds like shigan.
In polite speech, what often tells 가요 'I'm going' from 가요? 'are you going?'
Intonation alone: a question rises at the end.