Appendix C. – Sound Change Rules

 

Once you’ve got the hang of the basic rules regarding 받침 sounds, let’s go over some more rules regarding sound changes that take place between syllables.

 

Although the sound change rules contained in this appendix are not required in order to pronounce individual syllables one at a time, they are necessary when speaking Korean at a normal speed.

 

Do not stress to memorize every rule contained in this appendix on your first time reading it. There are several rules that you will need to learn, and mastering them will require practicing more than it will require studying. Instead, try to speak slowly at first, and increase your speed as you become more familiar with these rules.

 

Base Consonants

 

In order to start, first we need to learn about base consonants.

 

"We need to learn more consonants?" No, we don’t need to learn any more consonants; we’ve already learned every letter used in 한글. We just need to learn what a base consonant is.

 

The following five consonants are the base consonants that we need to know for the purpose of figuring out how to pronounce words in sentences:

 

ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ

 

You only need to memorize that these 5 consonants make up what we call base consonants. Take a moment to put them in your memory.

 

Now let’s learn our first sound change rule for sounds that take place between syllables.

 

1. Consonant + Base Consonant

 

This rule applies any time you have a consonant – specifically a base consonant, a double consonant, or a strong consonant – that comes before a base consonant.

 

Whenever this happens, the second base consonant becomes pronounced like a double consonant.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

학교 → 학꾜

받다 → 받따

돕다 → 돕따

핫도그 → 핟또그

옷방 → 옫빵

찾다 → 찯따

맡다 → 맏따

갚다 → 갑따

샀죠 → 삳쬬

낯설다 → 낟썰다

먹자 → 먹짜

식당 → 식땅

백보 → 백뽀

갑부 → 갑뿌

국수 → 국쑤

맛술 → 맏쑬

 

This is one of the most commonly used sound change rules, and as such, is at the top of this list.

 

2. Base Consonant + ㅎ

ㅎ + Base Consonant

 

This rule applies any time you have a base consonant before ㅎ, or any time you have ㅎ followed by a base consonant.

 

Whenever this happens, the base consonant becomes pronounced like a strong consonant.

 

Here are some examples when the base consonant comes after ㅎ:

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

옳게 → 올케

않다 → 안타

좋다 → 조타

괜찮다 → 괜찬타

많고 → 만코

많기 → 만키

쌓자 → 싸차

 

When ㅅ comes after ㅎ, because ㅅ does not have a strong consonant version of itself, it instead becomes pronounced like ㅆ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

않소 → 안쏘

놓소 → 노쏘

옳소 → 올쏘

 

Here are some examples when the base consonant comes before ㅎ:

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

밟히다 → 발피다

막히다 → 마키다

익숙하다 → 익쑤카다

박하 → 바카

북한 → 부칸

착하다 → 차카다

악하다 → 아카다

백호 → 배코

갇히다* → 가치다*

 

To understand how 갇히다 becomes pronounced 가치다, see the next rule.

 

Since ㅅ is normally pronounced like ㄷ at the end of a syllable, when it comes before ㅎ it also behaves like ㄷ. Therefore, when ㅅ comes before ㅎ, it becomes pronounced like ㅌ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

못 해 → 모태

못 하다 → 모타다

 

3. ㅌ + 이 = 치

ㄷ + 히 = 치

ㄷ + 이 = 지

 

Whenever you have ㅌ before 이, the 이 changes to become 치.

 

Whenever you have ㄷ before 히, the 히 changes to become 치.

 

Whenever you have ㄷ before 이, the 이 changes to become 지.

 

It might seem strange that this sound change rule exists (changing ㅌ to ㅊ, and changing ㄷ to ㅈ), but there is a similar change in English, although it works a bit differently; notice in English how "train" (ㅌ) is pronounced "ch-rain" (ㅊ), and "drain" (ㄷ) is pronounced "jr-ain" (ㅈ).

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

갇히다 → 가치다

같이 → 가치

붙이다 → 부치다

맏이 → 마지

굳이 → 구지

맞받이 → 맏빠지

맡아* → 마타*

 

Note that 맡아 is pronounced like normal (마타), as this rule only applies to syllables that use the vowel ㅣ, such as 이 and 히.

 

However, this rule also applies to 여/혀 as well; both 여 and 혀 become pronounced like 쳐. This is because 여 is a combination of the sounds 이 and 어, and 혀 is a combination of 히 and 어.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

붙여 → 부쳐

갇혀 → 가쳐

 

4. ㄹ + Base Consonant

 

This rule is an extension of the first rule.

 

Whenever you have a base consonant after ㄹ, the base consonant will become a double consonant.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

할당 → 할땅

밀당 → 밀땅

얼자 → 얼짜

일자리 → 일짜리

일세 → 일쎄

 

However, this rule does not apply to the base consonant ㅂ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

올바른 → 올바른

웰빙 → 웰빙

밀보 → 밀보

 

This rule only sometimes applies to the base consonant ㄱ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

밀가루 → 밀까루

물가 → 물까

할게 → 할께

얼굴 → 얼굴

얼간이 → 얼간이

 

As with any rule there will be exceptions, but we’ll learn those as they come up along the way. For example, here are two common exceptions.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

술병 → 술뼝

물고기 → 물꼬기

 

5. ㅂ/ㅍ + ㄴ/ㅁ

 

Whenever you have ㅂ or ㅍ before ㄴ or ㅁ, the ㅂ or ㅍ will become pronounced like ㅁ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

합니다 → 함니다

같습니다 → 가씀니다

겁나 → 검나

잡는 → 잠는

갑년 → 감년

굽는 → 굼는

줍는 → 줌는

밥먹자 → 밤먹짜

입무 → 임무

업무 → 엄무

업마 → 엄마

삽목 → 삼목

합명 → 함명

갑문 → 감문

엎는 → 엄는

덮는 → 덤는

잎나무 → 임나무

갚나 → 감나

입 냄새 → 임냄새

 

Advanced Notes:

ㅃ is absent from this list because there are no syllables in Korean that end with it at the bottom.

 

6. ㅂ + ㄹ

 

Whenever you have ㅂ before ㄹ, the ㅂ will become pronounced like ㅁ, and the ㄹ becomes pronounced like ㄴ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

합리 → 함니

십리 → 심니

합량 → 함냥

갑리 → 감니

겹리 → 겸니

합류 → 함뉴

압력 → 암녁

 

7. ㄱ + ㄹ

 

Whenever you have ㄱ before ㄹ, the ㄱ becomes pronounced like ㅇ, and the ㄹ becomes pronounced like ㄴ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

백리 → 뱅니

복리 → 봉니

막료 → 망뇨

식량 → 싱냥

탁류 → 탕뉴

맥락 → 맹낙

 

8. Consonant + ㄴ/ㅁ

 

Whenever you have a consonant before ㄴ or ㅁ, the consonant will become pronounced like ㄴ.

 

This rule does not apply to the consonants ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ, ㅂ, ㅍ, ㅁ, ㄴ, ㅇ or ㄹ – these each have their own rules for interacting with ㄴ/ㅁ which this appendix covers.

 

Besides the consonants that this rule does not apply to, here are the consonants that it does apply to: ㄷ, ㄸ, ㅌ, ㅈ, ㅉ, ㅊ, ㅅ, ㅆ, and ㅎ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

빛나 → 빈나

옻나무 → 온나무

몇 년 → 면년

맞나 → 만나

젖니 → 전니

믿나 → 민나

닫는 → 단는

맡나 → 만나

있는 → 인는

못 믿어 → 몬미더

못 먹는다 → 몬멍는다

못난 → 몬난

맛나 → 만나

덧니 → 던니

여섯마리 → 여선마리

놓는 → 논는

잇몸 → 인몸

 

There is an exception: ㄷ and ㅌ before ㅁ behave differently.

 

Whenever you have ㄷ or ㅌ before ㅁ, the ㄷ or ㅌ will become pronounced like ㄴ instead.

 

알바 → 알바

맏며느리 → 만며느리

 

Fortunately for us, having ㄷ or ㅌ before ㅁ is very rare (whereas having ㄷ or ㅌ before ㄴ is common), which is why this exception does not have its own section.

 

9. ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ + ㄴ/ㅁ

 

Whenever you have ㄱ (or ㄲ/ㅋ) before ㄴ or ㅁ, the ㄱ (or ㄲ/ㅋ) will become pronounced like ㅇ ("ng" at the end of a syllable).

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

한국말 → 한궁말

백만 → 뱅만

부엌문 → 부엉문

목마르다 → 몽마르다

국물 → 궁물

식노 → 싱노

깎나 → 깡나

학년 → 항년

격노 → 경노

볶나 → 봉나

 

10. ㅅ + ㅣ/ㅑ/ㅕ/ㅖ/ㅒ/ㅛ/ㅠ

 

This is an extension of a rule we learned in the "Introduction to Hangul" section of this book, that 시 is pronounced like the English word "she," and not like the English word "see." In addition, when ㅅ comes before the vowels ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅖ, ㅒ, ㅛ, or ㅠ, the ㅅ becomes pronounced like "sh" instead of "s."

 

Practice reading the following sounds:

 

시 / 샤 / 셔 / 섀 / 셰 / 쇼 / 슈

 

This rule exists because the above vowels are combinations of the sounds 시 and 야, 여, 예, 얘, 요, and 유.

 

This rule does not apply to any other single vowels besides the ones listed above.

 

Advanced Notes:

In addition, the diphthongs ㅟ and ㅢ will also produce a sound similar to 시, due to them containing the vowel ㅣ.

 

11. ㅇ/ㅁ + ㄹ

 

Whenever you have ㅇ or ㅁ before ㄹ, the ㄹ becomes pronounced like ㄴ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

강릉 → 강능

장로 → 장노

황률 → 황뉼

담력 → 담녁

음료 → 음뇨

탐라국 → 탐나국

생략하다 → 생냐카다

 

An exception to this rule is the word 장르 ("genre"), which does not change its pronunciation.

 

12. ㄴ + ㄹ

ㄹ + ㄴ

 

Whenever you have ㄴ before or after ㄹ, the ㄴ becomes pronounced like ㄹ.

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

혼란 → 홀란

만리 → 말리

신라 → 실라

간리 → 갈리

발노 → 발로

일년 → 일련

스물넷 → 스물렏

칼날 → 칼랄

월남 → 월람

 

13. Irregulars

 

Not all words in Korean follow these rules. But take comfort in the fact that most do. Unlike English, where a word’s spelling can be completely unrelated to the sound it produces, reading 한글 is mostly straightforward. Although there are words which do not follow the above rules, the majority will. Learn the irregulars as they come up, and don’t worry about learning all of them at once.

 

Here are just a few examples of some common irregulars:

 

Spelling → Pronunciation

감다 → 감따

한자 → 한짜

깻잎 → 깬닙

십육 → 심뉵

많아* → 마나*

 

For syllables ending in ㅀ or ㄶ, and followed by the vowel ㅇ, the ㅎ will become silent.

 

You will hear the more common irregulars frequently enough to not have to worry about studying them, and the less common ones you can learn as they come up.