Reading Hangul and final consonants

Batchim (받침) is the final consonant at the bottom of a syllable block, similar to the last sound in an English word. In 밥 (bap, rice) the ㅂ is the batchim, and in 물 (mul, water) it is the ㄹ. Final consonants are often cut short, and they can change sound depending on the next syllable, which makes batchim one of the key rules of reading Korean.

Many letters can appear as batchim, but only seven sounds are actually pronounced at the end of a syllable: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ and ㅇ. For example, ㅋ and ㄲ sound like ㄱ (k), ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ and ㅎ usually sound like ㄷ (t), and ㅍ sounds like ㅂ (p). So 부엌 (kitchen) is read [부억] and 꽃 (flower) is read [꼳].

A final ㅅ is pronounced as a short, unreleased t sound at the end of a word or before another consonant. So 옷 (ot, clothes) sounds like [옫], and 맛 (mat, taste) like [맏]. When a particle or ending starting with a vowel follows, the s sound comes back: 옷이 is read [오시], osi. Before a separate word, it can stay a t sound, as in 옷 안 [오단].

Within a word, or when a particle, ending or suffix starting with a silent ㅇ follows, a final consonant moves over and is pronounced with the next vowel. This is called liaison (연음). So 음악 (music) sounds like [으막], eumak, and 한국어 (Korean language) sounds like [한구거], hangugeo. This rule is a big reason spoken Korean flows so smoothly.

With double batchim such as ㄺ, ㄳ, ㄵ and ㄶ, only one of the two is pronounced at the end of a word or before a consonant. 닭 (chicken) is read [닥], 앉다 (to sit) [안따] and 값 (price) [갑]. Before a vowel, the second consonant carries over, so 닭이 is read [달기]. Memorizing common words is the most reliable approach.

This is nasalization. When a final ㅂ is followed by ㄴ or ㅁ, it turns into an m sound. In the same way, ㄱ becomes ng and ㄷ becomes n before those letters. That is why 합니다 sounds like [함니다] and 한국말 (Korean speech) like [한궁말]. Revised Romanization follows the sound, so 감사합니다 is written gamsahamnida.

When ㅎ meets ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ, the two merge into the aspirated sounds ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. In 좋다 (to be good), ㅎ + ㄷ becomes ㅌ, giving [조타], jota. In 축하 (congratulations), ㄱ + ㅎ becomes ㅋ, giving [추카]. When a vowel follows a final ㅎ, the ㅎ usually disappears, so 좋아요 is read [조아요], joayo.

After a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ, the consonants ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense: ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ and ㅉ. So 학교 (school) sounds like [학꾜] and 식당 (restaurant) like [식땅]. The spelling does not change, and Revised Romanization does not mark this tensing either, so 학교 is written hakgyo.

It depends on position. Between vowels or at the start of a syllable, ㄹ is a light tap close to r, as in 나라 (nara, country). As a final consonant or when doubled, it sounds closer to l, as in 물 (mul, water) and 빨리 (ppalli, quickly). Revised Romanization reflects this: r before a vowel, l at the end, and ll for a doubled ㄹ.

This is palatalization. When a final ㄷ or ㅌ is followed by 이, it changes to a j or ch sound. 같이 (together) is read [가치], gachi, and 굳이 (bothering to) is read [구지], guji. Revised Romanization writes the sound, so 같이 becomes gachi. These words are common, so it is easiest to memorize them as they sound.

Read a syllable block from top to bottom and left to right: first the initial consonant, then the vowel, then any final consonant. In 곰 (bear), you read ㄱ at the top, ㅗ in the middle and ㅁ at the bottom, giving gom. In 산 (mountain), you read ㅅ on the left, ㅏ on the right and ㄴ at the bottom, giving san.

They look the same but work differently. An initial ㅇ is a silent placeholder, while a final ㅇ is pronounced ng. In 영어 (English), the first ㅇ is silent and the final ㅇ of 영 gives ng, so the word is yeongeo. Also note that a final ㅇ does not carry over to the next vowel the way other final consonants do.

When ㄴ and ㄹ meet, the ㄴ changes into an l sound. This is called lateralization. 신라 (the ancient kingdom of Silla) is read [실라], and 연락 (contact) is read [열락]. Revised Romanization follows the sound, so 신라 is written Silla. It feels odd at first, but it actually makes the words easier to say.

ㅢ is a glide from ㅡ to ㅣ. The syllable 의 keeps that sound at the start of a word, as in 의사 (uisa, doctor). After a consonant, ㅢ is pronounced like ㅣ, so 희망 (hope) sounds like [히망]. A 의 that is not the first syllable may also be read like ㅣ, and the possessive particle 의 may be pronounced like 에. In Revised Romanization, ㅢ is always written ui.

In standard pronunciation, ㅐ is said with the mouth slightly more open than ㅔ, but many Koreans today pronounce them almost the same in everyday speech. As a result, 개 (gae, dog) and 게 (ge, crab) can be hard to tell apart by sound, and people rely on context. In romanization, ㅐ is ae and ㅔ is e, so they stay distinct in writing.

First read them one syllable at a time, then read again applying the sound rules such as liaison and nasalization. For example, 국립박물관 (national museum) is spelled letter by letter, but when read smoothly as one word it can sound roughly like [궁닙빵물관]. Rather than trying to be perfect at once, practice reading each word twice: letters first, then with the sound rules.

Korean spelling preserves the original form of each word part, so you can see what a word means even when the sound changes. For example, 먹다, 먹어 and 먹는 (forms of "to eat") all keep 먹, which shows they are the same verb, yet 먹는 is pronounced [멍는]. This helps with reading for meaning, and the pronunciation follows learnable rules.

In 종로, the ㄹ after a final ㅇ changes into an n sound, so the name is pronounced [종노]. Revised Romanization reflects this change and writes Jongno. In the same way, 대학로 is pronounced [대항노] and romanized Daehangno. Looking at the romanized names of subway stations is a handy way to guess how they are pronounced.

Both are accepted. Standard pronunciation rules allow both [마딛따] and [마싣따] for 맛있다 (to be tasty), and in daily life most people say 맛있어요 as [마시써요], usually romanized masisseoyo. Its opposite, 맛없어요 (it doesn't taste good), is pronounced [마덥써요], madeopseoyo. Either version of the first word will be understood.

The Standard Korean Language Dictionary (표준국어대사전) from the National Institute of Korean Language shows pronunciation in brackets for words whose sound differs from their spelling. Online dictionaries on major portals and translation apps also offer audio playback. Shadowing, repeating lines from dramas or news right after you hear them, is another good way to absorb natural pronunciation.