Soft, breathy and tense consonants
English has one k sound. Korean has three: soft ㄱ, breathy ㅋ and tense ㄲ. The same goes for t, p and ch. For English speakers, this is the biggest new thing in Korean.
| Soft | Breathy | Tense |
|---|---|---|
- Soft (ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ ㅅ): relaxed, with a small puff of air.
- Breathy (ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ): a strong puff of air, like the k in "kite".
- Tense (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ): a tight throat and no puff at all, like the k in "sky".
Try this: hold a tissue in front of your mouth. ㅋ makes it flutter. ㄲ shouldn't move it at all.
ㄹ: between r and l
At the start of a syllable or between two vowels, ㄹ is a quick tap of the tongue, like the tt in American "butter". At the end of a syllable, it's a clear l.
ㅇ: silent at the top, ng at the bottom
At the start of a block, ㅇ makes no sound. At the bottom, it's ng, as in "sing".
Vowels to listen for
ㅓ (eo) and ㅗ (o)
ㅓ is an open "uh", like the u in "up". ㅗ is a round "o", like in "go" but without the w at the end. Round your lips for ㅗ only.
ㅡ (eu) and ㅜ (u)
ㅜ is the "oo" in "moon", with round lips. ㅡ is the same "oo" with flat lips, as if you're smiling. English has no ㅡ.
ㅐ (ae) and ㅔ (e)
Most Koreans today say these the same way, like the e in "bed". Spelling tells them apart, and so does context: 개 is dog and 게 is crab.
ㅚ, ㅙ and ㅞ
In everyday speech, all three usually sound like "we" in "wet".
Don't trust the English spelling
Romanization like "eo", "eu" and "ae" is a rough guide to a sound you haven't heard yet. Listen to the recordings and copy them instead.
Hear it, then say it
Hearing the difference comes first. Saying it comes next: say each sound out loud, record yourself, and compare.
