Korean is written one syllable at a time but spoken as a flow, so a final consonant (batchim, 받침) often changes how it sounds. Only 7 sounds can end a syllable (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅇ), a final consonant moves into a next syllable that starts with ㅇ (한국어 → [한구거]), and some letters change their neighbours: 감사합니다 is said [감사함니다] and 국물 is said [궁물]. Type any word below to see how it is actually said.
Key facts — koreankorea.com free Korean course
- Only seven sounds can end a Korean syllable: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ and ㅇ.
- 감사합니다 is pronounced [감사함니다] because ㅂ before ㄴ becomes ㅁ.
- A final consonant moves to the next syllable when it starts with the silent ㅇ, so 한국어 is pronounced [한구거].
- ㄷ or ㅌ before 이 sounds like ㅈ or ㅊ, so 같이 is pronounced [가치].
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The 7 final consonant sounds
Many letters can sit at the bottom of a syllable, but they are said as only seven sounds.
| Sounds like | Written as | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | ㄱ ㄲ ㅋ | ▶ 부엌 → [부억] · ▶ 밖 → [박] |
| ㄴ | ㄴ | ▶ 산 → [산] |
| ㄷ | ㄷ ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅊ ㅌ ㅎ | ▶ 옷 → [옫] · ▶ 꽃 → [꼳] · ▶ 낮 → [낟] |
| ㄹ | ㄹ | ▶ 물 → [물] |
| ㅁ | ㅁ | ▶ 밤 → [밤] |
| ㅂ | ㅂ ㅍ | ▶ 앞 → [압] · ▶ 입 → [입] |
| ㅇ | ㅇ | ▶ 강 → [강] |
The sound rules, with examples
| Rule | What happens | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Linking (연음) | A final consonant moves to the next syllable when that syllable starts with the silent ㅇ. | ▶ 한국어 → [한구거] ▶ 읽어요 → [일거요] ▶ 있어요 → [이써요] |
| Final sounds (대표음) | Before another consonant or at the end, every final consonant is said as one of 7 sounds. | ▶ 꽃 → [꼳] ▶ 닭 → [닥] ▶ 있다 → [읻따] |
| Nasal sounds (비음화) | ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ become ㅇ ㄴ ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ. | ▶ 국물 → [궁물] ▶ 합니다 → [함니다] ▶ 박물관 → [방물관] |
| ㄹ sounds (유음화) | ㄴ next to ㄹ becomes ㄹ. | ▶ 신라 → [실라] ▶ 설날 → [설랄] ▶ 연락 → [열락] |
| ㄹ to ㄴ | ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅁ, ㅇ, ㄱ or ㅂ. | ▶ 종로 → [종노] ▶ 심리 → [심니] ▶ 독립 → [동닙] |
| Tense sounds (경음화) | After ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ, the next ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ is said tense (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ). | ▶ 학교 → [학꾜] ▶ 식당 → [식땅] ▶ 먹다 → [먹따] |
| Strong sounds (격음화) | ㅎ next to ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ turns them into ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ. | ▶ 축하 → [추카] ▶ 좋다 → [조타] ▶ 입학 → [이팍] |
| Silent ㅎ | A final ㅎ disappears before a vowel. | ▶ 좋아요 → [조아요] ▶ 많이 → [마니] ▶ 괜찮아요 → [괜차나요] |
| ㄷ/ㅌ + 이 (구개음화) | ㄷ or ㅌ before 이 sounds like ㅈ or ㅊ. | ▶ 같이 → [가치] ▶ 굳이 → [구지] ▶ 굳히다 → [구치다] |
Words you will hear every day
“Sounds like” is a guide to the sound, written with English letters. It is not the official romanization on signs: 학교 is written hakgyo but sounds like hakkyo.
| Written | Said | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| ▶ 감사합니다 | [감사함니다] | gamsahamnida |
| ▶ 한국어 | [한구거] | hangugeo |
| ▶ 맛있어요 | [마시써요] | masisseoyo |
| ▶ 괜찮아요 | [괜차나요] | gwaenchanayo |
| ▶ 없어요 | [업써요] | eopsseoyo |
| ▶ 좋아요 | [조아요] | joayo |
| ▶ 많이 | [마니] | mani |
| ▶ 같이 | [가치] | gachi |
| ▶ 입구 | [입꾸] | ipkku |
| ▶ 출구 | [출구] | chulgu |
| ▶ 학교 | [학꾜] | hakkyo |
| ▶ 식당 | [식땅] | sikttang |
| ▶ 박물관 | [방물관] | bangmulgwan |
| ▶ 종로 | [종노] | jongno |
| ▶ 십만 | [심만] | simman |
| ▶ 읽어요 | [일거요] | ilgeoyo |
| ▶ 앉으세요 | [안즈세요] | anjeuseyo |
| ▶ 못해요 | [모태요] | motaeyo |
What the checker does not cover
- An added ㄴ sound in some compound words — 꽃잎 is said [꼰닙] and 십육 [심뉵]. This depends on the word, not on the letters.
- Tense sounds that depend on meaning — 신고 (wear and…) is said [신꼬] but 신고 (report) is [신고].
- Sounds across words — the checker reads each word on its own; in fast speech words run together.
Learn the letters first on our Korean alphabet chart; verb endings are on Korean verb conjugation.
This page is part of our free Korean course — Stage 1: Hangul · Stage 2: Beginner · Stage 3: Intermediate · Stage 4: Advanced.
FAQ
What is batchim in Korean?
Batchim (받침) is the consonant at the bottom of a syllable block, like ㄱ in 국 or ㄹ in 물. It is said as one of 7 sounds and often changes when the next syllable begins.
Why is 감사합니다 pronounced 감사함니다?
The ㅂ at the end of 합 meets the ㄴ of 니, and ㅂ before ㄴ becomes ㅁ (nasal sound rule). So 합니다 is said [함니다].
Why does 한국어 sound like 한구거?
When the next syllable starts with the silent ㅇ, the final consonant moves over to fill it: 국 + 어 → 구 + 거.
How many final consonant sounds does Korean have?
Seven: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ and ㅇ. Letters such as ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ and ㅎ are all said as ㄷ at the end of a syllable.
Why is 같이 pronounced 가치?
ㅌ before 이 changes to ㅊ (palatalization), so 같이 is said [가치] and 굳이 is said [구지].
The checker applies the standard Korean pronunciation rules in your browser, one word at a time. ▶ sounds use your browser’s Korean voice, which reads the written word naturally.
Last updated 2026-10-10. Editorial policy
