LinguaThe batchim slides into the next syllable
When a syllable that ends in a batchim is followed by one that begins with the silent ㅇ, the batchim jumps across and becomes the first sound of that next syllable. The spelling does not change; only the sound does. So 음악 is read 으막, 한국어 is 한구거, 이름이 is 이르미, 옷이 is 오시. This is called 연음, linking, and it is the single most important rule for understanding spoken Korean, because it hides word boundaries you can see on the page.
Two letters underneath
Some syllables carry a double batchim: 읽 (ㄹㄱ), 앉 (ㄴㅈ), 없 (ㅂㅅ), 닭 (ㄹㄱ), 삶 (ㄹㅁ). Before a consonant or at the end of a word only one of the two is heard – usually the first (앉다 안따, 없다 업따), but ㄹㄱ and ㄹㅁ keep the second (읽다 익따, 삶 삼). Before a vowel the second letter links forward and both are heard: 읽어요 일거요, 앉아요 안자요, 없어요 업써요. The linked ㅅ of 없어요 is pronounced tense, as ㅆ.
| Written | Heard |
|---|---|
| 음악 | 으막 |
| 한국어 | 한구거 |
| 이름이 | 이르미 |
| 옷이 | 오시 |
| 읽어요 | 일거요 |
| 없어요 | 업써요 |
한국어 발음이 어려워요Korean pronunciation is hard.
음악을 들어요I listen to music.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 음악 | music | 음악이 좋아요 I like music. |
| 한국어 | Korean language | 한국어를 배워요 I am learning Korean. |
| 이름 | name | 제 이름은 민수예요 My name is Minsu. |
| 일본어 | Japanese language | 일본어를 알아요 I know Japanese. |
| 읽다 | to read | 신문을 읽어요 I read the newspaper. |
| 앉다 | to sit | 의자에 앉아요 I sit on the chair. |
| 없다 | to not exist, to not have | 시간이 없어요 I have no time. |
| 단어 | word, vocabulary item | 단어를 외워요 I memorise words. |
| 발음 | pronunciation | 발음이 좋아요 Your pronunciation is good. |
| 국어 | Korean (as a school subject) | 국어 시간이에요 It is Korean class. |
Exercises
This lesson has 11 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 4
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 2
- translate the sentence: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which spelling shows how 음악 actually sounds?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.