Korean Letters: Hangul 한글

TWO: The Consonants and Its Pronounciation [1]

Korean consonants are usually pronounced as they are in English.

Ang kaibahan lang, nagbabago ang pronounciation nila depende sa kung saan sila naka-pwesto sa isang word, o kung ano yung kadikit nilang letra.

Korean has 14 main vowels and 5 double consonants. And although hindi officially counted as consonants, may 11 complex/combination consonants din na given doon sa pdf na nakita ko.

Let's start with the...

14 Main Consonants

Sabi nga, nagbabago yung tunog ng consonants depende sa lugar nya sa word at sa katabing letra.

But these are the two consonants that generally do not change:

ㄴ - N
ㅁ - M

Sa main consonants, mayroong category ng aspirated at unaspirated.

Aspirated
Formed by making a puff of air as they are pronounced.

ㅋ - K'
ㅌ - T'
ㅍ - P'
ㅊ - Ch'
ㅎ - H
ㅅ - S*

* S becomes Sh when followed by i or ya, yeo, yo and yu making them shi, sha, sheo, sho and shu.

Unaspirated
Pronounced without a puff of air.
Sila yung mga madalas magbago ang tunog. As initial sounds (at the beginning of a word or phrase), they appear be pronounced similarly to the aspirated consonants.

PERO!

Importante na hindi ka gagawa ng puff of air when you pronounce them. Baka ibang word yung makarating sa natives, magkakadikit pa naman ang tunog ng ilang words sa kanila.

Again, these consonant changes sounds depending on their position within a word or phrase...

ㄱ
Initial sound: (K-)
Middle sound: (-G-)
Final sound: (-K)

ㄷ
Initial sound: (T-)
Middle sound: (-D-)
Final sound: (-T)

ㅂ
Initial sound: (P-)
Middle sound: (-B-)
Final sound: (-P)

ㅈ
Initial sound: (Ch-)**
Middle sound: (-J-)**
Final sound: (-T)

ㄹ
Initial sound: (R/L-)
Middle sound: (-R-)
Final sound: (-L)

The (-L) at the end of a syllabol or word sounds somewhat like a cross between an English 'l' and 'rl' in 'girl' and 'curl'.

** Similarly, Ch/J followed by ya, yeo, yo and yu makes them ja, jeo, jo and ju.

The 'Vowel' Consonant
Korean has the unusual consonant (ㅇ) (pero counted pa din as a main consonant). which is either silent or pronounced, depending on its position in a syllable.

At the beginning of a syllable it is silent, serving as a place holder-occupying a space where a consonant would be-for syllables that begin with a vowel sound.

However, when placed at the end of a syllable, it is pronounced as (-NG).

5 Double Consonants

ㄲ
Initial sound: (G-)
Middle sound: (-kk-)
Final sound: (-K)

ㄸ
Initial sound: (D-)
Middle sound: (-tt-)
Final sound: (-)

ㅃ
Initial sound: (B-)
Middle sound: (-pp-)
Final sound: (-)

ㅆ
Initial sound: (Ss-)
Middle sound: (-ss-)
Final sound: (-T)

ㅉ
Initial sound: (J-)
Middle sound: (-tch-)
Final sound: (-)

Final Sound Changes
ㅅ(S), ㅌ(T), ㅊ(Ch), ㄷ(D), ㅈ(Ch/J) and ㅆ(ss) are pronounced like a 'T' when placed as a final sound of a word.