받침/Batchim

「

안

녕

하                     

세                                       

요

」

In this lesson we’re going to learn about the reading

rules of Korean. In any new language, you have to learn

how sounds change when they are surrounded by

other sounds. English is notorious for this, but it’s also

notorious for having a million exceptions to the rule.

Korean reading rules, thankfully, are much, much simpler

to learn.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs 받침?

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받침 are reading rules that change the way you pronounce certain consonants in a

word. A lot of books will say that “받침” is the final consonant of a syllable block.

For example:

If we have the word 간, ᄂ is the 받침.

If we have the word 맛, ᄉ is the 받침.

And this is true, but 받침 is also a general term used to refer to the reading rules of

Korean, which means that sometimes ᄂ (니은) is going to be pronounced like ᄅ (리을.)

This sound change is based on the bottom consonant(s) of one syllable block and the

beginning of the syllable block that immediately follows it (or the lack of anything

following it.)

For example, 맛 is pronounced like 맏/맡. A 받침 rule is being applied here that makes

ᄉ sound like a ᄃ or a ᄐ. But 맛있어 is pronounced like 마시써. The rule that was

applied when we had 맛 by itself no longer applies because of the 있어 that follows

맛있어.

So it is for this reason that I dislike the definition of “the bottom consonant” when

referring to 받침, because, as you see, it also depends on what does or doesn’t follow

that final consonant.

sʏʟʟᴀʙʟᴇ ʙʟᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ

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In Korean, just like in any other language, syllables are often blended together to make

pronunciation easier. It is because of this rule that ᄒ is barely pronounced if it is in the

middle of a word and ᄋ acts as a placeholder for other bottom consonants to carry

over.

We will look at these individual rules in depth as we go on, but for now, let’s just look at

some examples:

맞아요 is pronounced like 마자요

읽어요 is pronounced like 일거요

The key thing to keep in mind is that 맞아요 is one word and it should flow as one word.

As a beginner, it’s okay to go slow and sound things out, but once you get better at

reading you should be reading each word as a single, fluid word instead of chopping it

up into syllable blocks. (That just makes you sound like a robot.)

ᴛʜᴇ ᄋ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇʜᴏʟᴅᴇʀ

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Since ᄋ is silent when it is at the beginning of a syllable block it becomes very versatile

and acts as a placeholder to help blend sounds. For example 맞아요 is pronounced as

마자요.

To clarify, it should still be spelled as 맞아요, because 받침 only changes the way words

are pronounced (not the way they’re spelled) but since the ᄋ in 아 acts like a

placeholder, the ᄌ in 맞 blends up into the next syllable.

Let’s look at some more examples:

먹어 is pronounced 머거

책은 is pronounced 채근

ᴄᴏᴍᴘʀᴇʜᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋᴘᴏɪɴᴛ 1

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True or False: 받침 rules change the way a word is

pronounced as well as the way it’s

spelled.

Pronounce these words out loud. Try to focus on fluidly moving from one syllable to the

next. You can send your pronunciation to me via DM if you would like feedback.

낮에

맏어

맡아

말이

맞아

꽃이

책에

Given the syllable 넛, which consonant is in the 받침 position?

ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᄒ

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I’ve never seen this rule written in a textbook, but it’s something I’ve noticed native

speakers doing a lot. When ᄒ is in the middle of a word, it is often only slightly

pronounced or not pronounced at all.

For example, in the word 행복해요, the ᄒ in the first syllable block is voiced because it

is at the beginning of a word, but the same ᄒ in the word 안행복해요 is not voiced.

ᴛ-sᴛᴏᴘ ʀᴜʟᴇ

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Sometimes when you have a consonant on the bottom of a word you will pronounce it

as a ᄐ or ᄃ regardless of what sound it would usually make.

This rule applies to ᄉ, ᄊ, ᄌ, ᄎ, ᄃ, ᄐ, and ᄒ.

This is because Korean syllables are cut short and aren’t drawn out like English words.

Remember the pronunciation difference between “Bob” and “법.” (If you want a spoken

example and are unable to attend live classes, send me a DM.)

Examples:

있 is pronounced like 잍

못 is pronounced like 뫁

갖 is pronounced like 갖

ᴀsᴘɪʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ 받침

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For any syllable ending in ᄏ or ᄑ (two letters that the T-Stop rule does not apply to,) the

will be pronounced the same as their inspirited counterparts.

For example:

묶 is pronounced 묵

볶 is pronounced 복

앞 is pronounced 압

숲 is pronounced 숩

ᴡʜᴇɴ ᄃ ɪᴍᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀᴛᴇs ᄌ

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Whenever ᄃ is in the bottom syllable of a block and the block immediately following it

is 이, the ᄃ slides into the ᄋ’s place and changes it’s sound to a ᄌ. This doesn’t

happen to all 받침 when blending with ᄋ, but ᄃ and ᄐ are a special case.

For example:

곧이 is pronounced 고지

굳이 is pronounced 구지

This same thing happens to the aspirated ᄃ, ᄐ. But as you can imagine, instead of

becoming ᄌ, it becomes the aspirated ᄌ, ᄎ.

For example:

같이 is pronounced 가치

밭이 is pronounced 바치

The last part of this rule is that it also applies to ᄃ followed by 히, except the ᄒ gives

the ᄃ the aspiration it needs to become ᄎ instead of ᄌ.

For example:

닫히 is pronounced 다치

묻히 is pronounced 무치

ɴᴀsᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

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All consonants that come before a nasal consonant (ᄂ, ᄆ, or ᄋ) are forced to become

a nasalized sound to prevent an interruption in pronunciation. There are several rules

that fall under this nasalization rule. We will look at each of them individually.

ᄀ, ᄏ, ᄁ and ᄂ

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With this combination, where ᄀ/ᄏ/ᄁ is in the 받침 position and ᄂ is at the beginning

of the next syllable, the ᄀ/ᄏ/ᄁ is pronounced as ᄋ.

적는 is pronounced 정는

깎는 is pronounced 깡는

ᴄᴏᴍᴘʀᴇʜᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋᴘᴏɪɴᴛ 2

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Write (using 한글) how each of these are pronounced.

낯

밭

맏

히읗

True or False: Every time ᄇ is in the 받침 position it

it will be pronounced like ᄆ

ᄀ ᴀɴᴅ ᄆ

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When ᄀ is in the 받침 position and is followed by ᄆ, the ᄀ also becomes ᄋ.

For example:

국물 is pronounced 궁물

ᄃ/ᄐ/ᄉ/ᄊ/ᄌ/ᄎ/ᄒ ᴀɴᴅ ᄂ

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This sound change rule applies to many consonants and means that when any of these

consonants is followed by ᄂ, their sound changes to ᄂ.

For example:

듣는 is pronounced 든는

몇 년 is pronounced 면 년

ᄇ/ᄑ ᴀɴᴅ ᄂ

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This rule is one you probably already know even if you aren’t aware that you know it.

Whenever ᄇ/ᄑ in the 받침 position are followed by ᄂ, the ᄇ/ᄑ will change to an ᄆ

sound.

For example:

감사합니다 is pronounced 감사함니다

업는 is pronounced 엄는

ᄂ ᴀɴᴅ ᄅ

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When ᄂ is in the 받침 position and is followed by ᄅ, the ᄂ sound is replaced with a ᄅ.

For example:

난로 is pronounced 날로

신라 is pronounced 실라

ᄅ ᴀɴᴅ ᄂ

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When ᄅ is in the 받침 position and is followed by ᄂ, the ᄂ sound is replaced with a ᄅ.

For example:

설날 is pronounced 설랄

ᄋ/ᄆ ᴀɴᴅ ᄅ

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Whenever we have ᄋ/ᄆ in the 받침 position followed by ᄅ, the ᄅ becomes a ᄂ.

For example:

함락 is pronounced 함낙

공로 is pronounced 공노

ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴄʜɪᴍ?!?!

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Some syllable blocks have two consonants on the bottom, like in 삶, and it’s entirely too

difficult to put that much energy into pronouncing both consonants at the bottom. It’s

difficult to do, nearly always inconsistent, and interrupts the flow of a conversation too

much to be worth it. So even though they’re spelled with two consonants on the bottom,

you’ll almost always only pronounce one.

There are only 11 possible combinations for these double 받침 syllable blocks. Those

combinations are ᆪ, ᆬ, ᆭ, ᆰ, ᆱ, ᆲ, ᆳ, ᆴ, ᆵ, ᄚ, and ᄡ.

ᆪ, ᆬ, ᆭ, ᆲ, ᆳ, ᆴ, ᄚ, and ᄡ follow the pronunciation of the first consonant.

Only ᆰ, ᆱ, and ᆵ follow the pronunciation of the second consonant.

**If you’re struggling to remember all of the combinations, just focus on remembering

these three, the remaining 8 all follow the pronunciation of the first consonant.

Examples

낛 is pronounced 낙

닭 is pronounced 닥

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ᴄᴏɴɢʀᴀᴛᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs!

ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ!

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