This session is only for those who want to have a better understanding of exact pronunciation. In fact, this session is not necessary for normal conversation, but rather for situations where arguments arise about the correct way to pronounce something.
The Korean government has created a guide to define the standard pronunciation in order to clarify ambiguous pronunciations. You can find this rule here.
https://kornorms.korean.go.kr/regltn/regltnView.do?regltn_code=0002®ltn_no=346#a346
한국어 어문 규범
kornorms.korean.go.kr
Please check grammer and fluency of the following -
It is rather long, but as I said, don't worry. You don't have to pay too much attention on it. In case you want to understand deeper, here is a short summary. However, many exceptions are there for each one. For the detail, please refer the link above.
1. The letters 'ㅏㅐㅓㅔㅗㅚㅜㅟㅢ' are pronounced as single vowels. The letters 'ㅑㅒㅕㅖㅘㅙㅛㅝㅞㅠㅢ' are pronounced as double vowels.
[Note] The letters 'ㅚㅟ' can also be pronounced as double vowels.
However, 1. '져, 쪄, 쳐' in the conjugation of verbs are pronounced as [저, 쩌, 처].
가지어→가져[가저], 찌어→쪄[쩌], 다치어→다쳐[다처]
However, 2. Except for '예, 례', 'ㅖ' can also be pronounced as [ㅔ].
계집[계:집/게:집], 계시다[계:시다/게:시다], 시계[시계/시게](時計)
However, 3. The letter 'ㅢ' in a syllable with a consonant as the first sound is pronounced as [ㅣ].
늴리리, 무늬, 띄어쓰기, 희망, 유희
However, 4. However, except for the first syllable of a word, '의' is also allowed to be pronounced as [ㅣ], and the postposition '의' can be pronounced as [ㅔ].
Examples: 주의 [주의/주이], 협의 [혀ㅂ/혀비], 우리의 [우리의/우리에], 강의의 [강:의의/강:이에]
2. Length of Sounds
Distinguish between long and short vowels in pronunciation, but the principle is to only produce a long sound in the first syllable.
(1) 눈보라[눈:보라], 말씨[말:씨], 밤나무[밤:나무], 많다[만:타], 멀리[멀:리], 벌리다[벌:리다]
(2) 첫눈[천눈], 참말[참말], 쌍동밤[쌍동밤], 수많이[수:마니], 눈멀다[눈멀다], 떠벌리다[떠벌리다]
4. Only the seven consonants 'ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ' are pronounced as final consonants.
(1). The final consonants 'ㄲ, ㅋ', 'ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ', 'ㅍ' are pronounced as their representative sounds [ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ] respectively at the end of a word or before another consonant.
닦다[닥따] (clean), 옷[옫] (clothes) 웃다[욷:따] (laugh), 있다[읻따] (exist), 젖[젇] (milk)
(2). The double consonants 'ㄳ', 'ㄵ', 'ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ', 'ㅄ' are pronounced as [ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅂ] respectively at the end of a word or before another consonant.
넋[넉], 앉다[안따], 여덟[여덜], 넓다[널따], 외곬[외골], 핥다[할따], 값[갑], 없다[업:따]
(3). The double consonants 'ㄺ, ㄻ, ㄿ' are pronounced as [ㄱ, ㅁ, ㅂ], respectively, at the end of a word or before a consonant.
닭 [닥], 흙과 [흑꽈], 맑다 [막따], 늙지 [늑찌], 삶 [삼:], 젊다 [점:따], 읊고 [읍꼬], 읊다 [읍따].
5. Pronunciation of the final consonant 'ㅎ' is as follows:
- When 'ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅈ' are combined with 'ㅎ(ㄶ, ㅀ)', they are pronounced as [ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅊ] by combining the first sound of the following syllable. 놓고[노코], 좋던[조:턴], 쌓지[싸치], 많고[만:코], 않던[안턴], 닳지[달치], 먹히다[머키다],
- When 'ㅅ' is combined with 'ㅎ(ㄶ, ㅀ)', it is pronounced as [ㅆ]. 닿소[다쏘], 많소[만쏘], 싫소[실쏘]
- When 'ㄴ' is combined with 'ㅎ', it is pronounced as [ㄴ]. 놓는[논는], 쌓네[싼네]
- When a suffix starting with a vowel is combined with 'ㅎ(ㄶ, ㅀ)', 'ㅎ' is not pronounced. Examples: 낳은[나은], 놓아[노아], 쌓이다[싸이다], 많아[마:나], 않은[아는], 닳아[다라], 싫어도[시러도]
6. Sound linking
When a consonant is combined with a following vowel-initial syllable, it is pronounced by moving the last consonent to the following syllable.
깎아[까까], 옷이[오시], 있어[이써], 낮이[나지], 꽂아[꼬자], 꽃을[꼬츨], 쫓아[쪼차], 밭에[바테],
넋이[넉씨], 앉아[안자], 닭을[달글], 젊어[절머], 읊어[을퍼], 값을[갑쓸], 없어[업:써]
밭 아래[바다래], 늪 앞[느밥], 젖어미[저더미], 맛없다[마덥다], 겉옷[거돋], 헛웃음[허두슴], 꽃 위[꼬뒤]
넋 없다[너겁따], 닭 앞에[다가페], 값어치[가버치], 값있는[가빈는]
7. Sound Assimilation
(1) When the final consonants 'ㄷ' and 'ㅌ(ㄾ)' are followed by the vowel 'ㅣ', they are pronounced as [ㅈ, ㅊ] and moved to the following syllable.
곧이듣다[고지듣따], 굳이[구지], 미닫이[미다지], 땀받이[땀바지], 밭이[바치], 벼훑이[벼훌치]
굳히다[구치다] 닫히다[다치다] 묻히다[무치다]
(2) The final consonants 'ㄱ(ㄲ, ㅋ, ㄳ, ㄺ), ㄷ(ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ), ㅂ(ㅍ, ㄼ, ㄿ, ㅄ)' are pronounced as [ㅇ, ㄴ, ㅁ] when followed by 'ㄴ, ㅁ'.
먹는[멍는], 국물[궁물], 깎는[깡는], 옷맵시[온맵시], 있는[인는], 꽃망울[꼰망울], 밥 먹는다[밤멍는다]
(3) The consonant 'ㄹ' that comes after the final consonants 'ㅁ' and 'ㅇ' is pronounced as [ㄴ].
담력[담:녁], 침략[침냑], 강릉[강능], 항로[항:노], 대통령[대:통녕], 백리[백니→뱅니], 협력[협녁→혐녁]
(4) The consonant 'ㄴ' is pronounced as [ㄹ] when it comes before or after the consonant 'ㄹ'.
난로[날:로], 신라[실라], 천리[철리], 광한루[광:할루], 대관령[대:괄령], 칼날[칼랄], 물난리[물랄리], 줄넘기[줄럼끼]
닳는[달른], 뚫는[뚤른], 핥네[할레]
However, the following words are pronounced with the consonant 'ㄹ' as [ㄴ].
의견란[의:견난], 임진란[임:진난], 생산량[생산냥], 결단력[결딴녁], 공권력[공꿘녁], 동원령[동:원녕], 상견례[상견녜], 횡단로[횡단노], 이원론[이:원논], 입원료[이붠뇨], 구근류[구근뉴]
8. Assimilating to Fortis
(1) The consonants 'ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ' that come after the final consonants 'ㄱ (ㄲ, ㅋ, ㄳ, ㄺ), ㄷ (ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ), and ㅂ (ㅍ, ㄼ, ㄿ, ㅄ)' are pronounced with assimilated to Fortis.
국밥[국빱], 깎다[깍따], 넔받이[넉빠지], 삯돈[삭똔], 꽃다발[꼳따발], 낯설다[낟썰다], 옆집[엽찝], 값지다[갑찌다]
(2) The initial consonants 'ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㄹ', 'ㄼ, ㄾ' of an ending that is attached to an inflectional ending with final consonants 'ㄴ (ㄵ), ㅁ (ㄻ)' are pronounced with assimilated to Fortis.
신고[신꼬], 껴안다[껴안따], 앉고[안꼬], 얹다[언따], 닮고[담:꼬] 젊지[점:찌]
넓게[널께] 핥다[할따] 훑소[훌쏘] 떫지[떨:찌]
However, the suffix '-기-' in passive and causative verbs is not pronounced as a tense consonant.
안기다 감기다 굶기다 옮기다
9. Addition of Sounds
(1) In compound words and derived words, when the end of the first word or prefix is a consonant and the first syllable of the following word or suffix is '이, 야, 여, 요, 유', the sound 'ㄴ' is added and pronounced as [니, 냐, 녀, 뇨, 뉴].
솜-이불[솜:니불], 홑-이불[혼니불], 막-일[망닐], 꽃-잎[꼰닙], 눈-요기[눈뇨기], 식용-유[시굥뉴], 국민-윤리[궁민뉼리]
Note: When the 'ㄴ' sound is added after the final consonant 'ㄹ', it is pronounced as [ㄹ].
솔-잎[솔립], 설-익다[설릭따], 서울-역[서울력], 물-엿[물렫], 휘발-유[휘발류], 유들-유들[유들류들]
한 일[한닐], 옷 입다[온닙따], 서른여섯[서른녀섣], 3연대[삼년대], 할 일[할릴], 잘 입다[잘립따], 스물여섯[스물려섣]
(2) When a tense consonant (사이시옷) is added to a word, it is pronounced as follows:
1. When it comes before words that start with 'ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ', only these consonants are pronounced as tense consonants, but pronouncing the tense consonant as [ㄷ] is also allowed.
냇가[내:까/낻:까], 샛길[새:낄/샏:낄], 빨랫돌[빨래똘/빨랟똘], 콧등[코뜽/콛뜽], 깃발[기빨/긷빨], 대팻밥[대:패빱/대:팯빱], 햇살[해쌀/핻쌀], 뱃속[배쏙/밷쏙], 뱃전[배쩐/밷쩐], 고갯짓[고개찓/고갣찓]
2. When 'ㄴ, ㅁ' are combined after the tense consonant, it is pronounced as [ㄴ].
콧날[콛날→콘날], 아랫니[아랟니→아랜니], 툇마루[퇻:마루→퇸:마루], 뱃머리[밷머리→밴머리]
3. When '이' sound is combined after the tense consonant, it is pronounced as [ㄴㄴ].
베갯잇[베갣닏→베갠닏], 깻잎[깯입→깬닙], 나뭇잎[나묻입→나문닙], 도리깻열[도리깯녈→도리깬녈], 뒷윷[뒫:뉻→뒨:뉻]
- END -
Again, it looks quite complicated but actually you will see it is not, because all the guidances are to help your to speak smoothly and natually. If you don't follow the guide, you will have to speak the syllables one by one with very stiff.
In next session, we will start to see the structure of sentence.
A tip:
You can copy Korean word and search the meaning and pronunciation in the website but you may want to type Korean directly then you can add in your computor and make it dual language system, You can toggle them by "Alt" key.
What about accent?
Useful tool