2 · Hangul and the sound rules
Aspiration and palatalisation: 축하 and 같이
h merging with a stop, and t or d turning to ch or j
ㅎ melts into a neighbouring k, t, p or j, and a final t before i turns into ch or j.
ㅎ does not stand next to a plain stop. When ㅎ meets ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ — in either order — the two merge into one aspirated consonant: ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. With ㅎ first: 좋고 (good and) is [조코], 좋다 is [조타], 많지 is [만치]. With ㅎ second: 축하 (congratulations) is [추카], 입학 (starting school) is [이팍], 착해요 (he is kind) is [차캐요]. A final ㅅ counts as a t here, so 깨끗해요 (it is clean) is [깨끄태요].
Palatalisation is the second rule. A ㄷ or ㅌ at the bottom of a block, followed by 이 or 히, turns into ㅈ or ㅊ: 같이 (together) is [가치], gachi; 굳이 (going out of one’s way) is [구지]; 해돋이 (sunrise) is [해도지]; 닫히다 (to be closed) is [다치다]. The ㄷ or ㅌ has to close its block, and the 이 has to be a particle or a suffix added to the word; a ㄷ that begins a syllable, as in 어디 (where) or 디자인 (design), stays d.
The romanisation writes what is heard: 같이 is gachi, 좋고 joko, 축하 chuka. In one place this site deliberately differs from the official system. Inside a noun, the official romanisation keeps an h after k, t and p — 백화점 (department store) is baekhwajeom there — so that a noun, above all a place name, keeps a recognisable shape. This site writes what is heard, baekwajeom, because the line under a word is there to be read aloud.
English speakers stumble in two ways. They read the letters one by one, and they assume a t stays a t: 같이 said gat-i is understood, but sounds like a learner reading from the page. Both rules apply in slow speech too. And the spelling stays: 같이 is never written 가치, which is a different word, “value”.
The form
| ㅎ, then ㄱ ㄷ ㅈ | 좋고 → [조코] |
| ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ, then ㅎ | 축하 → [추카] |
| a final ㅅ counts as t | 깨끗해요 → [깨끄태요] |
| ㄷ or ㅌ before a suffix in i | 같이 → [가치] |
| ㄷ before a suffix in hi | 닫히다 → [다치다] |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
ㅎ and a following ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅈ merge into ㅋ, ㅌ or ㅊ.
날씨가 좋고 따뜻해요.The weather is good and warm.
A final ㄱ, ㄷ (or ㅅ), ㅂ or ㅈ and a following ㅎ merge into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ.
생일 축하해요!Happy birthday!
A final ㄷ or ㅌ before the particle or suffix 이 is said ㅈ or ㅊ.
주말에 같이 영화 봐요.Let’s watch a film together at the weekend.
A final ㄷ before the suffix 히 is said ㅊ.
문이 닫히면 소리가 나요.The door makes a noise when it closes.
A closer look
One stem, four sounds
좋다 (to be good) shows how much one stem can change: 좋아요 [조아요] loses the ㅎ, 좋고 [조코] merges it, 좋네요 [존네요] turns it into n, and 좋습니다 [조씀니다] lets it tighten the ㅅ. Four pronunciations, one spelling — the spelling is the stem, and the sound rules do the rest.
The same goes for the h in a noun. Whether a sign writes baekhwajeom or this page writes baekwajeom, the word is said the same way; the two romanisations disagree only about whether to show the letter or the sound.
How to spot it
- 좋고
- 축하
- 같이
- -히-
- -하다
Example sentences
입학을 축하해요.Congratulations on starting school.
방이 정말 깨끗해요.The room is really clean.
이 식당은 양이 많고 싸요.This restaurant gives large portions and is cheap.
굳이 오지 않아도 돼요.There is no need to go out of your way to come.
새해 첫날 해돋이를 봤어요.I watched the sunrise on New Year’s Day.
저는 백화점에서 일해요.I work at a department store.
7 more example sentences
그 영화 좋지요?That film is good, isn’t it?
따뜻한 차 한 잔 주세요.A cup of hot tea, please.
오늘은 날씨가 좋다고 해요.They say the weather is good today.
착한 사람이에요.He is a kind person.
우리 같이 사진 찍어요.Let’s take a photo together.
이 일은 급해요.This job is urgent.
이 문제는 좀 복잡해요.This problem is a bit complicated.
Worth knowing (1)
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cannot before a ha-verb
못 (cannot) before a verb in 하다 merges too: 못해요 is [모태요], motaeyo. The ㅅ of 못 is said t, and t with h makes ㅌ.
저는 수영을 못해요.I can’t swim.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The word is said [가치], but 가치 is another word, “value”. The spelling keeps the ㅌ of 같다 (to be the same) — “together” is “the same way” — and palatalisation only changes the sound.
H melts into its neighbour, and t before i turns into ch — but the spelling never changes.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.