2 · Hangul and the sound rules
Nasalisation and ㄹ: 국물 sounds like 궁물
nasal assimilation
k, t and p before n or m become ng, n and m; ㄹ turns into n after m and ng, and n next to l becomes l.
When a final k, t or p meets an n or an m at the start of the next syllable, it becomes the nasal made in the same place in the mouth: k becomes ng, t becomes n, p becomes m. 국물 (broth) is [궁물], gungmul; 있는 (that there is) is said inneun; 합니다, the formal ending, is [함니다], hamnida. Every formal sentence ends in it, so 감사합니다 (thank you) is said [감사함니다] — nobody says the p.
The rule works on the sound, not the letter, so every final that is said k, t or p takes part: 끝나요 (it ends) is [끈나요], 옛날 (the old days) is [옌날], 앞문 (front door) is [암문], 없는 (that there is not) is eomneun. English keeps a k before an m (“bookmark”), so this feels unnatural at first; in Korean it is compulsory, even in slow, careful speech.
ㄹ has rules of its own. After ㅁ or ㅇ it becomes n: 종로, a district of Seoul, is [종노], jongno; 음료수 (soft drink) is [음뇨수]. After a final k or p it becomes n too, and then nasalises the consonant before it: 독립 (independence) is [동닙], dongnip; 협력 (cooperation) is [혐녁]. And where ㄴ and ㄹ meet, in either order, both become l: 신라, an old kingdom, is [실라], silla; 연락 (contact) is [열락]; 설날 (New Year’s Day) is [설랄].
The romanisation follows all of this — gungmul, hamnida, jongno, silla — because it is there to be read aloud. The spelling follows none of it: 국물 keeps the ㄱ of 국 (soup). A learner therefore has two jobs: apply the rules forwards when speaking, and backwards when writing down a word heard for the first time. The commonest spelling slip runs exactly that way: 감사합니다 written with an ㅁ.
The form
| k, t, p before n or m | 국물 → [궁물] |
| the formal ending | 합니다 → [함니다] |
| ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ | 종로 → [종노] |
| ㄹ after k or p: both change | 독립 → [동닙] |
| ㄴ and ㄹ: both become l | 신라 → [실라] |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
A final k, t or p before ㄴ or ㅁ becomes ng, n or m.
작년에 한국에 갔어요.I went to Korea last year.
The formal endings in 니다 are always said with an m before them.
만나서 반갑습니다.Nice to meet you.
After ㅁ or ㅇ, ㄹ is said as n.
음료수 한 병 주세요.A bottle of soft drink, please.
Where ㄴ and ㄹ meet, in either order, both are said as l.
설날에 가족을 만나요.I see my family at New Year.
The spelling never shows any of this; only the romanisation does.
국물이 정말 맛있어요.The broth is really tasty.
A closer look
Why a nasal
Each pair is made in one place in the mouth: k and ng at the back, t and n behind the teeth, p and m with the lips. A Korean final k, t or p is a closure with no release, and a closure followed by n or m simply lets the air through the nose a moment early. Nothing moves to a new place; only the nose opens.
The ㄹ rules have the same kind of reason behind them: ㄴ and ㄹ are both made with the tip of the tongue behind the teeth, and Korean does not let them stand side by side. Usually ㄹ wins (신라 [실라]). In some Sino-Korean compounds ㄴ wins instead, and only the word can tell you; this site lists such words in its exception list so that the romanisation comes out right.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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ㄴ and ㄹ meet in some Sino-Korean compounds
both are said as n, not l: 생산량 (output) is [생산냥].
올해는 쌀 생산량이 늘었어요.Rice output has gone up this year.
In these words the second part is felt as a separate element added to a whole word, 생산 (production) plus 량 (amount), and a ㄹ at the start of such an element becomes n.
How to spot it
- 합니다
- -습니다
- 있는
- 없는
- 국물
Example sentences
정말 감사합니다.Thank you very much.
옛날에는 여기가 바다였어요.In the old days this place was the sea.
수업이 몇 시에 끝나요?What time does the class end?
앞문으로 들어오세요.Please come in through the front door.
종로에서 친구를 만나요.I am meeting a friend in Jongno.
내일 다시 연락할게요.I will get in touch again tomorrow.
7 more example sentences
한국말을 조금 해요.I speak a little Korean.
십만 원이에요.It is a hundred thousand won.
지금 먹는 게 뭐예요?What is that you are eating?
정류장이 어디예요?Where is the bus stop?
심리 수업이 재미있어요.The psychology class is interesting.
난로 옆에 앉으세요.Sit next to the heater.
앞니가 아파요.My front tooth hurts.
Worth knowing (1)
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Across a space
In fluent speech the rules also cross the space between the words of a phrase: 밥 먹어요 sounds like [밤머거요]. The romanisation does not follow across the space — each word is written for itself, bap meogeoyo — so the line under a phrase is a little more careful than the speaker.
같이 밥 먹어요.Let’s eat together.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Everyone says [감사함니다], so the m is what the ear hears and what learners write. But the formal ending is spelt with ㅂ, and it turns into m only because ㄴ follows. Write the ㅂ, say the m.
k, t and p before n or m turn into ng, n and m — in the mouth, not on the page.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.