3 · Hangul and the sound rules
Tensification: 학교 sounds like 학꾜
tense consonants that are heard but not written
After k, t and p, after a modifier in ㄹ and in some compounds, a plain consonant is said tense.
After a final k, t or p, a plain consonant at the start of the next syllable becomes tense: ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ are said ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ. 학교 (school) is [학꾜], 식당 (restaurant) is [식땅], 국밥 (rice in soup) is [국빱], 책상 (desk) is [책쌍], 잡지 (magazine) is [잡찌]. This group has no exceptions: after a stop that is not released, a plain consonant simply comes out tense.
Three more places tense a consonant, and these have to be learnt. After a modifier ending in ㄹ — the one in 할, 먹을, 갈 — the next word starts tense: 할 수 있어요 (I can do it) is [할쑤이써요], 먹을 거예요 (I will eat) is [머글꺼예요] — and endings built on the same ㄹ behave alike: 갈게요 (I will go) is [갈께요]. After a verb stem ending in ㄴ or ㅁ, the ending starts tense: 신고 (wearing shoes, and) is [신꼬], 감다 (to wash one’s hair) is [감따]. And in Sino-Korean words a ㄷ, ㅅ or ㅈ after ㄹ is tense: 발달 (development) is [발딸], 열심히 (hard, diligently) is [열씸히], 갈등 (conflict) is [갈뜽].
Finally there are compounds that tense the second part with no visible reason: 문법 (grammar) is [문뻡], 눈빛 (the look in someone’s eyes) is [눈삗], 잠자리 meaning “a place to sleep” is [잠짜리] — while 잠자리 meaning “dragonfly” is [잠자리]. Some compounds show the tensing in their spelling with an ㅅ between the parts, as in 바닷가 (seaside); most simply have to be heard.
Neither the spelling nor the romanisation shows any of this. The official romanisation does not write tensing, and neither does this site: 학교is hakgyo할 수is hal su After k, t and p the tension is automatic, and a speaker who knows the rule supplies it; but the romanisation alone will not teach the tensed words of the other groups, so listen for them. The commonest written mistake runs the other way: writing what is heard, as in 갈께요 for 갈게요, a slip even Korean writers make.
The form
| after k, t, p: always | 학교 → [학꾜] |
| after a modifier in ㄹ | 할 수 → [할쑤] |
| a promise in -ge-yo | 갈게요 → [갈께요] |
| after a verb stem in ㄴ or ㅁ | 신고 → [신꼬] |
| Sino-Korean ㄹ before ㄷ ㅅ ㅈ | 발달 → [발딸] |
| some compounds | 문법 → [문뻡] |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
After a final k, t or p, a plain ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ is always said tense.
학교 식당은 싸요.The school canteen is cheap.
After a modifier ending in ㄹ, the next word begins tense.
저는 한국어를 할 수 있어요.I can speak Korean.
Endings such as 올게요 are written with ㄱ and said with ㄲ.
내일 다시 올게요.I will come again tomorrow.
After a verb stem ending in ㄴ or ㅁ, the ending begins tense.
신발을 신고 들어오세요.Come in with your shoes on.
Neither the spelling nor the romanisation shows the tensing.
문법 책을 샀어요.I bought a grammar book.
A closer look
Why the romanisation leaves it out
The official romanisation writes the sound changes at a syllable boundary — linking, nasalisation, the ㄹ rules — and stops at tensing. Partly because tensing after k, t and p is automatic and adds nothing a reader could get wrong, and partly because writing it would make the same syllable look different from word to word: 학교would be hakkyo국밥gukppap This site follows that choice, for the same reasons.
The cost falls on the less predictable cases. 문법 is written munbeop and said with pp; the two words spelt 잠자리 are both jamjari, though only the one meaning “a place to sleep” is said with jj. These are worth learning together with the word, the way an English speaker learns that “read” has two pronunciations.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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two words share one spelling
only one of them may be tensed: 잠자리 (a place to sleep) is [잠짜리], 잠자리 (dragonfly) is [잠자리].
아이가 잠자리를 잡았어요.The child caught a dragonfly.
Tensing in a compound belongs to the word, not to the letters. Two words that happen to be spelt alike can differ in it, and only listening or a dictionary tells them apart.
How to spot it
- 학교
- 할 수
- -(으)ㄹ게요
- -고
- -지
Example sentences
저는 잡지를 자주 읽어요.I often read magazines.
책상 위에 책이 있어요.There is a book on the desk.
내일 몇 시에 출발할 거예요?What time are you leaving tomorrow?
냉장고에 먹을 게 없어요.There is nothing to eat in the fridge.
요즘 열심히 공부하고 있어요.I am studying hard these days.
머리 감고 나갈게요.I will wash my hair and then go out.
8 more example sentences
입구에서 기다릴게요.I will wait at the entrance.
꽃집은 어디에 있어요?Where is the flower shop?
젓가락 좀 주세요.Chopsticks, please.
점심에 국밥 먹었어요.I had rice soup for lunch.
이 일은 혼자 할 수 없어요.I can’t do this job on my own.
기술이 많이 발달했어요.Technology has developed a lot.
두 사람 사이에 갈등이 있어요.There is conflict between the two of them.
요즘 물가가 많이 올랐어요.Prices have gone up a lot lately.
Worth knowing (1)
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A written ㅅ between two words
Some compounds show their tensing in the spelling: an ㅅ is added at the bottom of the first part. 바다 (sea) and 가 (edge) make 바닷가 (seaside), said [바다까] or, with a short stop, [바닫까] — the romanisation, badatga, follows the second. The ㅅ is a spelling device and is never said as s.
여름에 바닷가에 가요.We go to the seaside in summer.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The ending is said [께], so it is written that way surprisingly often, even by Koreans. The standard spelling has a plain ㄱ: 할게요, 갈게요, 먹을게요. Only question endings such as 할까요 are written with ㄲ, because the spelling rules make an exception for questions.
After k, t and p, and after a modifier in l, ga becomes kka — said, never written.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.