Lesson 2: Consonants

   The consonants m, n, and h are pronounced much like English. The   
   consonants written ng is pronounced as in sing, singer (but NOT as in English finger which sounds like fingger).

   The consonants b, d, and g sound like weakly articulated English pin, tin, kin; but the end of a syllable (hip, hit, hick) be careful not to give these consonants a special release—just shut the sound off.

   The sounds written p, t, and k are said with a heavy puff of breath like English upheaval, penthouse, cookhouse.

   The sounds written pp, tt, and kk are pronounced with the throat and mouth muscles very tense and released sharp with no puff of breath, a little like English spy, stay, skid.

   B, d, and g are LAX; p, t, and k are BREATHY; and pp, tt, and kk are TENSE. In the same way j is lax (as in English church weakly articulated), ch is breathy (as in English beach house), and jj is tense.

   You may hear pp, tt, kk, and jj like English bit, dip, go, and Joe—if you pronounce these words with a specially strong emphasis. But ordinary English b, d, g, and j are rather weakly pronounced like the way Korean b, d, g, and j sound between voiced sounds.

   The Korean sound s is lax and sounds like a very weak English s—or sometimes, especially in front of the vowel i, like English sh. The Korean sound ss is tense and sounds like a very emphatic English s. Don’t worry if you can’t hear the difference between these two; there are few situations in which you will be misunderstood if you confuse them.

   The Korean sound which we write sometimes l and sometimes r is very difficult for Americans because it sounds like a number of different English sounds. Within a word when it sounds like the l in fill we write it l; when it sounds like the r in British berry (or the t in English Betty; or the Japanese r, or the single Spanish r) we write it r. Be careful to pronounce the Korean mm, nn, and ll as DOUBLE sounds; like English gem-maker, pen-knife well-liked.

Here are some common words to practise the consonants.

bi	Rain	비
pi	Blood	피
maekju	Beer	맥주
byeo	Rice plant	벼
pyo	Ticket	표
ppyeo	Bone	뼈
dal	Moon	달
tal	Mask	탈
ttal	Daughter	딸
do	Province	도
top	A saw	톱
tto	Again, yet	또
gi	Spirit, disposition	기
ki	Height, size	키
kki	A meal	끼
gae	Dog	개
kal	Knife	칼
kkae	Sesame	깨
jo	Millet	조
cho	Candle	초
jjok	Side, direction	쪽
sal	Flesh	살
ssal	Uncooked rice	쌀
seoda	Stands up	서다
sseuda	Writes	쓰다
dambae	Cigarettes	담배
gongbu	Study	공부
Ilbon	Japan	일본
yeoseot beon	Six minutes	여섯번
chimdae	Bed	침대
bando	Peninsula	반도
dalda	Is sweet	달다
chuptta	Is cold	춥다
jaktta	Is small	작다
Yeongguk	England	영국
gwail	Fruit	과일
sipgu	Nineteen	십구
namja	Man, male	남자
hwanja	Patient	환자
maekju	Beer	맥주
jong-i	Paper	종이
dong-an	Interval	동안
i-ri	This way	이리
geu-reo(h)ke	In that way, so	그렇게
le-seu-torang	Restaurant	레스토랑
ladio	Radio	라디오
pilyo	Necessity	필요
palwol	August	팔월
il	Work, job	일
mul	Water	물
mul-lon	Of course	물론
ppal-li	Fast	빨리