Up until now to keep it simple, we've only learned about syllables that only ended with a vowel, basically two letters put together to make a sound. Now we'll be learning about the final consonant that goes at the bottom of the syllables block, this final position is called a batchim. The sentence example below shows the characters in the final position (batchim) in blue:
This step will introduce you to the sounds in the final syllable position, some which are very different from their normal sounds. For now we are only going to include the characters ㄴ and ㅁ in the final position (batchim) since ㄴ and ㅁ do not change sounds in this position. Just remember each block of letters is pronounced as a syllable. Let's try some simple examples to help you understand.
Practice
사람 (person)
라면 (ramen)
몸매 (shape, figure)
금지 (prohibition)
안주 (side-dish for alcohol)
신문 (newspaper)
Sound shifts
If a consonant in the final position followed by a vowel, the sound shifts over to the next syllable. The only sounds that don't shift over to the next syllable are ㅇ since it is weird to begin a weird with a "ng" sound and ㅎ becomes silent when followed by a vowel.
Pronunciation When Followed By a Vowel
Original
Actual Pronunciation
Audio
맞아
마자
먹어
머거
집에
지베
좋아
조아
놀아
노라
필요하다
피료하다
한국어
한구거
졸업
조럽
십일
시빌
콩이1
콩이
If the final position has ㅇ, there is no syllable shift.
Different sounds
If a consonant in the final position and it is not followed by a vowel (meaning it is the last syllable of the word or followed by another consonant), then it may have a different pronunciation. You will notice from the tables below that many characters share the same sound when in the final position.
Also as you will notice, there are also the letters ㄲ and ㅆ below which we haven't learned yet. Don't worry as they are pronounced like some of the letters you have already learned when in the final position, so for now don't worry those letters until the next section.
Note: ㅃ, ㄸ and ㅉ can't appear in the final position.
Letter(s)
Pronunciation
Comment
ㄱ,ㄲ,ㅋ
/k/
The /k/ sound is cut short.
ㅋ and ㄲ do not commonly appear in the final position. In fact only a handful of words even have ㅋ in the final position.
악, 앜, 앆 all pronounced the same
(audio)
억, 엌, 얶
(audio)
옥, 옼, 옦
(audio)
욱, 웈, 욲
(audio)
익, 잌, 읶
(audio)
Practice
고객 (customer)
낙지 (Octopus)
낚시 (fishing)
맥주 (beer)
묶다 (to tie)
부엌 (kitchen)
식사 (meal)
욕 (foul language)
육 (six)
Letter(s)
Pronunciation
Comment
ㅂ,ㅍ
/p/
The /p/ sound is cut short.
ㅂ appears in the final position more often than ㅍ.
압, 앞
(audio)
업, 엎
(audio)
옵, 옾
(audio)
웁,웊
(audio)
입, 잎
(audio)
Practice
높다 (to be high)
덥다 (to be hot)
덮다 (to cover something)
맙소사 (Oh no! Oh my god)
밥 (rice)
십 (ten)
접시 (dish, plate)
춥다 (to be cold)
Letter(s)
Pronunciation
Comment
ㄹ
/l/ sound
In the final position ㄹ sounds like an /l/ sound instead of an /ɾ/ as we previously learned.
However if ㄹ is followed by a vowel it is a /ɾ/ sound.
Also if there are two consecutive ㄹ together, the second ㄹ also takes an /l/ sound.
알
(audio)
얼
(audio)
올
(audio)
울
(audio)
일
(audio)
Practice
길 (road)
잘 (well)
말 (horse)
물 (water)
멀리 (far away)
칼 (knife)
걸리다 (to be hung)
열리다 (to be opened)
입술 (lips)
Letter(s)
Pronunciation
Comment
ㅇ
/ŋ/ sound ("ng" sound like in ring or hang)
Normally ㅇ acts as a placeholder for a consonant and makes no sound, only in the final position does it make a sound.
앙
(audio)
엉
(audio)
옹
(audio)
웅
(audio)
잉
(audio)
Practice
강 (river)
건강 (health)
공주 (princess)
빙하 (glacier)
성 (family name, last name)
증상 (symptom)
Letter(s)
Pronunciation
Comment
ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ
/t/ sound
The /t/ sound is cut short.
ㄷ, ㅊ, ㅈ, ㅌ don't frequently appear in the final position.
Although ㅎ is supposed to be a /t/ sound, it often mixes with the consonant it follows causing it to have another sound. This will be discussed later in step 7, so just keep it in mind for now.
앋, 앗, 았, 앚, 앛, 앝, 앟
(audio)
얻, 엇, 었, 엊 엋, 엍, 엏
(audio)
옫, 옷, 옸, 엊, 엋, 엍, 엏
(audio)
욷, 웃, 웄, 웆, 웇, 웉, 웋
(audio)
읻, 잇, 있, 잊, 잋, 잍, 잏
(audio)
Practice
곧 (right away) / 곳 (place)
낮잠 (nap)
닻줄 (anchor)
밭 (field)
멋쟁이 (stylish person)
있다 (to exist, to have)
찾다 (to find)
Compare
Compare the sounds of the final syllable when followed by a vowel, and when it's not followed by a vowel.
Compare
맛
맛이1
살
살이
목
목이
대답
대답이
빚
빚이
옆
옆에
밑
밑에
Remember ㅅ + 이 becomes a "sh" sound.
Double Consonant Cluster
Sometimes there are two consonants in the final position such as the ㄺ in the word 닭 or the ㄼ in 여덟. We will cover this in the step 7 in the final section. Just be aware that it is possible to have 2 consonants in the final syllable even though it's not common.