KoreanPath

자음군 단순화자음군 단순화 — Eleven Double 받침, One Sound Each

Korean writes eleven double 받침 — ㄳ ㄵ ㄶ ㄺ ㄻ ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅀ ㅄ — and says only one letter of each before a consonant or a pause. 값 is 갑, 닭 is 닥, 삶 is 삼, 앉다 is 안따.

Both letters are still there in the spelling because both are still in the word: put a vowel behind the cluster and the second one wakes up and links forward (값이 → 갑씨, 읽어 → 일거). The simplification is what happens when there is nowhere for it to go.

단어Words that do this
104
소리 변화Times it fires
396
표준 발음법Standard
제10항, 제11항
예측 가능Predictable
Yes

규칙The rule

Three lines, and they are exceptionless.

WrittenSaidExample
ㄳ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅄ the front letter survives 값 → 갑
ㄵ ㄶ ㄼ ㅀ the front letter survives 앉다 → 안따
ㄺ ㄻ the back letter survives 닭 → 닥, 삶 → 삼

적용 예Worked through

Every arrow is a rule, and every final form is the dictionary's own transcription.

  1. 않는
  2. 자음군 단순화 안는
않다 to not do something TOPIK 3
  1. 끊임없다
  2. ㅎ 탈락 끈임없다
  3. 연음 끄님없다
  4. 연음 끄니멊다
  5. 자음군 단순화 끄니멉다
  6. 경음화 끄니멉따
끊임없다 incessant TOPIK 4
  1. 보잘것없다
  2. 사잇소리 보잘껏없다
  3. 음절의 끝소리 규칙 보잘껃없다
  4. 연음 보잘꺼덦다
  5. 자음군 단순화 보잘꺼덥다
  6. 경음화 보잘꺼덥따
보잘것없다 to be worthless, valueless, useless TOPIK 6

주의할 점What is usually got wrong

The survivor is not predictable from the shape: ㄺ says its back letter and ㄼ says its front one, and they are written the same way round. These eleven have to be learnt as eleven.

Two of them have their own exceptions in the standard. 밟다 is 밥따 rather than 발따, against the rest of the ㄼ group, and ㄺ keeps its ㄹ when a ㄱ follows: 읽고 is 일꼬, not 익꼬. Both are in 제10항 and 제11항 as named exceptions rather than as things you are supposed to feel.

예시 단어Every word in the dictionary that does this

Commonest first. Each links to the word's own row, with its meaning, examples and audio.

All 104 words on this site that do this

  1. 없다 업ː따 to have none 경음화TOPIK 1
  2. 않는 안는 to not do something TOPIK 3
  3. 앉다 안따 to sit, to sit down 경음화TOPIK 1
  4. 삶 삼ː life TOPIK 3
  5. 읽다 익따 to read 경음화TOPIK 1
  6. 젊다 점ː따 to be young 경음화TOPIK 2
  7. 넓다 널따 to be wide, large, broad 경음화TOPIK 1
  8. 옮기다 옴기다 to move, to shift TOPIK 3
  9. 잃는 일른 to lose 유음화TOPIK 2
  10. 값 갑 price TOPIK 1
  11. 짧다 짤따 short 경음화TOPIK 2
  12. 까닭 까닥 reason, cause TOPIK 4
  13. 맑다 막따 to be clear, clean, fresh 경음화TOPIK 1
  14. 밝다 박따 to be bright 경음화TOPIK 2
  15. 끊는 끈는 to cut, to sever TOPIK 2
  16. 늙다 늑따 to grow old 경음화TOPIK 2
  17. 흙 흑 earth TOPIK 4
  18. 틀림없다 틀리멉따 to be certain, to be sure 연음경음화TOPIK 4
  19. 몫 목 portion, share TOPIK 4
  20. 밟다 밥ː따 to step on, to tread 경음화TOPIK 3
  21. 굵다 국ː따 to be thick 경음화TOPIK 2
  22. 낡다 낙따 to be worn out, old 경음화TOPIK 3
  23. 붉다 북따 to be red 경음화TOPIK 2
  24. 앓는 알른 to suffer from an illness 유음화TOPIK 4
  25. 닮다 담ː따 to resemble, to look like 경음화TOPIK 2
  26. 얹다 언따 to put on, place on top 경음화TOPIK 4
  27. 끓는 끌른 to boil 유음화TOPIK 2
  28. 닭 닥 chicken TOPIK 2
  29. 삶다 삼ː따 to boil 경음화TOPIK 3
  30. 주저앉다 주저안따 to sit down heavily 경음화TOPIK 4
  31. 뚫는 뚤른 to pierce a hole through 유음화TOPIK 3
  32. 가라앉다 가라안따 to sink 경음화TOPIK 4
  33. 굶다 굼ː따 to skip (a meal), to starve 경음화TOPIK 3
  34. 다름없다 다르멉따 to be no different from 연음경음화TOPIK 4
  35. 얇다 얄ː따 to be thin 경음화TOPIK 2
  36. 폭넓다 퐁널따 to be broad, extensive 경음화비음화TOPIK 4
  37. 상관없다 상과넙따 to be unrelated 연음경음화TOPIK 3
  38. 끝없다 끄덥따 endless 끝소리연음경음화TOPIK 4
  39. 넋 넉 soul, spirit TOPIK 6
  40. 끊임없다 끄니멉따 incessant ㅎ 탈락연음경음화TOPIK 4
  41. 여덟 여덜 eight TOPIK 1
  42. 긁다 극따 to scratch, to scrape 경음화TOPIK 4
  43. 어처구니없다 어처구니업따 be absurd, ridiculous, preposterous, ludicrous 경음화TOPIK 6
  44. 재미없다 재미업따 boring 경음화TOPIK 1
  45. 엷다 열ː따 thin 경음화TOPIK 6
  46. 묽다 묵따 to be watery, thin, dilute 경음화TOPIK 6
  47. 내려앉다 내려안따 to sink, to subside 경음화TOPIK 4
  48. 뚫리다 뚤리다 to be pierced TOPIK 4
  49. 기슭 기슥 foot of a mountain TOPIK 6
  50. 꿇는 꿀른 to kneel 유음화TOPIK 4
  51. 값싸다 갑싸다 cheap, low-priced TOPIK 4
  52. 꿰뚫는 꿰ː뚤른 to pierce 유음화TOPIK 6
  53. 쓸데없다 쓸떼업따 to be useless 사잇소리경음화TOPIK 4
  54. 걸터앉다 걸ː터안따 to sit on the edge, to perch 경음화TOPIK 6
  55. 끼얹다 끼언따 to pour (on) 경음화TOPIK 6
  56. 닭고기 닥꼬기 chicken meat 사잇소리TOPIK 2
  57. 둘러앉다 둘러안따 to sit around 경음화TOPIK 6
  58. 굶주리다 굼ː주리다 to starve, to go hungry TOPIK 6
  59. 보잘것없다 보잘꺼덥따 to be worthless, valueless, useless 사잇소리끝소리연음경음화TOPIK 6
  60. 소용없다 소ː용업따 to be useless 경음화TOPIK 4
  61. 싼값 싼갑 a low price TOPIK 4
  62. 어이없다 어이업따 dumbfounding, ridiculous 경음화TOPIK 5
  63. 얽매이다 엉매이다 to be bound 비음화TOPIK 6
  64. 가엾다 가ː엽따 to be pitiful 경음화TOPIK 6
  65. 값지다 갑찌다 valuable, of worth 경음화TOPIK 5
  66. 닳는 달른 to wear down 유음화TOPIK 4
  67. 훑다 훌따 to scan, to sweep over 경음화TOPIK 6
  68. 그지없다 그지업따 boundless 경음화TOPIK 6
  69. 형편없다 형펴넙따 terrible, awful (of a very poor quality) 연음경음화TOPIK 5
  70. 핥다 할따 to lick 경음화TOPIK 5
  71. 흙탕물 흑탕물 muddy water Common
  72. 드넓다 드널따 to be vast, wide 경음화Common
  73. 짓밟다 짇빱따 to trample on 끝소리경음화TOPIK 6
  74. 관계없다 관계업따 경음화TOPIK 3
  75. 넋두리 넉뚜리 a lengthy complaint 경음화Common
  76. 덧없다 더덥따 transient, fleeting. 무상하다 끝소리연음경음화Common
  77. 싫증 실쯩 disgust 사잇소리TOPIK 3
  78. 진흙 진흑 mud TOPIK 5
  79. 터무니없다 터무니업따 absurd, ridiculous, preposterous 경음화TOPIK 6
  80. 값비싸다 갑삐싸다 expensive 경음화Common
  81. 들끓는 들끌른 to swarm, to be rampant 유음화TOPIK 6
  82. 앎 암ː knowledge Common
  83. 굶주림 굼ː주림 hunger, starvation TOPIK 6
  84. 버릇없다 버르덥따 ill-mannered, rude, impolite 끝소리연음경음화TOPIK 5
  85. 힘없다 히멉따 to be weak 연음경음화TOPIK 5
  86. 검붉다 검ː북따 to be dark red, blackish-red 경음화Common
  87. 부질없다 부지럽따 futile, vain 연음경음화Common
  88. 산기슭 산끼슥 foot 사잇소리Common
  89. 쓸모없다 쓸모업따 to be useless 경음화Common
  90. 암탉 암탁 hen Common
  91. 읊다 읍따 to recite 경음화TOPIK 5
  92. 찰흙 찰흑 clay Common
  93. 넓적하다 넙쩌카다 to be wide and flat 격음화경음화TOPIK 6
  94. 맛없다 마덥따 not tasting good 끝소리연음경음화TOPIK 1
  95. 곪다 곰ː따 to fester 경음화TOPIK 6
  96. 빈틈없다 빈ː트멉따 to be thorough 연음경음화TOPIK 6
  97. 반값 반ː갑 half price TOPIK 4
  98. 변함없다 변ː하멉따 to be unchanged 연음경음화TOPIK 5
  99. 정신없다 정시넙따 to be hectic 연음경음화TOPIK 3
  100. 헐값 헐깝 lowness 사잇소리TOPIK 6
  101. 아낌없다 아끼멉따 unstinting 연음경음화TOPIK 6
  102. 떫다 떨ː따 to be astringent 경음화TOPIK 5
  103. 읽기 일끼 reading 경음화TOPIK 3
  104. 여덟째 여덜째 eighth TOPIK 3

다른 규칙The other rules

연음 Linking A 받침 with a vowel behind it moves into the next block. The first rule to learn and the one you hear most. 2,561 words 음절의 끝소리 규칙 Final neutralisation Any 받침 you can write collapses into one of seven sounds. 옷, 낮 and 꽃 all end identically. 515 words 경음화 Tensing After a stop, a plain consonant is squeezed into its tense partner. The commonest sound change in the language. 2,941 words 비음화 Nasalisation A stop in front of a nasal becomes a nasal. It is why every polite sentence you say ends the way it does. 3,169 words

All 11 pronunciation rules ›

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

Why is 닭 pronounced 닥 but 닭이 pronounced 달기?

Before a pause there is nowhere for the ㄱ to go, so only one letter of ㄺ is said and it is the ㄱ: 닥. Before a vowel the ㄱ moves into the next block and the ㄹ stays behind, so both letters are heard: 달기. Same word, both letters real.

Is there a rule for which half of a double 받침 is said?

Not one you can derive. ㄺ and ㄻ keep the back letter, the other nine keep the front one, and 밟다 breaks its own group. The list is short enough to learn and the words containing them are few — 104 words on this site have one at all.

Pronunciations, audio and example words from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.