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ㅎ 탈락ㅎ 탈락 — Why 좋아요 Sounds Like joayo

When a ㅎ 받침 has a vowel behind it, it is not said at all. 좋아 is 조아, 많아 is 마나, 싫어 is 시러. The ㅎ is written because it belongs to the word — 좋다 has it, 좋아 has it — but it is silent every time an ending starting with a vowel follows.

This is why the first phrase most learners meet in writing and in speech do not match. 좋아요 looks like joh-a-yo and sounds like joayo, and the difference is this rule and nothing else.

단어Words that do this
59
소리 변화Times it fires
160
표준 발음법Standard
제12항 4
예측 가능Predictable
Yes

규칙The rule

Three lines, and they are exceptionless.

WrittenSaidExample
ㅎ + vowel the ㅎ drops 좋아 → 조아
ㄶ + vowel the ㅎ drops, the ㄴ links 많아 → 마나
ㅀ + vowel the ㅎ drops, the ㄹ links 싫어 → 시러

적용 예Worked through

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

  1. 좋은
  2. ㅎ 탈락 조ː은
좋다 to be good TOPIK 1
  1. 끊임없다
  2. ㅎ 탈락 끈임없다
  3. 연음 끄님없다
  4. 연음 끄니멊다
  5. 자음군 단순화 끄니멉다
  6. 경음화 끄니멉따
끊임없다 incessant TOPIK 4
  1. 끊임없이
  2. ㅎ 탈락 끈임없이
  3. 연음 끄님없이
  4. 연음 끄니멊이
  5. 연음 끄니멉씨
끊임없이 continuously TOPIK 4

주의할 점What is usually got wrong

With a double ㅎ 받침 two rules run in order: the ㅎ goes, and then the letter left behind links forward like any other 받침. 많아 is 만아 is 마나 — and if you stop after the first step you get a pronunciation nobody says.

Between vowels inside a word, ㅎ weakens rather than disappears outright (전화 is usually heard as 저놔), but that is a fact about speech rather than a rule of the standard, and it is not what these examples show.

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 59 words on this site that do this

  1. 않아 아나 to not do something 연음TOPIK 3
  2. 많은 마ː는 many, much, a lot 연음TOPIK 1
  3. 좋은 조ː은 to be good TOPIK 1
  4. 많이 마ː니 a lot, in abundance 연음TOPIK 1
  5. 놓아 노아 to put, to place TOPIK 2
  6. 넣어 너어 to put in TOPIK 1
  7. 낳아 나아 to give birth to, to lay TOPIK 3
  8. 좋아하다 조ː아하다 to like TOPIK 1
  9. 잃어 이러 to lose 연음TOPIK 2
  10. 싫은 시른 to dislike 연음TOPIK 1
  11. 괜찮은 괜차는 to be okay, all right 연음TOPIK 1
  12. 내놓아 내ː노아 to put out, to take out TOPIK 4
  13. 옳은 오른 to be right, to be correct 연음TOPIK 2
  14. 놓이다 노이다 to be placed, to be put TOPIK 3
  15. 수많은 수ː마는 to be numerous 연음TOPIK 4
  16. 쌓이다 싸이다 to be piled up, to be stacked TOPIK 3
  17. 끓이다 끄리다 to boil something 연음TOPIK 2
  18. 닿아 다아 to touch, to reach TOPIK 3
  19. 쌓아 싸아 to pile up, to stack TOPIK 2
  20. 끊어 끄너 to cut, to sever 연음TOPIK 2
  21. 끊임없이 끄니멉씨 continuously 연음TOPIK 4
  22. 앓아 아라 to suffer from an illness 연음TOPIK 4
  23. 못지않은 몯ː찌아는 to be as ... as 연음끝소리경음화TOPIK 4
  24. 많아지다 마ː나지다 to become more, increase 연음TOPIK 3
  25. 잃어버리다 이러버리다 to lose 연음TOPIK 2
  26. 싫어하다 시러하다 to hate 연음TOPIK 1
  27. 끓어 끄러 to boil 연음TOPIK 2
  28. 뚫어 뚜러 to pierce a hole through 연음TOPIK 3
  29. 올려놓아 올려노아 to put on, to place on TOPIK 3
  30. 내려놓아 내려노아 to put down, to set down TOPIK 3
  31. 집어넣어 지버너어 to put in 연음TOPIK 4
  32. 털어놓아 터러노아 to confide 연음TOPIK 6
  33. 귀찮은 귀차는 to be annoying 연음TOPIK 2
  34. 끊어지다 끄너지다 to break off 연음TOPIK 3
  35. 늘어놓아 느러노아 to spread out 연음TOPIK 4
  36. 끊임없다 끄니멉따 incessant 연음자음군경음화TOPIK 4
  37. 빼놓아 빼ː노아 to leave out, to omit TOPIK 4
  38. 들여놓아 드려노아 to get delivered, to purchase 연음TOPIK 6
  39. 점잖은 점ː자는 dignified 연음TOPIK 4
  40. 꿇어 꾸러 to kneel 연음TOPIK 4
  41. 놓아두다 노아두다 to leave something in place TOPIK 4
  42. 하찮은 하차는 trifling, trivial 연음TOPIK 5
  43. 꿰뚫어 꿰ː뚜러 to pierce 연음TOPIK 6
  44. 끊이다 끄니다 to cease, to discontinue 연음TOPIK 5
  45. 사이좋은 사이조은 be on good terms with TOPIK 4
  46. 좋아 조ː아 “That's good” TOPIK 6
  47. 몰아넣어 모라너어 to drive into, to force into 연음TOPIK 6
  48. 닳아 다라 to wear down 연음TOPIK 4
  49. 언짢은 언짜는 to be unpleasant 연음TOPIK 5
  50. 끓어오르다 끄러오르다 surge 연음TOPIK 6
  51. 싫어지다 시러지다 to come to dislike 연음TOPIK 4
  52. 터놓아 터노아 to be chatty, cozy, frank TOPIK 5
  53. 들끓어 들끄러 to swarm, to be rampant 연음TOPIK 6
  54. 심심찮은 심심차는 to be not infrequent 연음Common
  55. 적잖은 적ː짜는 a lot of 연음경음화TOPIK 6
  56. 편찮은 편차는 to be ill, sick 연음TOPIK 2
  57. 찧어 찌어 to pound TOPIK 6
  58. 놓아주다 노아주다 to release, to set free TOPIK 5
  59. 풀어놓아 푸러노아 to release, to let loose 연음TOPIK 6

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 자음군 단순화 Cluster simplification 값 is 갑, 닭 is 닥, 삶 is 삼. Which of the two letters survives is not guessable from the shape. 104 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

All 11 pronunciation rules ›

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

Why is 좋아요 pronounced joayo?

The ㅎ of 좋 has a vowel behind it, so it is not pronounced, leaving 조아요. The ㅎ is still written because it reappears the moment a consonant follows: 좋다 is 조타, where the ㅎ fuses with the ㄷ instead of dropping.

Is 싫어 really pronounced 시러?

Yes. The ㅎ of the ㅀ drops, the ㄹ links into the next syllable, and what is left is 시러. This is the same word people write as sireo, which is what Revised Romanization gives when it follows the pronunciation.

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