KoreanPath

ㄴ 첨가ㄴ 첨가 — 색연필 Is Said 생년필

In a compound whose first half ends in a consonant and whose second half starts with 이, 야, 여, 요 or 유, a ㄴ is inserted between them that no one wrote: 색연필 is 생년필, 한여름 is 한녀름, 지하철역 is 지하철력.

Like 사잇소리, this is conditioned by the word rather than by the sounds — 목요일 has exactly the same shape and inserts nothing, coming out 모교일. So the rule tells you what happens; the dictionary tells you where.

단어Words that do this
51
소리 변화Times it fires
106
표준 발음법Standard
제29항
예측 가능Predictable
No

규칙The rule

The shape it takes — though not when it takes it.

WrittenSaidExample
받침 + 이/야/여/요/유 a ㄴ appears 한여름 → 한녀름
…then 비음화 runs on it the new ㄴ nasalises what precedes 색연필 → 생년필
…or 유음화 does after ㄹ, the new ㄴ becomes ㄹ 지하철역 → 지하철력

적용 예Worked through

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

  1. 금융
  2. ㄴ 첨가 금늉
금융 finance TOPIK 4
  1. 나뭇잎
  2. ㄴ 첨가 나뭇닢
  3. 음절의 끝소리 규칙 나묻닢
  4. 음절의 끝소리 규칙 나묻닙
  5. 비음화 나문닙
나뭇잎 tree leaf TOPIK 3
  1. 꽃잎
  2. ㄴ 첨가 꽃닢
  3. 음절의 끝소리 규칙 꼳닢
  4. 음절의 끝소리 규칙 꼳닙
  5. 비음화 꼰닙
꽃잎 petal TOPIK 4

주의할 점Why this one is a list

The inserted ㄴ is a real consonant and everything downstream treats it as one. 색연필 inserts a ㄴ, and that ㄴ then nasalises the ㄱ in front of it: 색년필 → 생년필. After a ㄹ the new ㄴ is lateralised instead: 지하철역 → 지하철력.

There is no way to tell from the spelling whether a given compound does it. 목요일 does not, 색연필 does, and both are ordinary everyday words.

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 51 words on this site that do this

  1. 금융 금늉 finance TOPIK 4
  2. 큰일 큰닐 serious trouble TOPIK 4
  3. 식용유 시굥뉴 cooking oil 연음TOPIK 3
  4. 웬일 웬ː닐 what's the matter TOPIK 3
  5. 금융권 금늉꿘 financial institution 사잇소리TOPIK 5
  6. 힘입다 힘닙따 to owe, be indebted to, thankful for 경음화TOPIK 6
  7. 집안일 지반닐 housework 연음TOPIK 2
  8. 정열 정녈 a flame that arises in your heart, a sudden very strong emotion, passion TOPIK 6
  9. 나뭇잎 나문닙 tree leaf 끝소리비음화TOPIK 3
  10. 일일이 일리리 one by one 연음유음화TOPIK 4
  11. 한여름 한녀름 midsummer TOPIK 4
  12. 신혼여행 신혼녀행 honeymoon TOPIK 2
  13. 볼일 볼ː릴 errand, business 유음화TOPIK 3
  14. 꽃잎 꼰닙 petal 끝소리비음화TOPIK 4
  15. 낯익다 난닉따 to become used to seeing, to become familiar 끝소리경음화비음화TOPIK 5
  16. 불이익 불리익 disadvantage,drawback 유음화TOPIK 4
  17. 눈여겨보다 눈녀겨보다 to observe carefully TOPIK 6
  18. 별일 별릴 unusual event 유음화TOPIK 3
  19. 옛날이야기 옌ː날리야기 an old story, folktale 끝소리유음화비음화TOPIK 3
  20. 담요 담ː뇨 blanket TOPIK 4
  21. 양옆 양ː녑 on both sides 끝소리TOPIK 3
  22. 올여름 올려름 this summer 유음화TOPIK 3
  23. 생활용품 생활룡품 household items 유음화TOPIK 3
  24. 여행용 여행뇽 for use during the trip Common
  25. 물엿 물렫 syrup (variously corn syrup, malt syrup, etc.) 끝소리유음화Common
  26. 배낭여행 배ː낭녀행 backpacking TOPIK 3
  27. 업신여기다 업ː씬녀기다 to look down on 경음화Common
  28. 설익다 설릭따 to be half-ripe or half-cooked 경음화유음화Common
  29. 수학여행 수항녀행 field trip 비음화TOPIK 5
  30. 창유리 창뉴리 windowpane Common
  31. 교육열 교ː융녈 having a fever for education 비음화TOPIK 5
  32. 연잇다 연닏따 to be consecutive 끝소리경음화TOPIK 6
  33. 핵연료 행녈료 nuclear fuel 유음화비음화Common
  34. 지하철역 지하철력 subway station 유음화TOPIK 1
  35. 휘발유 휘발류 gasoline 유음화TOPIK 5
  36. 종착역 종창녁 terminal station 비음화TOPIK 5
  37. 동영상 동ː녕상 video TOPIK 4
  38. 색연필 생년필 colored pencil 비음화TOPIK 6
  39. 공공요금 공공뇨금 public utility charges TOPIK 4
  40. 감언이설 가먼니설 flowery, self-serving language 연음TOPIK 6
  41. 늦여름 는녀름 late summer 끝소리비음화TOPIK 4
  42. 천생연분 천생년분 a fate given to you from heaven TOPIK 5
  43. 환승역 환ː승녁 the transfer station TOPIK 3
  44. 뒷일 뒨ː닐 aftermath 끝소리비음화TOPIK 6
  45. 물약 물략 liquid medicine 유음화TOPIK 3
  46. 소독약 소동냑 sterilant 비음화TOPIK 3
  47. 일광욕 일광뇩 sunbathing TOPIK 5
  48. 출산율 출싼뉼 birthrate 사잇소리TOPIK 5
  49. 두통약 두통냑 headache pill TOPIK 3
  50. 삼림욕 삼님뇩 forest therapy (lit. forest bathing) 비음화TOPIK 6
  51. 서울역 서울력 Seoul train station 유음화TOPIK 2

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 색연필 pronounced 생년필?

A ㄴ is inserted in front of the 여 because 색연필 is a compound of 색 and 연필. That new ㄴ then meets the ㄱ of 색 and nasalises it to ㅇ, giving 생년필. Two rules, in that order.

Why doesn't 목요일 do the same thing?

Nothing in the sounds distinguishes them — it is a fact about the words. 목요일 links normally and is said 모교일. ㄴ-insertion has to be learnt word by word, which is why every example on this page is one the dictionary marks.

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