음절의 끝소리 규칙음절의 끝소리 규칙 — Sixteen Letters, Seven Sounds
Sixteen single consonants can be written in the 받침 slot. Exactly seven can be said there: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ. Everything else lands on one of them — ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ and ㅎ all come out ㄷ, ㅍ comes out ㅂ, ㄲ and ㅋ come out ㄱ.
So 옷, 낮 and 꽃 end in the same sound, and 앞 is said 압. This is the rule that makes Korean spelling look inconsistent and is in fact the reason it is not: the spelling keeps the letter that belongs to the word, and this rule says what happens to it at the end of a syllable.
- 단어Words that do this
- 515
- 소리 변화Times it fires
- 1,294
- 표준 발음법Standard
- 제8항, 제9항
- 예측 가능Predictable
- Yes
규칙The rule
Three lines, and they are exceptionless.
| Written | Said | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅊ ㅌ ㅎ | → ㄷ | 옷 → 옫, 꽃 → 꼳 |
| ㅍ | → ㅂ | 앞 → 압 |
| ㄲ ㅋ | → ㄱ | 밖 → 박 |
적용 예Worked through
Every arrow is a rule, and every final form is the dictionary's own transcription.
- 것
- 음절의 끝소리 규칙 걷
- 맛있다
- 음절의 끝소리 규칙 맏있다
- 연음 마딨다
- 음절의 끝소리 규칙 마딛다
- 경음화 마딛따
- 똑같다
- 음절의 끝소리 규칙 똑갇다
- 경음화 똑깓다
- 경음화 똑깓따
주의할 점What is usually got wrong
The letter is silenced, not lost. Put a vowel behind it and it comes straight back: 옷 is 옫 but 옷이 is 오시, 꽃 is 꼳 but 꽃이 is 꼬치. That is exactly why Korean spells them differently in the first place — the spelling is recording which consonant will reappear.
It also means a 받침 is never released. English speakers pop the final consonant of cat; Korean stops the airflow and holds it, which is what makes 옫 and 옥 sound so much closer to each other than ot and ok do.
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.
The 150 commonest of 515 words on this site that do this
- 것 걷 thing
- 있다 읻따 to be in the process of
- 같다 갇따 to be the same
- 그것 그걷 that thing
- 앞 압 front
- 싶다 십따 to want
- 곳 곧 place
- 무엇 무얻 what
- 놓는 논는 to put, to place
- 이것 이걷 this thing
- 몇 멷 how many
- 갖다 갇따 having, possessing
- 찾다 찯따 to find
- 못 몯ː cannot
- 넣는 넌ː는 to put in
- 및 믿 and
- 짓다 짇ː따 to make
- 밖 박 outside
- 높다 놉따 to be high
- 뜻 뜯 meaning
- 웃다 욷ː따 to laugh, to smile
- 끝 끋 end
- 듯 듣 as if, seeming like
- 끝나다 끈나다 to come to an end
- 맞다 맏따 to be correct
- 맛 맏 taste, flavor
- 낳는 난ː는 to give birth to, to lay
- 옆 엽 side, flank
- 깊다 깁따 to be deep
- 꽃 꼳 flower
- 옷 옫 clothes, clothing
- 옛날 옌ː날 the past, long ago
- 이곳 이곧 here
- 맡다 맏따 to take charge of
- 밑 믿 bottom, underneath
- 첫 첟 first
- 맞추다 맏추다 to adjust
- 재미있다 재미읻따 fun
- 붙다 붇따 to stick, to adhere
- 잇다 읻ː따 to connect, to join
- 갖추다 갇추다 to equip, prepare
- 닦다 닥따 to polish
- 빛 빋 light
- 겪다 격따 to experience
- 그곳 그곧 that place, there
- 잊다 읻따 to forget
- 씻다 씯따 to wash clean
- 늦다 늗따 to be late
- 이웃 이욷 neighbor
- 낮다 낟따 to be low
- 맛있다 마딛따 delicious, tasty
- 숲 숩 forest
- 내놓는 내ː논는 to put out, to take out
- 벗다 벋따 to take off
- 낮 낟 daytime
- 탓 탇 fault, blame
- 앞서 압써 previously, before
- 알맞다 알ː맏따 to be suitable, to fit
- 잘못 잘몯 mistake
- 똑같다 똑깓따 to be the same
- 닿는 단ː는 to touch, to reach
- 옛 옏ː old, bygone
- 끝내다 끈내다 to finish something
- 아무것 아ː무걷 anything
- 젖다 젇따 to be wet, soaked
- 어쨌든 어짿뜬 anyway
- 맡기다 맏끼다 to entrust
- 쌓는 싼는 to pile up, to stack
- 짓 짇ː a physical act or movement
- 잘못되다 잘몯뙤다 to go wrong
- 밭 받 dry field
- 그릇 그륻 bowl
- 곁 겯 side, vicinity
- 다섯 다섣 five
- 앞두다 압뚜다 to have (something) ahead of one
- 온갖 온ː갇 all kinds of
- 무릎 무릅 knee
- 맺다 맫따 to bear (fruit), to produce (results)
- 잎 입 leaf
- 낫다 낟ː따 to be better
- 볶다 복따 to stir-fry
- 붓다 붇ː따 to pour
- 섞다 석따 to mix
- 눈앞 누납 before one's eyes
- 빛나다 빈나다 to shine, to glitter
- 노릇 노륻 role
- 눈빛 눈삗 the glitter of one's eyes
- 덧붙이다 덛뿌치다 to attach, to add
- 몇몇 면멷 some, a few
- 부엌 부억 kitchen
- 놓치다 녿치다 to miss
- 덮다 덥따 to cover
- 앞서다 압써다 to precede, to come before
- 낯설다 낟썰다 strange, unfamiliar
- 못지않다 몯ː찌안타 to be as ... as
- 거짓말 거ː진말 lie
- 낚시 낙씨 fishing with hook and line
- 비롯되다 비롣뙤다 to originate
- 끝내 끈내 the end
- 버릇 버륻 habit
- 깎다 깍따 to cut, peel, shave
- 뱃사람 밷싸람 sailor
- 짙다 짇따 deep, dark
- 창밖 창박 outside a window
- 벗기다 벋끼다 to take off, to undress
- 불빛 불삗 light, beam
- 앞장서다 압짱서다 to lead, to take the lead
- 젓다 젇ː따 to stir
- 곳곳 곧꼳 everywhere
- 여섯 여섣 six
- 바깥 바깓 outside
- 부딪치다 부딛치다 to strike, to hit, to bump into, to collide with
- 빚다 빋따 to shape, to mold
- 묶다 묵따 to tie up, to bind
- 겉 걷 surface, the outside
- 셋 섿ː three
- 맞서다 맏써다 to stand against, to oppose
- 셋째 섿ː째 third
- 잇따르다 읻ː따르다 to follow one after another
- 짚다 집따 to lean on, rest on (a cane)
- 햇빛 해삗 sunlight, sunshine
- 얼핏 얼핃 in an instant, in a flash, by chance, by accident
- 꺾다 꺽따 to break off
- 쫓다 쫃따 to chase
- 어긋나다 어근나다 to go against
- 올려놓는 올려논는 to put on, to place on
- 되찾다 되찯따 to recover
- 솟다 솓따 to rise, to soar
- 웃기다 욷ː끼다 to make someone laugh
- 뒤늦다 뒤ː늗따 late, tardy
- 맛보다 맏뽀다 to taste, to try (by tasting)
- 내려놓는 내려논는 to put down, to set down
- 집어넣는 지버넌는 to put in
- 곁들이다 겯뜨리다 to add to a dish as a side
- 멋지다 먿찌다 to be cool, splendid
- 갚다 갑따 to repay, to pay back
- 꽂다 꼳따 to insert, to stick in
- 앞세우다 압쎄우다 to place in front, to have (someone) go ahead
- 붙잡다 붇짭따 to seize, to grab
- 빛깔 빋깔 color, hue
- 털어놓는 터러논는 to confide
- 낮추다 낟추다 to lower
- 쫓기다 쫃끼다 to be chased
- 몸짓 몸찓 gesture
- 빼앗다 빼앋따 to take away, steal
- 잦다 잗따 to be frequent
- 첫날 천날 first day
- 듯싶다 듣씹따 to seem, to appear
- 엎드리다 업뜨리다 to lie face down, to prostrate oneself
- 여럿 여럳 many people
다른 규칙The other rules
자주 묻는 질문Common questions
Why do 낫, 낮, 낯 and 낟 all sound the same?
Because ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ and ㄷ all neutralise to ㄷ in the 받침. All four are said 낟. They are spelt apart because they behave apart the moment an ending follows: 낫이 is 나시, 낮이 is 나지, 낯이 is 나치.
How do I know which 받침 to write if they all sound alike?
From an inflected form. Say the word with -이 or -을 after it and the real consonant reappears — the sound you hear there is the letter you write. It is the same trick Korean children are taught.
Pronunciations, audio and example words from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.