경음화경음화 — When ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ Turn Tense
After a ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ 받침, a following plain consonant is not said plainly. It comes out tense: 학교 is 학꾜, 어렵다 is 어렵따, 있다 is 읻따. The throat tightens, no air escapes, and nothing about it is written down.
This is the change that fires more than any other in the dictionary, and the one that most reliably gives a foreign accent away. A learner who says 학교 with a plain ㄱ is understood perfectly and sounds wrong in a way most Korean listeners cannot name.
- 단어Words that do this
- 2,941
- 소리 변화Times it fires
- 4,432
- 표준 발음법Standard
- 제23항–제26항
- 예측 가능Predictable
- Yes
규칙The rule
Three lines, and they are exceptionless.
| Written | Said | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ + ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ | → ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ | 먹다 → 먹따 (제23항) |
| 어간 ㄴ ㅁ + 어미 | the ending tenses | 신고 → 신꼬 (제24항) |
| 한자어 ㄹ + ㄷ ㅅ ㅈ | the second tenses | 일주일 → 일쭈일 (제26항) |
| ㅎ + ㅅ | → ㅆ | 좋습니다 → 조씀니다 (제12항) |
적용 예Worked through
Every arrow is a rule, and every final form is the dictionary's own transcription.
주의할 점What is usually got wrong
The stop rule is automatic and needs no thought; the other three are conditioned by grammar rather than by sound, and that is where it stops being predictable from the spelling alone. 신고 from 신다 is 신꼬, but 신고 meaning a report is 신고. Same letters, different word, different sound.
The Sino-Korean ㄹ rule (제26항) is the one worth knowing consciously: in a word written with hanja, ㄷ, ㅅ and ㅈ after a ㄹ are always tense. 일주일, 발달, 절대 — no exceptions, and it covers a great deal of the vocabulary from 3급 upwards.
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 2,941 words on this site that do this
- 것도 걷또 thing
- 있다 읻따 to be in the process of
- 없다 업ː따 to have none
- 않습니다 안씀니다 to not do something
- 같다 갇따 to be the same
- 그렇습니다 그러씀니다 to be like that
- 많습니다 만ː씀니다 many, much, a lot
- 좋습니다 조ː씀니다 to be good
- 받다 받따 to receive
- 그것도 그걷또 that thing
- 집도 집또 house, home
- 속도 속ː또 the inside
- 앞도 압또 front
- 먹다 먹따 to eat
- 생각도 생각또 thought
- 어떻습니다 어떠씀니다 to be how, in what state
- 듣다 듣따 to listen, to hear
- 싶다 십따 to want
- 이렇습니다 이러씀니다 to be like this
- 곳도 곧또 place
- 학교 학꾜 school
- 무엇도 무얻또 what
- 국가 국까 nation, state
- 놓습니다 노씀니다 to put, to place
- 지역도 지역또 area, region
- 모습도 모습또 appearance
- 이것도 이걷또 this thing
- 방법도 방법또 method
- 새롭다 새롭따 to be new
- 앉다 안따 to sit, to sit down
- 갖다 갇따 having, possessing
- 찾다 찯따 to find
- 교육도 교ː육또 education
- 잡다 잡따 to hold, to grab
- 역사 역싸 history
- 읽다 익따 to read
- 책도 책또 book
- 넣습니다 너ː씀니다 to put in
- 어렵다 어렵따 to be difficult
- 죽다 죽따 to die
- 쪽도 쪽또 side
- 학생 학쌩 student
- 쉽다 쉽ː따 to be easy
- 짓다 짇ː따 to make
- 밖도 박또 outside
- 작다 작ː따 to be small
- 대학도 대ː학또 college, university
- 문학도 문학또 literature
- 높다 놉따 to be high
- 묻다 묻따 to ask
- 남다 남ː따 to remain, to be left over
- 기업도 기업또 business, enterprise
- 뜻도 뜯또 meaning
- 활동 활똥 activity
- 역시 역씨 too
- 웃다 욷ː따 to laugh, to smile
- 얻다 얻ː따 to obtain, get
- 아름답다 아름답따 to be beautiful
- 민족도 민족또 ethnic group
- 듯도 듣또 as if, seeming like
- 입도 입또 mouth
- 과학도 과학또 science
- 결국도 결국또 in the end, ultimately
- 밥도 밥또 cooked rice
- 입다 입따 to wear, to put on (clothes)
- 정책도 정책또 policy
- 적도 적또 time, occasion
- 의식도 의ː식또 consciousness
- 맞다 맏따 to be correct
- 맛도 맏또 taste, flavor
- 산업도 사ː넙또 industry
- 음식도 음ː식또 food
- 계획도 계ː획또 a plan
- 성격도 성ː껵또 personality
- 계속도 계ː속또 continuation
- 가족도 가족또 family
- 세력도 세ː력또 influence, power
- 발전 발쩐 development
- 각도 각또 each
- 작업도 자겁또 work
- 측도 측또 the side, to that person, in that direction
- 믿다 믿따 to trust, to believe
- 옆도 엽또 side, flank
- 입장 입짱 entry, admittance
- 방식도 방식또 method, way
- 깊다 깁따 to be deep
- 꽃도 꼳또 flower
- 갑자기 갑짜기 suddenly
- 넘다 넘ː따 to exceed, to surpass
- 목소리 목쏘리 voice
- 노력도 노력또 effort
- 능력도 능녁또 ability
- 자식도 자식또 one's children, offspring
- 사업도 사ː업또 business
- 젊다 점ː따 to be young
- 옷도 옫또 clothes, clothing
- 연극도 연ː극또 play, drama
- 걷다 걷따 to walk
- 집단 집딴 group
- 직접 직쩝 directly, in person
- 작가 작까 writer,author
- 인식도 인식또 recognition
- 시작되다 시ː작뙤다 to begin
- 개혁도 개ː혁또 reform
- 음악도 으막또 music
- 적다 적따 to be few, little
- 법도 법또 law
- 질서 질써 order
- 담다 담ː따 to put into a container
- 이곳도 이곧또 here
- 마지막도 마지막또 the end
- 맡다 맏따 to take charge of
- 저녁도 저녁또 evening
- 넓다 널따 to be wide, large, broad
- 가깝다 가깝따 close
- 외국도 외ː국또 a foreign country
- 열심히 열씸히 enthusiastically
- 약간 약깐 a little, a bit
- 감독도 감독또 direction, supervision
- 삼다 삼ː따 to take as
- 일단 일딴 first of all
- 조직도 조직또 organization
- 재미있다 재미읻따 fun
- 막다 막따 to block, to stop up
- 전국도 전국또 whole country
- 계급도 계급또 class, social rank
- 농업도 농업또 agriculture
- 식도 식또 way, style, manner
- 붙다 붇따 to stick, to adhere
- 잇다 읻ː따 to connect, to join
- 목적 목쩍 purpose
- 대책도 대ː책또 countermeasure
- 발생하다 발쌩하다 to occur, to happen
- 각각 각깍 each
- 잃습니다 일씀니다 to lose
- 실시하다 실씨하다 to implement
- 싫습니다 실씀니다 to dislike
- 전략도 절ː략또 strategy
- 값도 갑또 price
- 닦다 닥따 to polish
- 괜찮습니다 괜찬씀니다 to be okay, all right
- 각종 각쫑 all kinds, various
- 빛도 빋또 light
- 지식도 지식또 knowledge
- 특징 특찡 distinguishing characteristic
- 형식도 형식또 form
- 겪다 격따 to experience
- 귀족도 귀ː족또 aristocrat
- 기억도 기억또 memory
- 실제로 실쩨로 in fact
다른 규칙The other rules
자주 묻는 질문Common questions
Why is 학교 pronounced 학꾜?
The ㄱ 받침 of 학 is a stop, and a plain consonant after a stop is tensed automatically. 학 + 교 gives 학꾜, the same way 식당 gives 식땅 and 옷장 gives 옫짱. It is not written because it is not a choice — every Korean speaker does it every time.
What is the difference between ㄱ, ㄲ and ㅋ?
Air. ㅋ is released with a hard puff, ㄱ with a little, ㄲ with none at all and a tight throat. English has nothing in the ㄲ slot, which is why it is the last of the three to click — and why tensing is worth practising as a sound rather than memorising as a rule.
Pronunciations, audio and example words from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.