Bonus: Pronunciation Masterclass (Alphabet & Diphthongs)

Question 1

아

Answer 1

아 (a)<br></br>“ah” as in “father”<br></br>Open your mouth widely and let the sound come from deep in your throat.

Question 2

어

Answer 2

어 (eo)<br></br>“aw” as in “saw”<br></br>The sound is somewhat between “aw” and “uh”. Lips should be relaxed.

Question 3

오

Answer 3

오 (o)<br></br>“oh”<br></br>Round your lips slightly, similar to saying “oh” in English.

Question 4

우

Answer 4

우 (u)<br></br>“oo” as in “food”<br></br>Round your lips more than when pronouncing “oh”.

Question 5

에

Answer 5

에 (e)<br></br>“ae” as in “bed”<br></br>It’s somewhat between “ae” and “eh”.

Question 6

ㄱ

Answer 6

ㄱ (g/k)<br></br>“g” as in “go” when at the beginning, “k” when at the end<br></br>Start with the back of your tongue pressed against the soft part of the roof of your mouth.

Question 7

ㄴ

Answer 7

ㄴ (n)<br></br>“n” as in “no”<br></br>Tongue touches the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth.

Question 8

ㄷ

Answer 8

ㄷ (d/t)<br></br>“d” at the beginning, “t” when at the end<br></br>Similar to “d” in “dog”, but with the tongue touching slightly behind the upper front teeth.

Question 9

ㄹ

Answer 9

ㄹ (r/l)<br></br>Between “r” and “l”<br></br>Start by flapping your tongue against the roof of your mouth, similar to the Spanish “r”.

Question 10

ㅁ

Answer 10

ㅁ (m)<br></br>“m” as in “man”<br></br>Lips come together as in English “m”.

Question 11

와

Answer 11

와 (wa)<br></br>“wah”<br></br>Combination of “오” and “아”. Begin with the “o” shape and glide into the “ah”.

Question 12

워

Answer 12

워 (wo)<br></br>“waw”<br></br>Combination of “오” and “어”.

Question 13

웨

Answer 13

웨 (we)<br></br>“way”<br></br>Combination of “오” and “에”.

Question 14

의

Answer 14

의 (ui)<br></br>Between “ee” and “wi”<br></br>Lips should start rounded and gradually relax.

Question 15

ㅃ

Answer 15

ㅃ (pp)<br></br>Strong “bb” sound<br></br>Double consonants in Korean are tensed. It’s like a stronger, more forceful sound.

Question 16

ㅉ

Answer 16

ㅉ (jj)<br></br>Strong “j” sound<br></br>Similar to “jj” in “jazz”, but with more force.

Question 17

ㄸ

Answer 17

ㄸ (tt)<br></br>Strong “d/t” sound<br></br>A tensed version of ㄷ.

Question 18

이

Answer 18

이 (i)<br></br>“ee” as in “see”<br></br>Lips are spread wide and teeth are close to each other.

Question 19

으

Answer 19

으 (eu)<br></br>No exact English equivalent, but close to “eu” in “eureka”<br></br>Lips are slightly forward and rounded, and the tongue is raised towards the back of the mouth.

Question 20

애

Answer 20

애 (ae)<br></br>“a” as in “hat”

Question 21

ㅂ

Answer 21

ㅂ (b/p)<br></br>“b” at the beginning of syllables, “p” at the end

Question 22

ㅅ

Answer 22

ㅅ (s)<br></br>”s” as in “see”.

Question 23

ㅈ

Answer 23

ㅈ (j)<br></br>“j” as in “jazz” at the beginning, and a bit softer at the end.

Question 24

ㅊ

Answer 24

ㅊ (ch)<br></br>“ch” as in “chat”.

Question 25

ㅋ

Answer 25

ㅋ (k)<br></br>“k” as in “keep”<br></br>More aspirated than ㄱ.

Question 26

ㅌ

Answer 26

ㅌ (t)<br></br>“t” as in “top”<br></br>More aspirated than ㄷ.

Question 27

ㅍ

Answer 27

ㅍ (p)<br></br>“p” as in “pop”<br></br>More aspirated than ㅂ.

Question 28

ㅎ

Answer 28

ㅎ (h)<br></br>“h” as in “hello”.

Question 29

ㅆ

Answer 29

ㅆ (ss)<br></br>Strong “s” sound<br></br>It’s like a hissing sound, tensed.

Question 30

ㄲ

Answer 30

ㄲ (gg/kk)<br></br>Strong “g/k” sound<br></br>A tensed version of ㄱ.

Question 31

ㅂ

Answer 31

ㅂ (bb/pp)<br></br>Strong “b/p” sound<br></br>A tensed version of ㅂ.

Question 32

외

Answer 32

외 (oe)<br></br>“weh” or “way”

Question 33

위

Answer 33

위 (wi)<br></br>“wee”.