| Hi, everyone! Welcome to Ask K-jin. My name is K-jin. |
| 안녕하세요, K-Jin입니다. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo, ke-i-jin-im-ni-da.) |
| In this series, I'll answer your Korean questions. |
| Today, I picked questions related to... |
| Difficult Korean pronunciation. |
| Okay, so let's look at the first question. |
| How can I pronounce ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo)? |
| This is a difficult vowel, right? |
| Um, I think... |
| You know the English word, earth? |
| It has very similar vowel sound. |
| Like this ㅓ(eo) in Korea. |
| It's not exactly same because English and Korean, those are different languages. |
| But ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo) sound is very similar to earth. |
| And let me show you how you can pronounce these sounds. |
| Basically, this ㅓ(eo) sound is between ㅏ(a) and ㅗ(o). |
| ㅏ(a) and ㅗ(o). |
| So, try to pronounce ㅏ(a) naturally. |
| ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a) |
| You have this shape of mouth, right? |
| ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a) |
| Now, with this shape of mouth, try to pronounce ㅗ(o). |
| First, ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a), ㅏ(a) |
| ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo), ㅓ(eo) |
| You try to pronounce ㅗ(o) with the mouth shape, |
| then it sounds very similar to the ㅓ(eo) sound, ㅓ(eo) sound |
| So, let's compare the sounds. |
| First, we have this sound, ㅏ(a) sound. |
| 가지(ga-ji), 가지(ga-ji) |
| This one, 가지(ga-ji). |
| 가(ga), 아(a), 아(a) |
| It contains ㅏ(a) sound. |
| 가지(ga-ji) |
| It means eggplant, the vegetable. |
| 가지(ga-ji), 아(a), 아(a) |
| It's easy for you, right? |
| 가지(ga-ji) |
| It also has another meaning which is branch, branch from the tree. |
| 가지(ga-ji), 가지(ga-ji) |
| And this sound would be also easy for you too. |
| I think it's 고지(go-ji), 고지(go-ji) |
| 고(go), 오(o), 오(o), 오(o) |
| Easy, right? |
| 고지(go-ji), 오(o), 오(o), 오(o) |
| It's notice. |
| 고지(go-ji), 고지(go-ji) |
| So, it's 가지(ga-ji), 고지(go-ji) |
| And let's pronounce beggar in Korean with this ㅓ(eo) sound. |
| So, 아(a), 가지(ga-ji), 고지(go-ji), 오(o) |
| Now, 가(ga), 가(ga), 가(ga) |
| Try to pronounce 가(ga) sound, 가(ga), 아(a), 아(a), 가(ga), 가(ga), 아(a) |
| And try to pronounce ㅗ with this mouth shape as in 아(a) |
| 거지(geo-ji), 거지(geo-ji) |
| So, this is how Korean people pronounce this word beggar. |
| 거지(geo-ji), 거지(geo-ji), 거지(geo-ji) |
| So, 가지(ga-ji), 거지(geo-ji), 고지(go-ji) |
| 가(ga), 거(geo), 고(go) |
| So, this 거(geo) sound is really between 가(ga) and 고(go), 가(ga) and 고(go) |
| Please practice this sound because I know in many languages this sound doesn't exist |
| and you might find this sound difficult. |
| But in Korean, we use this sound so often. |
| So, try to practice it. |
| Here's the second question. |
| How can I pronounce 의(eui), 의(eui) |
| Ah, right. In English, this sound doesn't exist. |
| So, I know many people, many Korean learners find this sound difficult to pronounce. |
| So, today let's practice it together. |
| So, ta-da. Here are some example words, example words. |
| Do you know how to pronounce this vowel, by the way? |
| It's ㅡ(eu) sound, ㅡ(eu), ㅡ(eu), ㅡ(eu), ㅡ(eu) |
| And this one is ㅣ(i) sound. |
| So, basically it's combining two vowels, combining two vowels. |
| ㅡ(eu), ㅣ(i), ㅡ(eu), ㅣ(i) |
| When you pronounce it quickly, it sounds like this. |
| 의(eui), 의(eui), 의(eui) |
| Yes, it's 의(eui), 의(eui). |
| So, doctor, doctor in Korean is 의사(eui-sa), 의사(eui-sa) |
| 의사(eui-sa), 의사(eui-sa) |
| So, it's 의(eui), 의(eui), 의(eui) |
| It’s clearly 의(eui), 의(eui), 의(eui) |
| 의사(eui-sa), 의사(eui-sa), 의사(eui-sa) |
| Good. |
| Now, please listen to this sound. |
| It’s 희망(heui-mang), 희망(heui-mang) |
| Do you hear the 의(eui) sound here? |
| 희망(heui-mang), 희망(heui-mang) |
| Nope. The pronunciation here is 희(hi), 희(hi), 희망(hi-mang), 희망(hi-mang) |
| So, this 으(eu) sound, 으(eu) sound dropped. |
| And just think, this is like 희(hi), 희(hi), 희(hi) |
| 희망(hi-mang), 희망(hi-mang), 희망(hi-mang) |
| Yes, the sound is different. |
| Why? Why? |
| If there is any consonant here, here, then the pronunciation becomes 이(i), 이(i). |
| So, now there is a ㅎ(hi-eut) sound. |
| ㅎ(hi-eut) is more like H, H, H, H sound, H. |
| So, there is some consonant. |
| So, it's not 희망(heui-mang), it's 희망(hi-mang). |
| We only pronounce this 의(eui) sound like this, 의(eui) sound, when there is this o(i-eung), o(i-eung), o(i-eung) consonant. |
| o(i-eung) is basically a placeholder, so it doesn't have any sound. |
| It's silent, silent. |
| So, it's 의사(eui-sa), h, h, h. |
| There is a consonant sound, so I don't need to pronounce this 의(eui) sound. |
| It's just 희망(hi-mang). |
| As you can see here, it means hope, hope. |
| If you are a fan of BTS, you know J-Hope, right? J-Hope. |
| J-Hope, hope in Korean is 희망(hi-mang), 희망(hi-mang). |
| Okay, then let's look at the next word, which is 강의(gang-i), 강의(gang-i), 강의(gang-i). |
| It means lecture, 강의(gang-i). |
| Do you hear my pronunciation? 강의(gang-i), 이(i). |
| Yes, it's weird, right? |
| I said, if this 의(eui) , 의(eui) sound is in the middle of the syllable, middle of the syllable, not in the first syllable, |
| then you pronounce it like 이(i), 이(i), 이(i), as in 강의(gang-i), 강의(gang-i). |
| But, if you want, you can pronounce it like 의(eui) , 강의(gang-eui), 강의(gang-eui). |
| It’s ok, it’s ok. |
| It's acceptable according to the pronunciation rule in Korea. |
| So, it's 강의(gang-eui), it's okay, but 강의(gang-i) is easier to pronounce it, right? |
| So, native speakers like me pronounce it 강의(gang-i) more commonly instead of 강의(gang-eui). |
| But, both of them are acceptable, both of them are correct, but again, 강의(gang-i) is more common. |
| Okay, then how can I pronounce this? |
| It's 나(na), 의(eui) , 나(na), 의(eui) . |
| Ah, so it's in the middle of the syllable, right? Middle of the syllable. |
| So, I need to pronounce it like 나이(na-i), 나이(na-i), right? |
| I'm sorry, but nope. |
| This 의(eui) is different. |
| Here, this 의사(eui-sa), 희망(hi-mang), 강의(gang-i) is just part of the word, it's just one syllable of the word. |
| But, 의(eui) here is a particle. |
| You know the possessive particle 의(eui), 의(eui) ? |
| Here, it's used as the possessive particle 의(eui) . |
| So, 나(na) means I or me. |
| 의(eui) means possessive particle, it's like of or s. |
| So, it literally means I’s or me's. |
| But, in natural English, it's just my, my. |
| So, when it's used as a possessive marking particle, then the pronunciation is like 에(e) 에(e) 에(e). |
| So, 나의(na-e), 나의(na-e) means my, my. |
| For example, ta-da! |
| Imagine you want to say this word, 친구 가방(chin-gu ga-bang). |
| So, you want to say my friend's bag, my friend's bag. |
| 친구(chin-gu) is friend. 의(eui) is like s, s, s, possessive marking particle. |
| So, 친구의(chin-gu-eui) means friend’s, my friend’s. |
| 가방(ga-bang) means a bag. |
| So, my friend's bag is 친구의 가방(chin-gu-e ga-bang). |
| Because 의(eui) here is possessive marking particle. |
| So, the pronunciation should be 에(e), 에(e), 에(e). |
| 친구의 가방(chin-gu-e ga-bang). |
| Or, 엄마의 책(eom-ma-e chaek). |
| 엄마(eom-ma) means mom, mom. |
| And 의(eui), possessive marking particle, S, S, S. |
| 책(chaek)means a book. |
| So, 엄마의 책(eom-ma-e chaek) means mom's book. |
| Mom's book. 엄마의 책(eom-ma-e chaek). |
| Did you get it? |
| So, we learned a lot about 의(eui), but let me quickly review it for you. |
| First, if this 의(eui), 의(eui), 의(eui) with this ㅇ(i-eung), ㅇ(i-eung) comes at the beginning of the syllable, |
| used as a first syllable, first syllable of the word, |
| then this 의(eui) is clearly pronounced. |
| Like 의사(eui-sa), 의사(eui-sa). |
| But, even if it's a first syllable and there is a consonant sound, |
| it's not ㅇ(i-eung), it's not the silent placeholder ㅇ(i-eung), |
| but there is a H sound or other consonant. |
| Anything is okay. |
| If there is any consonant here, then the sound is not 의(eui) anymore. |
| It sounds like 이(i), 이(i), 이(i), as in 희망(hi-mang), hope. 희망(hi-mang). |
| Now, this 의(eui) sound is in the middle of the syllable. |
| It's not the first syllable, in the middle of the syllable. |
| Even if it's a placeholder ㅇ(i-eung) or silent, ㅇ(i-eung) is here, |
| well, the pronunciation changes. |
| It's not 의(eui) since it's in the middle. |
| So, it's 강의(gang-i), 강의(gang-i) . |
| But again, it's acceptable to say 강의(gang-eui), 강의(gang-eui). 강의(gang-eui) is totally okay. |
| But native Korean people say it like 강이(gang-i), 이(i) more commonly |
| because it's easier to pronounce it. |
| Next, we have this possessive marking particle 의(eui), 의(eui), 의(eui). |
| Well, this is 의(eui), but in the word, in the word. |
| But when it's used as a possessive marking particle, |
| the pronunciation is 에(e), 에(e), 에(e), as in 나의(na-e), 나의(na-e). |
| 나의(na-eui) is acceptable, but more commonly 나의(na-e) is used in Korea. |
| Okay, so what's the last question of the day? |
| How can I pronounce ㄹ(ri-eul), ㄹ(ri-eul)? |
| This is pretty confusing because when you see the Korean romanization, |
| it's sometimes R, sometimes L. |
| Which one is correct and how can I pronounce it? |
| Ta-da |
| First, let's look at the location of your tongue, location of your tongue. |
| So, this is your mouth, this is your mouth. |
| And when you pronounce L, L sound, your tongue touches this part, this part. |
| Do you see the red dot? |
| Yes, your tongue touches here, L, L. |
| And when you pronounce R, R, R, your tongue is like around here. |
| But Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound touches this part, this part, this part. |
| So, 르(reu), 르(reu), 르(reu). |
| I pronounce L, Korean ㄹ(ri-eul), and R. |
| L, Korean ㄹ(ri-eul), R. |
| La, la, la, la, 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), ra, ra, ra. |
| So, it's between that. |
| That's why sometimes the romanization is like L, sometimes it's like R. |
| But actually, it's none of them. |
| L and R are not, not Korean ㄹ(ri-eul). |
| But there's no English sound similar to ㄹ(ri-eul) sound. |
| That's why we borrowed L and R romanization, but it's none of them. |
| The location of your tongue is between R and L here. |
| It touches this part. |
| 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra). |
| Okay. |
| Now, let's talk about your tongue shape. |
| Tongue shape. |
| So, imagine this is your tongue and this is your teeth. |
| Teeth. |
| And when you pronounce la, la, L, L, L sound, you touch your teeth, the backside of your teeth like this, right? |
| And this is R, R, L, R, L, R, L. |
| And this is how you pronounce it. |
| But, but, when you pronounce Korean R sound, your tongue shape is a little bit more flat. |
| So, la, la, la, la, la. |
| It's English. |
| la, la. |
| But Korean tongue is more like this. |
| 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra). |
| 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra). |
| L, L, L, L, L. |
| 라(ra), 라(ra), 라(ra), L, L, L. |
| So, compared to the English pronunciation, your tongue is more flat, flat to pronounce this Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound, Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound. |
| Does it make sense? |
| So, touch this part of your mouth when you pronounce ㄹ(ri-eul). |
| And your tongue should not be so rolled like this. |
| So, I would say the shape of your tongue would be between English L and D, D, D. |
| When you pronounce D, your tongue is a little bit like flat. |
| It's between that, between L and D, between L and D. |
| Now, let's talk about the sound, sound of ㄹ(ri-eul). |
| English L sound is very tense, like la, la, ball, ball, football. |
| ball, la, it's very tense. |
| But if Korean people pronounce this ball, ball, ball, ball. |
| you use the ball when you do the sports, right? |
| When Korean people pronounce the same words in Korean pronunciation, our ㄹ(ri-eul) sound isn't that much tensed. |
| English ball, ball, ball. |
| In Korean, that's 볼(bol), 볼(bol), 볼(bol). |
| ball, ball, la, it's very tensed. |
| But in Korean, that's 볼(bol), 볼(bol), 볼(bol). |
| It's very light, 볼(bol), 볼(bol), 볼(bol). |
| So, well, don't try to put too much tension like English L. |
| So I prepared some example words. |
| Okay, the first word that we have is 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon). |
| Yes, it's from English. |
| It's ribbon, ribbon. |
| Ribbon in Korean is 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon). |
| It's not “libon”, “libon” |
| It's 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon). |
| Are you okay with it? |
| Let's look at the second sound, future. |
| Future in Korean is 미래(mi-rae), 미래(mi-rae). |
| It's not “mi-rae” or “mil-lae”, “mil-lae”. |
| It's not the L sound. |
| Especially if the L sound is used in the romanization, |
| a lot of students pronounce it like this. |
| So please remember if this ㄹ(ri-eul) sound is in the middle of the syllable, |
| especially after the vowel, after the vowel, 미(mi) 미(mi), 이(i), 이(i), 이(i), |
| it ends with vowel sound. |
| And ㄹ(ri-eul) comes, then it's more like R sound. |
| It's very different, but I couldn't find the other alphabet letter from English, |
| that's why I'm just using the R sound. |
| But it's definitely not L sound, because if it's L sound, |
| the sounds will be like “mil-lae”, “mil-lae”. |
| If you say “mil-lae”, “mil-lae” to Korean people, |
| it sounds like 밀래(mil-lae), 밀래(mil-lae), 밀래(mil-lae), 밀래(mil-lae). |
| So it's definitely not L. |
| If you don't know how to pronounce Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound, |
| I would say it's a little bit more similar to R sound. |
| It's like 미래(mi-rae), 미래(mi-rae), “mi-rae”. |
| It's not exactly R sound, but again, it's definitely not L sound. |
| It's more like 미래(mi-rae), 미래(mi-rae), 래(rae), 래(rae), 래(rae), 래(rae). |
| It's very important to remember, at the beginning of the syllable, |
| it's very, very similar to L sound, like “libon”, 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon), 리본(li-bon), 리본(ri-bon). |
| Again, it's different. |
| But I would say it's similar to, more closer. |
| It's closer. |
| But I would say it's closer to L sound. |
| But if it's after the vowel, after the vowel, |
| it's closer to R sound. |
| It's 미래(mi-rae), 미래(mi-rae). |
| Okay, how about this word? |
| 달력(dal-lyeok), 달력(dal-lyeok). |
| It means a calendar. |
| Calendar is 달력(dal-lyeok). |
| Now, there are two ㄹ(ri-eul), two ㄹ(ri-eul) like this. |
| 달력(dal-lyeok), 달력(dal-lyeok). |
| If there are double vowels, double vowels, |
| it sounds very similar to English L, L. |
| Like 달력(dal-lyeok), 달력(dal-lyeok), 달력(dal-lyeok), 달력(dal-lyeok). |
| Next, we have 하늘(ha-neul), 하늘(ha-neul), 하늘(ha-neul). |
| It means sky. |
| Sky is 하늘(ha-neul). |
| When you use this ㄹ(ri-eul) sound at the end of the syllable, |
| at the end of the syllable, |
| then it's closer to L sound. |
| But again, it's not so tensed. |
| So it's not “ha-neul”. |
| It's not “ha-neul”, “ha-neul”. |
| It's not like that. |
| It's 하늘(ha-neul), 하늘(ha-neul). |
| It's not tensed. |
| 하늘(ha-neul), 하늘(ha-neul). |
| So Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound is very different from English L and R. |
| L and R, right? |
| So please practice these sounds a lot. |
| You need Korean muscle to pronounce ㄹ(ri-eul), Korean ㄹ(ri-eul) sound. |
| Try to pronounce the words with the rules that I taught you. |
| I just explained how to shape your tongue, |
| the location of your tongue, etc, etc. |
| So practice, practice, practice. |
| That's it for this lesson. Today I answered three questions about difficult Korean pronunciation. |
| Thanks for watching. I'm Keijin, and I'll see you on KoreanClass101.com. |
| 다음 시간에 봐요! (Da-eum si-gan-e bwa-yo!) |
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