Master the pronunciation of affricates: ㅈ vs ㅊ vs ㅉ
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| This is the ㅈ (j) sound, this is the ㅊ (ch) sound, and this is the ㅉ (jj) sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Joyce, and this is Korean Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first is ㅈ (j). This is the ㅈ (j) sound in 자다 (ja-da) "to sleep," 주다 (ju-da) "to give," and other words. |
| ㅊ (ch) is the ㅊ (ch) sound in 차 (cha) "car, tea," 친구 (chin-gu) "friend," and other words. |
| ㅉ (jj) is the ㅉ (jj) sound in 짜다 (jja-da) "to be salty," |
| 찌개 (jji-gae) "stew," and other words. |
| These three consonants are called affricates. |
| To make the ㅈ (j) sound: place the tip of your tongue against the alveolar ridge, then release it gently. The resulting sound is like the j in "jeep." Try to intentionally spread your lips when pronouncing j as in jeep, and you can get pretty close to ㅈ. Make sure it's unaspirated. |
| ㅈ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅈ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅈ |
| To make the ㅊ (ch) sound: place the tip of your tongue against the alveolar ridge as with ㅈ, but when you release it, add a noticeable puff of air. The sound should be similar to ch in "cheese." Try to intentionally spread your lips when pronouncing ch as in cheese, and you can get pretty close to ㅊ. Make sure it's aspirated. |
| ㅊ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅊ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅊ |
| To make the ㅉ (jj) sound: press your tongue tightly against the alveolar ridge, using more muscular tension in your vocal cords. Release the sound sharply without any aspiration. The sound is strong, crisp, and reinforced, like a very tense j. |
| ㅉ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅉ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅉ |
| The difference between these sounds lies in their aspiration and tension. |
| ㅈ is gentle and unaspirated. |
| ㅊ is sharper with a noticeable puff of air. |
| ㅉ is strong, crisp, and produced with more tension, without any burst of air, and is much sharper than ㅈ or ㅊ. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㅈ ㅊ ㅉ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅈ ㅊ ㅉ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅈ ㅊ ㅉ |
| Notice how the sounds change from unaspirated to aspirated to tensed. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 자다 (ja-da)/차다 (cha-da)/짜다 (jja-da) |
| "to sleep"/"to kick"/"to be salty" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 자다 (ja-da)/차다 (cha-da)/짜다 (jja-da) |
| "to sleep"/"to kick"/"to be salty" |
| 재다 (jae-da)/채다 (chae-da)/째다 (jjae-da) |
| "to measure"/"to snatch"/"to cut open, to make an incision" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 재다 (jae-da)/채다 (chae-da)/째다 (jjae-da) |
| "to measure"/"to snatch"/"to cut open, to make an incision" |
| 지다 (ji-da) vs. 치다 (chi-da) vs. 찌다 (jji-da) |
| "to set (as in the sun)"/"to hit, to strike"/"to steam" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 지다 (ji-da) vs. 치다 (chi-da) vs. 찌다 (jji-da) |
| "to set (as in the sun)"/"to hit, to strike"/"to steam" |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focussing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced without any aspiration? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅈ |
| (1) |
| ㅈ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with a noticeable puff of air? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅊ |
| (1) |
| ㅊ |
| And the sound pronounced with more tension and without any aspiration, producing a strong and crisp sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅉ |
| (1) |
| ㅉ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these three words. |
| 자다 (ja-da)/차다 (cha-da)/짜다 (jja-da) |
| "to sleep"/"to kick"/"to be salty" |
| (1) |
| 자다 (ja-da)/차다 (cha-da)/짜다 (jja-da) |
| "to sleep"/"to kick"/"to be salty" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 지다 (ji-da)/치다 (chi-da)/찌다 (jji-da) |
| "to set (as in the sun)"/"to hit, to strike"/"to steam" |
| (1) |
| 지다 (ji-da)/치다 (chi-da)/찌다 (jji-da) |
| "to set (as in the sun)"/"to hit, to strike"/"to steam" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| 저는 일찍 자요. |
| (Jeo-neun il-jjik ja-yo.) |
| "I go to bed early." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 그 축구 선수는 공을 세게 차요. |
| (Geu chuk-gu seon-su-neun gong-eul se-ge cha-yo.) |
| "That soccer player kicks the ball hard." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 이 국은 너무 짜요. |
| (I gug-eun neo-mu jja-yo.) |
| "This soup is too salty." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 자다, 차다, 짜다 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 길이를 재요. |
| (Gi-ri-reul jae-yo.) |
| "I measure the length." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 고양이가 생선을 채 갔어요. |
| (Go-yang-i-ga saeng-seon-eul chae ga-sseo-yo.) |
| "The cat snatched the fish." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 수술 전에 가슴을 째야 해요. |
| (Su-sul jeon-e ga-seum-eul jjae-ya hae-yo.) |
| "Before the surgery, they need to make an incision in the chest." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 재다, 채다, 째다 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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