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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone. Welcome to The Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide.
In this series, you'll master Korean pronunciation.
Proper pronunciation is essential in Korean, and in this series, you'll learn it in a fast, comprehensive, and easy way.
In this first lesson, you'll learn two key points for mastering Korean pronunciation.
The first key point is to master the pronunciation of 24 basic Korean letters.
The Korean alphabet has 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels.
One letter represents each of these sounds.
These are then written out in blocks to form each syllable.
Here's a sample character.
This block has two letters, one on top and one at the bottom.
The letter on top is the consonant 'N'.
Below it is the vowel 'u'.
Combined, you read the block "Nu."
Listen to the native Korean speaker.
ㄴ / ㅜ / 누
You can add another letter to the bottom of this block.
Compare the top and bottom letters.
Can you read the block?
The bottom letter is the N sound — just like the top letter.
Combining these with the vowel in the middle, you pronounce the whole block "nun," which means "eye" in Korean.
You will see many different block arrangements in Korean.
But once you master the pronunciation of the 24 basic letters, you can read any of these blocks in Korean.
The second key point is...
Each syllable in Korean is pronounced for the same length of time with equal stress.
For example, when you say 'Camera' in English, you put stress on 'ca-' and say it for longer than the other syllables of the word.
'Ca-mera'.
But in Korean, each syllable is pronounced for the same amount of time and gets equal stress.
Listen to the word, 'Camera' in Korean.
(pause)
This principle applies throughout the entire sentence, not just for individual words.
Listen to the Korean sentence.
카메라.
(pause)
이것은 카메라입니다.
Now to close this lesson, here's a question for you.
Why should YOU, including advanced speakers, spend time on learning proper pronunciation?
The answer...
You will be understood, and this will help you build more confidence as you communicate in Korean.
For beginners, you're on the path to learning proper pronunciation, and for more advanced students, this is a chance to finally master Korean pronunciation.
Now you know the basics of Korean pronunciation.
In the next lesson, you'll learn the top five mistakes people make.
You'll want to avoid these at all costs, so please stay tuned.
What is the hardest part of Korean pronunciation?
Tell us about it in the comments.
See you in the next Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide lesson.

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