Hangul Consonant System

• Hangul's consonant system is diverse, featuring basic consonants, double consonants, and final consonants, each with distinct phonetic properties and pronunciation rules.

Basic Consonants

• ㄱ (g/k): Pronounced as 'g' in "go" or 'k' in "kite," depending on its position in a word.
• ㄴ (n): Similar to the English 'n' as in "no."
• ㄷ (d/t): Pronounced as 'd' in "do" or 't' in "to," depending on its position.
• ㄹ (r/l): Has a sound between the English 'r' and 'l'; sometimes a flap sound similar to the 'r' in Spanish "pero."
• ㅁ (m): Like the English 'm' in "me."
• ㅂ (b/p): Pronounced as 'b' in "boy" or 'p' in "pot," depending on position.
• ㅅ (s): Similar to the English 's' in "so." Tends to become more tense.
• ㅇ (ng): Functions as a silent placeholder when at the beginning of a syllable and pronounced as 'ng' at the end.
• ㅈ (j): Similar to the English 'j' in "joy."
• ㅊ (ch): An aspirated 'j' sound, similar to the 'ch' in "chop."
• ㅋ (k): An aspirated 'g/k' sound, as in "khaki."
• ㅌ (t): An aspirated 'd/t' sound.
• ㅍ (p): An aspirated 'b/p' sound.
• ㅎ (h): Like the English 'h' in "hat."

Double Consonants

• ㄲ (kk): A tense 'g/k' sound.
• ㄸ (tt): A tense 'd/t' sound.
• ㅃ (pp): A tense 'b/p' sound.
• ㅆ (ss): A tense 's' sound.
• ㅉ (jj): A tense 'j' sound.

Final Consonants (Batchim)

• ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ: All are pronounced as 'k' when in the final position.
• ㄴ: Pronounced as 'n' in the final position.
• ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ, ㅆ: All are pronounced as 't' in the final position.
• ㄹ: Pronounced as 'l' in the final position.
• ㅁ: Pronounced as 'm' in the final position.
• ㅂ, ㅍ: Both are pronounced as 'p' in the final position.
• ㅇ: Pronounced as 'ng' in the final position.

Pronunciation Rules

• Assimilation: Consonants can change their pronunciation based on the consonant that follows.
• Palatalization: ㄷ followed by ㅣ or ㅎ often changes to a 'j' or 'ch' sound.
• Aspiration: ㅎ can combine with ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ to produce aspirated consonants ㅋ, ㅌ, and ㅍ.
• Tense consonants: Tense consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ) are pronounced with a stronger, tenser articulation.
• Nasalization: Consonants can become nasal sounds (ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅇ) when followed by nasal consonants.
• Liasion: When a consonant is in the batchim position and the following syllable starts with a vowel, the consonant moves to the next syllable.

Consonant Combinations

• Hangul allows for certain consonant clusters in the final position (batchim). These clusters are simplified to a single sound.
• In the batchim position, only one consonant from the cluster is pronounced.
• Common consonant clusters include ㄳ, ㄵ, ㄶ, ㄺ, ㄻ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㄿ, ㅀ, ㅄ.
• Pronunciation of Clusters:
  • ㄳ: Pronounced as ㄱ
  • ㄵ: Pronounced as ㄴ
  • ㄶ: The ㄴ is often silent, and ㅎ affects the following sound, if any
  • ㄺ: Pronounced as ㄱ
  • ㄻ: Pronounced as ㅁ
  • ㄼ: Generally pronounced as ㄹ, but exceptions exist
  • ㄽ: Pronounced as ㄹ
  • ㄾ: Pronounced as ㄹ
  • ㄿ: Pronounced as ㅂ
  • ㅀ: The ㄹ is often silent, and ㅎ affects the following sound, if any
  • ㅄ: Pronounced as ㅂ
• When a consonant cluster in the batchim is followed by a vowel, the left consonant is pronounced as batchim, and the right consonant is pronounced as the initial sound of the next syllable.