American Learns Korean Day25 goals
Day24 trained linking (연음)—no choppy breaks.
Day25 is the next step: Korean changes sound because neighboring sounds affect each other.
Today you will:
- Recognize the most common assimilation patterns
- Handle double final consonants (겹받침) without trying to read “both letters”
- Improve listening (“Why does it sound different?”) and speaking (less robotic, more natural)
You will focus on only 4 high-impact patterns. No heavy phonetics.
The 4 patterns you need most (beginner-friendly)
1) Nasal assimilation (비음화): 받침 + ㄴ/ㅁ → “nose sound”
This is extremely common in real speech.
- 합니다 → often heard as [ham-ni-da] (함니다)
- 먹는 → often heard as [meong-neun] (멍는 느낌)
- 국물 → often heard as [gung-mul] (궁물)
- 밥 먹어요 → often heard with a smoother nasal feel, like [bam meo-geo-yo] (밤 머거요 느낌)
Tip: Don’t try to “force” the exact sound.
Your goal is to recognize it and reduce hard breaks.
2) L/R assimilation (유음화): ㄴ + ㄹ / ㄹ + ㄴ → sounds like “ll”
When ㄴ and ㄹ meet, the sound often becomes a smoother double ㄹ feeling.
- 신라 → sounds like [sil-la]
- 설날 → sounds like [seol-lal]
- 칼날 → sounds like [kal-lal]
Tip: Think “roll into ㄹㄹ” instead of stopping.
3) Tensing (된소리되기): consonants become “stronger” after certain finals
This is why Korean sometimes sounds sharper than you expect.
- 국밥 → sounds like [guk-ppap]
- 학교 → sounds like [hak-kkyo]
- 있다 → sounds like [it-tta]
- 먹고 → sounds like [meok-kko]
Tip: Don’t try to do it by speaking faster.
Close the final consonant lightly, then start the next sound—tensing appears naturally.
4) “ㅎ” effects: ㅎ can strengthen (aspirate) or disappearㅎ is tricky because it often changes neighboring sounds or becomes weak.
- 좋다 → sounds like [jo-ta]
- 많다 → sounds like [man-ta]
- 놓고 → sounds like [no-ko]
- 많아요 → often heard closer to [ma-na-yo] (ㅎ can weaken before vowels)
Tip: Don’t “read ㅎ” too strongly every time.
It can change the next sound or fade depending on context.
Double final consonants (겹받침): the safe beginner rule
겹받침 looks like two consonants at the end, but in real speech you often don’t pronounce both clearly.
Safe rule for beginners
- If the next syllable starts with a consonant, usually only one part is realized.
- If the next syllable starts with a vowel (ㅇ), linking can make the other part show up.
High-frequency examples:
- 없다 / 없어요 → 없다 often heard as [eop-tta], 없어요 as [eop-sseo-yo]
- 읽다 / 읽어요 → 읽다 often heard as [ik-tta], 읽어요 often flows like [il-geo-yo]
- 많다 / 많아요 → 많다 [man-ta], 많아요 often closer to [ma-na-yo]
- 값 / 값이 → 값 often heard like [gap], 값이 can sound like [gap-ssi] (tensing effect)
Note: These are sound hints, not spelling changes. Your target is recognition + flow.
Teacher-style lesson script (coaching tone)
Teacher: Day25 is about “why it sounds different than it’s written.” We’ll focus on four patterns: nasal, L/R, tensing, and ㅎ effects.
Student: I always read 합니다 as “hap-ni-da.”
Teacher: That spelling is correct. But it’s often heard like “ham-ni-da.” Today your goal isn’t perfect phonetics—your goal is natural sound and listening recognition.
Student: ham-ni-da.
Teacher: Good. Don’t exaggerate. Now put it in a full sentence: “저는 매일 합니다.”
Student: 저는 매일 합니다.
Teacher: Great—keep the flow. Next: 국밥. It can sound like “guk-ppap.”
Student: guk-ppap.
Teacher: Nice. Same idea: smooth connection, clear ending.
Drill 1: Recognition drill (40 seconds)
Read each item twice:
- slow and clear
- normal and smooth
- 합니다 / 먹는 / 국물
- 신라 / 설날
- 학교 / 국밥 / 있다 / 먹고
- 좋다 / 많다 / 놓고
- 없다 / 없어요 / 읽다 / 읽어요 / 값 / 값이
Rule: no hard breaks inside each item.
Drill 2: Sentence rhythm drill (60 seconds)
Read each sentence twice:
(1) slow → (2) normal speed
- 저는 매일 합니다.
- 저는 국물을 좋아해요.
- 저는 학교에 가요.
- 저는 국밥 먹어요.
- 그 책은 없어요.
- 저는 책을 읽어요.
Rule: smooth sentence flow; make the final verb ending the clearest.
Drill 3: Swap drill (make 10 sentences)
Keep the structure and swap only the key word:
- 저는 ___ 합니다. (study / exercise / work)
- 저는 ___을/를 먹어요. (국밥 / 김밥 / 빵)
- 저는 ___에 가요. (학교 / 집)
- 저는 ___을/를 읽어요. (책 / 신문)
- ___ 없어요. (time / money / water)
This is the fastest way to repeat sound changes in realistic speech.
Quiz (10 questions)
Multiple Choice (1–5)
1) The main goal of Day25 is to:
A. Memorize every sound rule
B. Master only high-frequency changes for natural listening/speaking
C. Speak as fast as possible
D. Change spelling to match pronunciation
2) “합니다” sounding like “함니다” is mainly:
A. L/R assimilation
B. Nasal assimilation
C. Palatalization
D. Contraction
3) “학교” sounding like “학꾜” is mainly:
A. Tensing (된소리되기)
B. Linking (연음)
C. L/R assimilation
D. Deletion
4) “신라” sounding like “실라” is mainly:
A. Nasal assimilation
B. L/R assimilation
C. Tensing
D. Reduction
5) The most harmful beginner habit with 겹받침 is:
A. Practicing in sentences
B. Recording and listening
C. Trying to pronounce both final consonants every time
D. Learning high-frequency examples first
True/False (6–10)
6) “국물” can sound like “궁물.” ( )
7) “설날” is more natural if you pause strongly: 설-날. ( )
8) “좋다” can sound like “조타.” ( )
9) “없어요” can sound like “업써요.” ( )
10) To produce tensing, you should force speed and extra strength. ( )
Answer Key
- B / 2) B / 3) A / 4) B / 5) C
- True / 7) False / 8) True / 9) True / 10) False
Homework (5–7 minutes)
- Record the 6 sentences from Drill 2 for 8 seconds each (about 48 seconds total).
- Listen and mark only 2 “awkward spots” (ex: 합니다, 국밥, 없어요, 읽어요).
- Re-record only those 2 sentences two more times with smoother flow.
- Finally, read all 6 sentences once at natural speed.