Sound Changes · 발음 규칙

4. Common mistakes

❌ Mistake 1 — Not linking the final consonant

✖ 한국어 → han-guk-eo
✔ 한국어 → han-gu-geo

The final ㄱ moves to the next block when it starts with ㅇ. Count the sounds, not the blocks, and you will hear the link.

❌ Mistake 2 — Reading 합니다 as "hap-ni-da"

✖ 감사합니다 → gam-sa-hap-ni-da
✔ 감사합니다 → gam-sa-ham-ni-da

ㅂ before ㄴ turns into ㅁ. Say it through your nose, and the phrase sounds smooth.

❌ Mistake 3 — Saying the ㅎ in 좋아요

✖ 좋아요 → jo-ha-yo
✔ 좋아요 → jo-a-yo

ㅎ is silent when a vowel comes right after it. Koreans almost never say the "h" here.

❌ Mistake 4 — Reading 같이 as "gat-i"

✖ 같이 → gat-i
✔ 같이 → ga-chi

ㅌ moves over to the next block and becomes ㅊ before ㅣ. The word has two sounds, "ga" and "chi".

❌ Mistake 5 — Keeping ㄴ in 신라

✖ 신라 → sin-ra
✔ 신라 → sil-la

ㄴ followed by ㄹ turns into ㄹ, and the next ㄹ stays a clear "l". Think of a double L, as in "silla".