What is 받침 (Batchim)?
받침 (batchim) refers to the final consonant at the bottom of a Korean syllable block. Understanding batchim is essential for proper Korean pronunciation.
The 7 Representative Sounds
In Korean, there are only 7 final consonant sounds, regardless of the written consonant:
| Sound | Written as |
|---|---|
| ㄱ [k] | ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ |
| ㄴ [n] | ㄴ |
| ㄷ [t] | ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅎ |
| ㄹ [l] | ㄹ |
| ㅁ [m] | ㅁ |
| ㅂ [p] | ㅂ, ㅍ |
| ㅇ [ng] | ㅇ |
Key Pronunciation Rules
Rule 1: Unreleased Sounds
Final consonants are not released - your mouth forms the position but doesn't release air.
책[chaek]
Your tongue touches the roof but doesn't release
밥[bap]
Your lips close but don't pop open
Rule 2: Liaison (연음화)
When a syllable ending in batchim is followed by a syllable starting with ㅇ, the batchim moves to the ㅇ position.
한국어 → [한구거]
hangugeo
먹어요 → [머거요]
meogeoyo
읽어요 → [일거요]
ilgeoyo
Rule 3: Double Batchim
Some syllables have two consonants at the bottom. Rules for which to pronounce:
Left consonant pronounced:
- ㄳ → ㄱ (삯 → [삭])
- ㄵ → ㄴ (앉다 → [안따])
- ㄶ → ㄴ (많다 → [만타])
- ㄺ → ㄱ (읽다 → [익따])
- ㄻ → ㅁ (삶 → [삼])
- ㄼ → ㄹ (넓다 → [널따])
- ㄾ → ㄹ (핥다 → [할따])
Right consonant pronounced:
- ㄿ → ㅂ (읊다 → [읍따])
- ㅀ → ㄹ (잃다 → [일타])
- ㄽ → ㄹ (곬 → [골])
Sound Change Rules
Nasalization (비음화)
ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ before ㄴ, ㅁ become nasal sounds:
학년 [항년]
ㄱ→ㅇ
국민 [궁민]
ㄱ→ㅇ
십만 [심만]
ㅂ→ㅁ
받는 [반는]
ㄷ→ㄴ
Aspiration (격음화)
ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ + ㅎ become aspirated:
축하 [추카]
ㄱ+ㅎ→ㅋ
좋다 [조타]
ㅎ+ㄷ→ㅌ
급하다 [그파다]
ㅂ+ㅎ→ㅍ
Fortition (경음화)
After batchim, certain consonants become tense:
학교 [학꾜]
ㄱ+ㄱ→ㄱㄲ
숙제 [숙쩨]
ㄱ+ㅈ→ㄱㅉ
읽다 [익따]
ㄱ+ㄷ→ㄱㄸ
Practice Words
| Written | Pronounced | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 있어요 | [이써요] | there is |
| 없어요 | [업써요] | there isn't |
| 좋아요 | [조아요] | it's good |
| 읽어요 | [일거요] | I read |
| 닫아요 | [다다요] | I close |
| 같이 | [가치] | together |
TOPIK Listening Tips
- 1Practice hearing unreleased final consonants
- 2Listen for liaison connections
- 3Be aware of nasalization in compound words
- 4Practice with native audio regularly