Pronunciation of Korean can be tricky, but reading it is easier. Most people can memorize the sounds of Korean letters in a matter of days. Simply make some flash cards and drill, drill, drill. We've provided this page as an aid to understanding the sounds. The grammar lessons do not contain "Romanized" Korean (Hangul written out in English phoenetics) like this, therefore we strongly encourage you to study the Korean. Go to the Appearance page to get started.
To hear a native speaker voice these sentences, simply click the speaker (
) next to the Korean sentence.
Note: you may notice that the sound of some letters change when next to each other, like ㅂ and ㄴ together make a "mn" sound instead of the expected "bn" sound.
- I'm American.
- 제가 미국인입니다.
- Che-ga meegookin imneeda.
- I'm studying Korean.
- 한국말을 공부합니다.
- Hangook-mal-ul kongbu-hamneeda.
- or: Hangoong-mal-ul kongbu-hamneeda.
- My name is Charles.
- 제 이름은 Charles입니다.
- Che eerum-un Charles imneeda.
- I like exercising.
- 운동을 좋아해요.
- Oondong-ul cho-ah-haeyo.
- He speaks English well.
- 저분은 영어를 잘 합니다.
- Cho-boon-un yongo-rul chal hamneeda.
- I live in Seoul.
- 저는 서울에서 살고 있습니다.
- Cho-nun soh-ul-eh-soh salgo issumneeda.
- Where do you work?
- 어디에서 일하십니까?
- Oh-dee-eh-soh il-ha-shimni-gha?
- (We're) eating now.
- 지금 식사하는 중입니다.
- Chi-gum shiksa-hanun joong-imneeda.
- This is delicious.
- 맛있어요.
- Mashee-eessoyo.
- Kim Mi Kyong is a student.
- 김 미경은 학생입니다.
- Kim mee kyong-un hak-saeng imneeda.
- It looks like rain.
- 비가 올 것 같아요.
- Piga ol goht katahyo.
- I can read Korean.
- 한글을 읽을 수 있어요.
- Hangul-ul ilgul soo issoyo.
Ready to learn more? Visit the reference section.