Speak Korean clearly: free pronunciation test and tips
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The hardest Korean sounds for learners
Plain, tense and aspirated consonants
Korean has three versions of k, t, p and ch, and two of s. Plain ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ have a light puff of air, tense ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ are tight with almost no air, and aspirated ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ come with a strong puff. Try 달 dal (moon), 딸 ttal (daughter) and 탈 tal (mask) with a tissue in front of your mouth.
ㅓ and ㅗ
ㅓ (eo) is said with the mouth fairly open and the lips relaxed, not rounded, close to the u in 'but' but further back. ㅗ (o) is a rounded 'o' without the glide of English 'go'. 서울 Seoul starts with ㅓ, and so does 어머니 eomeoni (mother).
ㅡ and ㅜ
ㅡ (eu) is made with the lips spread flat and the tongue pulled back, a sound English does not have. ㅜ (u) is a rounded 'oo'. Compare 그 geu (that) and 구 gu (nine), and don't let ㅡ drift into ㅜ.
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