Nasalization (비음화)
Nasalization (bieumhwa) is when a batchim sound changes into a nasal because of a following nasal consonant (ㄴ, ㅁ).
ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ → ㅇ, ㄴ, ㅁ
The batchim sounds [ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ] become [ㅇ, ㄴ, ㅁ] respectively when followed by ㄴ or ㅁ.
국물
gung-mul
soup broth — ㄱ becomes ㅇ before ㅁ, so it sounds like 궁물.
받는다
ban-neun-da
(someone) receives — ㄷ becomes ㄴ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 반는다.
입는
im-neun
wearing — ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 임는.
ㄹ Becoming ㄴ
After the batchim ㅁ or ㅇ, a following ㄹ is pronounced as [ㄴ].
정류장
jeong-nyu-jang
bus stop — ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅇ, so it sounds like 정뉴장.
Chain Nasalization with ㄹ
When ㄹ follows the batchim [ㄱ, ㅂ], the ㄹ first becomes [ㄴ], and that ㄴ in turn changes the preceding batchim into [ㅇ, ㅁ].
독립
dong-nip
independence — ㄱ→ㅇ and ㄹ→ㄴ, so it sounds like 동닙.
협력
hyeom-nyeok
cooperation — ㅂ→ㅁ and ㄹ→ㄴ, so it sounds like 혐녁.
심리
sim-ni
psychology — ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅁ, so it sounds like 심니.
먹는
meong-neun
eating — ㄱ becomes ㅇ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 멍는.
꽃만
kkon-man
only flowers — the ㅊ batchim sounds as ㄷ, then becomes ㄴ before ㅁ, so it sounds like 꼰만.
막내
mang-nae
the youngest child — ㄱ becomes ㅇ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 망내.
Sino-Korean ㄹ After ㅇ/ㅁ
In Sino-Korean words it is very common for a ㄹ after the batchim ㅇ or ㅁ to shift to [ㄴ].
종로
jong-no
Jongno (a Seoul district) — ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅇ, so it sounds like 종노.
음력
eum-nyeok
the lunar calendar — ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅁ, so it sounds like 음녁.
| Spelling | Pronunciation | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 국물 | [궁물] | gung-mul |
| 받는다 | [반는다] | ban-neun-da |
| 입는 | [임는] | im-neun |
| 정류장 | [정뉴장] | jeong-nyu-jang |
| 종로 | [종노] | jong-no |
| 음력 | [음녁] | eum-nyeok |
💡 Tip: Nasalization happens because nasal sounds (ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅇ) pull neighboring sounds into the nose.
Once you master nasalization, you can correctly pronounce common words like 한국말 [한궁말].