Lateralization (유음화, ㄴ → ㄹ)
Lateralization (yueumhwa) is when ㄴ and ㄹ come together and the ㄴ changes to [ㄹ].
ㄴ + ㄹ → [ㄹㄹ]
When ㄴ comes before ㄹ, or ㄹ comes before ㄴ, the ㄴ is pronounced as [ㄹ], giving a [ㄹㄹ] sound.
신라
sil-la
Silla (an ancient kingdom) — ㄴ becomes ㄹ before ㄹ, so it sounds like 실라.
연락
yeol-lak
contact — it sounds like 열락.
설날
seol-lal
Lunar New Year — the ㄹ batchim turns the next ㄴ into ㄹ, so it sounds like 설랄.
Both Orders Apply
Whether the order is ㄴ-ㄹ or ㄹ-ㄴ, the result is always [ㄹㄹ].
물난리
mul-lal-li
a flood disaster — it sounds like 물랄리.
난로
nal-lo
a heater/stove — ㄴ becomes ㄹ before ㄹ, so it sounds like 날로.
Exceptions: ㄹ → ㄴ Instead
In some Sino-Korean words a morpheme boundary blocks lateralization, and the ㄹ is pronounced as [ㄴ] instead.
의견란
ui-gyeon-nan
an opinion column — ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㄴ, so it sounds like 의견난.
생산량
saeng-san-nyang
production volume — ㄹ becomes ㄴ, so it sounds like 생산냥.
권리
gwol-li
a right — ㄴ becomes ㄹ before ㄹ, so it sounds like 궐리.
원래
wol-lae
originally — ㄴ becomes ㄹ before ㄹ, so it sounds like 월래.
일년
il-lyeon
one year — the ㄹ batchim turns the next ㄴ into ㄹ, so it sounds like 일련.
Lateralization in Everyday Words
Lateralization shows up in many common everyday words, so it helps to memorize them as whole sounds.
한라산
hal-la-san
Hallasan (a mountain) — ㄴ becomes ㄹ before ㄹ, so it sounds like 할라산.
줄넘기
jul-leom-gi
jump rope — the ㄹ batchim turns ㄴ into ㄹ, so it sounds like 줄럼기.
| Spelling | Pronunciation | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 신라 | [실라] | sil-la |
| 연락 | [열락] | yeol-lak |
| 설날 | [설랄] | seol-lal |
| 물난리 | [물랄리] | mul-lal-li |
| 한라산 | [할라산] | hal-la-san |
| 권리 | [궐리] | gwol-li |
💡 Tip: The ㄹ sound flows smoothly, with the tip of the tongue lightly touching the upper gum.
Knowing lateralization also makes Sino-Korean words like 편리 [펼리] and 권력 [궐력] come out naturally.