Pronouncing ㅎ (Aspiration and ㅎ Deletion)
The consonant ㅎ either combines with a neighboring consonant to make an aspirated sound, or weakens and drops out before a vowel.
Aspiration
When ㅎ meets ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, or ㅈ, they merge into the aspirated sounds ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ — and this works in either order.
좋고
jo-ko
good and — ㅎ + ㄱ becomes ㅋ, so it sounds like 조코.
축하
chu-ka
congratulations — ㄱ + ㅎ becomes ㅋ, so it sounds like 추카.
입학
i-pak
school entrance/admission — ㅂ + ㅎ becomes ㅍ, so it sounds like 이팍.
ㅎ Deletion
When the batchim ㅎ is followed by a vowel, the ㅎ is dropped and not pronounced.
좋아요
jo-a-yo
(it is) good — the ㅎ disappears, so it sounds like 조아요.
많이
ma-ni
a lot — the ㅎ drops, so it sounds like 마니.
싫어요
si-reo-yo
(I) dislike it (polite) — the ㅎ drops and the ㄹ links over, so it sounds like 시러요.
Batchim ㅎ Before ㄴ
When the batchim ㅎ is followed by ㄴ, the ㅎ is pronounced as [ㄴ].
좋네요
jon-ne-yo
(it's) nice (polite) — ㅎ becomes ㄴ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 존네요.
놓는
non-neun
putting down — ㅎ becomes ㄴ before ㄴ, so it sounds like 논는.
어떻게
eo-tteo-ke
how — ㅎ + ㄱ becomes ㅋ, so it sounds like 어떠케.
맏형
ma-tyeong
the eldest brother — ㄷ + ㅎ becomes ㅌ, so it sounds like 마텽.
괜찮아요
gwaen-cha-na-yo
it's okay (polite) — the ㅎ drops and the ㄴ links over, so it sounds like 괜차나요.
넣어요
neo-eo-yo
(I) put it in (polite) — the ㅎ drops before a vowel, so it sounds like 너어요.
Batchim ㅅ Meeting ㅎ
Because the batchim ㅅ sounds like [ㄷ], when ㅎ follows it aspirates to [ㅌ].
못해요
mo-tae-yo
(I) can't do it (polite) — ㅅ sounds as ㄷ, then merges with ㅎ into ㅌ, so it sounds like 모태요.
깨끗하다
kkae-kku-ta-da
to be clean — ㅅ + ㅎ becomes ㅌ, so it sounds like 깨끄타다.
| Spelling | Pronunciation | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 좋고 | [조코] | jo-ko |
| 축하 | [추카] | chu-ka |
| 입학 | [이팍] | i-pak |
| 좋아요 | [조아요] | jo-a-yo |
| 많이 | [마니] | ma-ni |
| 못해요 | [모태요] | mo-tae-yo |
💡 Tip: Aspirated sounds release a strong puff of air — hold your palm in front of your mouth and you can feel it.
Once you master the ㅎ rules, everyday phrases like 괜찮아요 [괜차나요] come out naturally.