Final Consonants (받침)¶
Quick Reference
받침 (Batchim) = Final consonant(s) at the bottom of a syllable block
7 Representative Sounds - All 27 possible final consonants reduce to 7 sounds:
| Sound | Final Consonants | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [ㄱ] | ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㄳ, ㄺ | 박 [pak], 부엌 [puək] |
| [ㄴ] | ㄴ, ㄵ, ㄶ | 눈 [nun], 앉 [an] |
| [ㄷ] | ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ | 곧 [kot], 옷 [ot] |
| [ㄹ] | ㄹ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㄿ, ㅀ | 말 [mal], 여덟 [jədəl] |
| [ㅁ] | ㅁ, ㄻ | 밤 [pam], 삶 [sam] |
| [ㅂ] | ㅂ, ㅍ, ㄼ, ㄿ, ㅄ | 밥 [pap], 앞 [ap] |
| [ㅇ] | ㅇ | 강 [kaŋ], 방 [paŋ] |
Detailed Explanation¶
받침 (batchim) literally means "supporting platform" - it refers to the consonant(s) that appear at the bottom of a syllable block, supporting the syllable structure.
Why Batchim Matters¶
- Syllable completion: Korean syllables can end with a consonant
- Sound changes: Batchim triggers various pronunciation rules
- Conjugation: Verb/adjective stems ending in batchim conjugate differently
- Rhythm: Closed syllables (with batchim) vs open syllables affect Korean rhythm
Structure Types¶
| Type | Structure | Example | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | CV | 가 | ㄱ + ㅏ |
| Closed | CVC | 강 | ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ |
| Complex | CVCC | 값 | ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅂ + ㅅ |
Single Final Consonants (홑받침)¶
Consonants Pronounced as Written¶
These 7 consonants maintain their sound in final position:
ㄱ [k]¶
- Sound: Unreleased 'k' (tongue touches soft palate but doesn't release)
- Examples: 박 (outside), 국 (soup), 책 (book)
ㄴ [n]¶
- Sound: Like 'n' in "sun"
- Examples: 눈 (eye/snow), 산 (mountain), 문 (door)
ㄹ [l]¶
- Sound: Light 'l' sound (tongue touches alveolar ridge)
- Examples: 말 (horse/word), 물 (water), 불 (fire)
ㅁ [m]¶
- Sound: Like 'm' in "sum"
- Examples: 밤 (night/chestnut), 김 (seaweed/steam), 꿈 (dream)
ㅂ [p]¶
- Sound: Unreleased 'p' (lips close but don't release)
- Examples: 밥 (cooked rice), 입 (mouth), 집 (house)
ㅇ [ŋ]¶
- Sound: Like 'ng' in "sing"
- Examples: 강 (river), 방 (room), 공 (ball)
ㄷ [t]¶
- Sound: Unreleased 't' (tongue touches alveolar ridge but doesn't release)
- Examples: 곧 (soon), 믿다 (to believe), 받다 (to receive)
- Note: Only ㄷ is pronounced [t]; several others also become [t]
Consonants That Change Sound¶
These consonants change to one of the 7 representative sounds:
ㅋ → [ㄱ]¶
- Examples: 부엌 [부억] (kitchen), 밖 [박] (outside)
ㄲ → [ㄱ]¶
- Examples: 깎다 [깍다] (to cut), 밖 [박] (outside)
ㅅ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 옷 [오ㄷ] (clothes), 빗 [비ㄷ] (comb)
ㅆ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 있다 [이ㄷ다] (to exist), 겠다 [게ㄷ다] (will)
ㅈ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 꽃 [꼳] (flower), 낮 [낟] (daytime)
ㅊ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 꽃 [꼳] (flower), 빛 [빋] (light)
ㅌ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 같다 [갇다] (to be the same), 밭 [받] (field)
ㅍ → [ㅂ]¶
- Examples: 앞 [압] (front), 잎 [입] (leaf)
ㅎ → [ㄷ]¶
- Examples: 좋다 [조ㄷ다] (to be good), 놓다 [노ㄷ다] (to put)
- Special: Often disappears in sound changes
Double Final Consonants (겹받침)¶
11 combinations of two consonants can appear as batchim. Only one is pronounced when the syllable stands alone.
Pronunciation Rules for Double Batchim¶
Pronounce the First Consonant¶
| Batchim | Pronounced | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄳ | [ㄱ] | 몫 [목] | share/portion |
| ㄵ | [ㄴ] | 앉다 [안따] | to sit |
| ㄶ | [ㄴ] | 많다 [만타] | to be many |
| ㄺ | [ㄱ] | 닭 [닥] | chicken |
| ㄻ | [ㅁ] | 삶 [삼] | life |
| ㄼ | [ㄹ] | 여덟 [여덜] | eight |
| ㄾ | [ㄹ] | 핥다 [할타] | to lick |
| ㅀ | [ㄹ] | 잃다 [일타] | to lose |
| ㅄ | [ㅂ] | 없다 [업따] | to not exist |
Pronounce the Second Consonant¶
| Batchim | Pronounced | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄽ | [ㄹ] | 외곬 [외골] | stubbornness |
| ㄿ | [ㅂ] | 읊다 [읍따] | to recite |
Important exception: When followed by a vowel or certain consonants, both consonants may be pronounced through sound changes (연음).
Double Batchim Examples¶
| Batchim | Example Word | Standalone | With Vowel | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄳ | 몫 | [목] | 몫을 [목슬] | share |
| ㄵ | 앉다 | [안따] | 앉아 [안자] | to sit |
| ㄶ | 많다 | [만타] | 많아 [마나] | to be many |
| ㄺ | 닭 | [닥] | 닭이 [달기] | chicken |
| ㄻ | 삶 | [삼] | 삶은 [살믄] | life/boiled |
| ㄼ | 넓다 | [널따] | 넓어 [널버] | to be wide |
| ㄽ | 외곬 | [외골] | - | stubbornness |
| ㄾ | 핥다 | [할타] | 핥아 [할타] | to lick |
| ㄿ | 읊다 | [읍따] | 읊어 [을퍼] | to recite |
| ㅀ | 잃다 | [일타] | 잃어 [일어] | to lose |
| ㅄ | 없다 | [업따] | 없어 [업서] | to not exist |
The 7 Representative Sounds Chart¶
Complete mapping:
[ㄱ] sound: ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㄳ, ㄺ
[ㄴ] sound: ㄴ, ㄵ, ㄶ
[ㄷ] sound: ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ
[ㄹ] sound: ㄹ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㅀ
[ㅁ] sound: ㅁ, ㄻ
[ㅂ] sound: ㅂ, ㅍ, ㄿ, ㅄ
[ㅇ] sound: ㅇ
Common Words with Batchim¶
Single Batchim Examples¶
| Word | Batchim | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 밥 | ㅂ | [밥] | cooked rice |
| 국 | ㄱ | [국] | soup |
| 물 | ㄹ | [물] | water |
| 산 | ㄴ | [산] | mountain |
| 강 | ㅇ | [강] | river |
| 꿈 | ㅁ | [꿈] | dream |
| 옷 | ㅅ | [오ㄷ] | clothes |
| 꽃 | ㅊ | [꼳] | flower |
| 낮 | ㅈ | [낟] | daytime |
Double Batchim Examples¶
| Word | Batchim | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 닭 | ㄺ | [닥] | chicken |
| 값 | ㅄ | [갑] | price |
| 삶 | ㄻ | [삼] | life |
| 앉다 | ㄵ | [안따] | to sit |
| 많다 | ㄶ | [만타] | to be many |
| 없다 | ㅄ | [업따] | to not exist |
| 읽다 | ㄺ | [익따] | to read |
| 넓다 | ㄼ | [널따] | to be wide |
Batchim and Grammatical Patterns¶
Verb Stem Types¶
Batchim affects conjugation:
Vowel stem (no batchim): - 가다 (to go) + 아요 = 가요
Consonant stem (has batchim): - 먹다 (to eat) + 어요 = 먹어요
Linking Rules¶
When followed by a vowel, pronunciation changes:
| Base | + Vowel | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 밥 | 밥을 | [바블] | rice (object) |
| 꽃 | 꽃이 | [꼬치] | flower (subject) |
| 옷 | 옷을 | [오슬] | clothes (object) |
| 없다 | 없어 | [업서] | to not exist |
Practice¶
- What does 받침 literally mean?
- How many representative sounds are there for final consonants?
- What sound does ㅅ make in final position?
- Write a syllable with ㅁ as the final consonant.
- Which final consonant sounds like 'ng'?
- How is 옷 (clothes) pronounced?
- In the double batchim ㄺ, which consonant is usually pronounced?
- What are the 7 representative final sounds?
- Write the word for "chicken" in Hangul and explain its pronunciation.
- Can double consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ) appear as final consonants?
Show Answers
1. "Supporting platform" - the consonant(s) that support the bottom of the syllable 2. 7 representative sounds: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ 3. [ㄷ] sound (unreleased 't') 4. Any syllable ending in ㅁ, such as: 밤, 꿈, 감, 김, etc. 5. ㅇ (sounds like 'ng' in "sing") 6. [오ㄷ] - the ㅅ becomes [ㄷ] sound in final position 7. ㄱ is pronounced (닭 = [닥]), but when followed by vowel both may sound: 닭이 [달기] 8. [ㄱ], [ㄴ], [ㄷ], [ㄹ], [ㅁ], [ㅂ], [ㅇ] 9. 닭 (ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹㄱ) - pronounced [닥] because ㄺ → [ㄱ] in final position 10. Only ㄲ can appear as a final consonant (and it's pronounced as [ㄱ]). The others (ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ) cannot appear in final position, though ㅆ becomes [ㄷ]Next Steps¶
Complete your Hangul mastery with Sound Changes to learn how final consonants interact with following sounds!