🌟 Day 15: Korean Sound Change – Fortisization (경음화)

Hello, Korean learners!
You’ve been doing a fantastic job learning how Korean sounds change in different situations.
Today, we’re covering another important pronunciation rule: Fortisization, or in Korean, 경음화 (gyeongeumhwa)!

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🔍 What is Fortisization?

Fortisization happens when a plain consonant (like ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ) changes into a tense (fortis) consonant (like ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅉ) in certain environments.

This change usually occurs between certain endings and beginnings of words, especially in compound or grammatical structures.

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🧠 When Does It Happen?

Fortisization generally occurs:
• When a syllable ends in a consonant and is followed by another syllable starting with a plain consonant.
• If the first consonant is strong or tense in nature (like ending in ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ), it can cause the next one to “tense up.”

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🔄 Common Changes:

Before After
ㄱ + ㄱ → ㄲ
ㄷ + ㄷ → ㄸ
ㅂ + ㅂ → ㅃ
ㅈ + ㅈ → ㅉ



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📚 Examples

Word (Written) Pronunciation Meaning
학교 (hak + gyo) [학꾜] hakkkyo school
국밥 (guk + bap) [국빱] gukppap Korean hot soup rice
옷장 (ot + jang) [옫짱] otjjang wardrobe
밥도 (bap + do) [밥또] bapddo also rice



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🗣️ Let’s Practice Saying Them!
• 학교 → [학꾜]
• 국밥 → [국빱]
• 옷장 → [옫짱]
• 밥도 → [밥또]

Try saying them slowly at first, then faster and more naturally!

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✨ Why Learn Fortisization?
• It helps your Korean sound more natural and native-like
• You’ll understand native speakers better when they speak quickly
• It’s crucial for reading aloud and recognizing word boundaries in spoken Korean

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You’re doing an amazing job learning Korean sound rules!
In the next lesson, we’ll explore more pronunciation tips to make your Korean even smoother.
Keep it up!