Korean H Deletion: Lessons and Practice

Key Facts

• A final ㅎ before a vowel is silent: 좋아요 is [조아요].
• ㄶ and ㅀ lose their ㅎ before a vowel: 많이 is [마니] and 싫어요 is [시러요].
• Between voiced sounds ㅎ can fade in relaxed speech: 전화 can sound like [저놔].
• ㅎ next to a stop is covered by the aspiration rule: 좋다 is [조타].
• Article 12 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules covers the final ㅎ.
• Two lessons cover the three behaviours of ㅎ, with audio.

Last updated: 2026-10-09. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts in this section were generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026.

What Is Korean H Deletion?

Korean h deletion is the loss of the sound of ㅎ in certain positions. ㅎ is the Korean "h", a breath made in the throat. A breath sound is easy to lose next to voiced sounds, which are sounds where the vocal cords buzz, such as every vowel and the consonants ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ and ㅇ.

Two different things happen, and it helps to keep them apart. In the first, a final ㅎ before a vowel is always silent, and the rule is fixed. In the second, a ㅎ at the start of a block, between voiced sounds, only fades, and the change depends on how fast and relaxed the speaker is.

Revised Romanization (RR) follows the standard spoken form, so 좋아요 is joayo, with no h. RR is a learning aid on this site, and the Hangul and the bracketed forms are the reference. The table below sends each learner to the right lesson.

Where to Start with Korean ㅎ Weakening and Deletion

Start with the lesson that matches the word you want to say. The table gives one starting point for each situation.

A learner who wants the whole picture should take the weakening lesson first, because it sets the three behaviours of ㅎ side by side. The first lesson is next.

What Is the Rule?

The rule is that ㅎ does one of three things: it stays silent, it turns weak, or it merges with a neighbouring stop. The lesson Korean H Weakening sets the three behaviours in one table and teaches 좋아요 [조아요], 전화, 은행, 결혼 and 어떻게 [어떠케].

The lesson separates required changes from optional ones. A silent final ㅎ is required in standard speech, while a faded ㅎ in 전화 [저놔] is a tendency of relaxed speech, and the careful form [전화] remains standard. Learning which is which keeps you from over-correcting. The second lesson goes deeper on the final ㅎ.

What Happens to a ㅎ Batchim before a Vowel?

A ㅎ batchim, which is a ㅎ written as the final consonant of a block, is silent before a vowel and changes shape before some consonants. The lesson Korean ㅎ Batchim teaches the full pattern with six words: 좋아요, 놓아요, 싫어요, 많이, 좋다 and 좋네요.

In 좋아요 [조아요] and 싫어요 [시러요] the ㅎ vanishes; in 싫어요 the remaining ㄹ then moves to the next block. In 좋다 [조타] the ㅎ merges with ㄷ into ㅌ. In 좋네요 [존네요] the ㅎ sounds like ㄴ. Seeing all three outcomes of one letter in one lesson prevents the common error of saying a hard "h" in 좋아요. The table below compares the two lessons.

Comparing the Korean ㅎ Weakening and Deletion Lessons

The table compares the lessons by what each one fixes, its level and its length.

Both lessons use words from the first polite phrases, so the audio is useful straight away. The next question is how to practise between lessons.

How Do You Practise Korean ㅎ Weakening and Deletion?

Practise by finding every ㅎ in a sentence and naming its position. Use this routine.

1. Read 좋아요 and 싫어요 and leave out the ㅎ entirely: [조아요], [시러요].
2. Read 많이 and keep the ㄴ: [마니].
3. Read 전화 and 은행 carefully, then at relaxed speed, and notice how [저놔] and [으냉] sound.
4. Read 좋다 and 어떻게 and join the ㅎ to the stop: [조타], [어떠케].

The merging cases are taught in Korean aspiration. For the overview of all rules, see Korean pronunciation rules. Two good test words are 괜찮아요 [괜차나요] and 안녕하세요, which both contain a ㅎ in an ordinary phrase.

Study Order at a Glance

Take the weakening lesson first and the ㅎ batchim lesson second. The weakening lesson gives the three-way map, and the batchim lesson drills the most frequent branch of it. After the second lesson, Korean n insertion is the next sound change in the sequence.

What Does This Section Cover, and What Does It Leave Out?

The section covers the behaviour of ㅎ in standard Seoul-based pronunciation. Article 12 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법) fixes the silent final ㅎ. The fading of ㅎ between voiced sounds is a tendency in speech and is not listed there as a rule. The section does not cover dialect variation. The audio is machine-generated and was approved by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ㅎ weakening in Korean? ㅎ weakening is the tendency for ㅎ to become faint or silent between voiced sounds, so 전화 can sound like [저놔] and 은행 like [으냉]. It belongs to relaxed speech. The careful forms [전화] and [은행] remain standard, and the spelling always keeps the ㅎ.

Is the ㅎ in 좋아요 pronounced? No. The final ㅎ of 좋 is silent before the vowel of 아요, so the word is said [조아요]. Nothing is carried over, so 조 runs straight into 아요. Saying a hard "h" in the middle, as in "jo-ha-yo", is the most common learner error.

Why is 전화 pronounced 저놔? The ㅎ of 화 sits between the voiced sounds ㄴ and ㅘ, and a breath sound there easily fades. The ㄴ then moves into the next block, giving [저놔]. This is a relaxed-speech form, not the standard careful reading, which keeps the ㅎ as [전화].

Is ㅎ weakening optional? The silent final ㅎ in 좋아요 is required in standard speech, but the fading of ㅎ in 전화 or 은행 is optional and depends on speed and style. A learner should be able to understand both forms of a word. For speaking, the careful form is always safe.

Where to Go Next

To compare ㅎ with other sound changes, return to Korean pronunciation rules. To continue, open Korean H Weakening, the first lesson on Korean h deletion and weakening.