Korean Double Batchim Liaison: Sounds, Rules and Examples

What you will learn

• Say 닭이, 읽어요, 앉아요, 값이, 없어요 and 많아요 with correct liaison.
• Split any of the 11 double batchim when a vowel follows.
• Explain in one sentence why 값이 and 없어요 have a tense ㅆ.
• Contrast the same word before a vowel (닭이 [달기]) and before a consonant (닭도 [닥또]).

Before you start: review the Korean Liaison Rule for single finals and the Double Batchim Rules for which letter is heard before a consonant. Time: about 25 minutes with audio.

Key Facts

• Before a vowel ending or particle, a double batchim splits: the left letter stays and the right letter moves to the next block, so 닭이 is [달기].
• A moved ㅅ is always tense: 값이 is [갑씨] and 없어요 is [업써요].
• In ㄶ and ㅀ the ㅎ is silent, so only ㄴ or ㄹ moves: 많아요 is [마나요] and 싫어요 is [시러요].
• Before a consonant the same word keeps only one sound: 닭이 is [달기] but 닭도 is [닥또].
• Before a word with its own meaning, the final is reduced first: 닭 앞에 is [다가페].
• The rule is Article 14 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법); Article 15 covers the meaning-word case.

Last updated: 2026-10-09. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts on this page are generated drafts that still await review by a Korean specialist.

What Is Korean Double Batchim Liaison?

Korean double batchim liaison is liaison applied to a final made of two different letters. A double batchim (겹받침) is a final consonant written with two letters side by side, such as ㄺ in 닭 (chicken) or ㅄ in 값 (price). Liaison (연음) is the rule that moves a final consonant into the next block when that block starts with the silent ㅇ.

With one final letter, liaison moves the whole final: 책이 (the book) is [채기]. With two final letters, there is room for both to be heard. The first letter stays where it is, and only the second one moves.

Revised Romanization (RR) follows the sound for liaison, so 닭이 is dalgi. RR does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so 값이 is gapsi even though the spoken ㅅ is tense. RR is a learning aid here; the Hangul and the bracketed forms are the reference. The next section explains why this pattern feels unnatural to English speakers.

Why Two-Letter Finals Confuse English Speakers

English speakers tend to say both letters of a double batchim everywhere, or to drop one letter everywhere. English spelling has clusters like "lk" in "milk" that are always pronounced the same way. Korean double batchim do not work like that: one letter is heard before a consonant, and both are heard before a vowel.

The result is that the same word changes shape. 닭 alone is [닥], 닭이 is [달기] and 닭도 (chicken too) is [닥또]. A learner who memorised [닥] says *[다기] for 닭이, and a learner who always says both letters tries to fit ㄹ and ㄱ before 도, which a Korean syllable does not allow. (An asterisk marks a form that is not standard.)

The way out is one question: what comes next, a vowel or a consonant? The answer for a vowel is the subject of the next section.

What Happens to Double Batchim before a Vowel?

Before a vowel, a double batchim splits in two. The condition is that the next block is a grammar piece starting with the silent ㅇ: a particle such as 이, 을 or 은, an ending such as -아요, -어요 or -으면, or a suffix. Article 14 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법), published by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원), states the rule.

Apply it in three steps:

1. Check the next block. It must start with ㅇ and be a particle, ending or suffix.
2. Keep the left letter. It stays as the final of the first block.
3. Move the right letter. It replaces the silent ㅇ of the next block.

For 앉아요, the left letter ㄴ stays with 아 and the right letter ㅈ moves into 아요, giving [안자요]. Every one of the 11 double batchim can be checked the same way, as the full table shows.

Do All 11 Double Batchim Follow the Rule?

All 11 double batchim follow the split rule before a vowel, with two kinds of adjustment. A moved ㅅ becomes tense [ㅆ], and in ㄶ and ㅀ the ㅎ disappears instead of moving. The table lists every pair.

Two observations make the table easier to remember. First, the left letter is ㄹ or ㄴ in nine of the 11 pairs; only ㄳ (ㄱ) and ㅄ (ㅂ) differ. Second, only a right-hand ㅅ (ㄳ, ㄽ, ㅄ) or ㅎ (ㄶ, ㅀ) needs special treatment, so the other six moves are completely regular. The tense ㅅ comes next.

Why Is 값이 [갑씨]?

값이 is [갑씨] because a ㅅ that follows the stop ㅂ is always pronounced tense. When ㅄ splits, ㅂ stays at the bottom of 갑 and ㅅ moves into 이. A stop is a consonant that fully closes the mouth, and Korean turns a plain ㅅ, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ after a stop into its tense partner.

The same mechanism is at work in 학생 (student), spoken [학쌩], where ㅅ follows the stop ㄱ. The ㄳ in 넋이 [넉씨] and 몫이 [목씨] behaves in the same way. For ㄽ, where ㅅ follows ㄹ, Article 14 still gives a tense ㅅ: 곬이 [골씨].

Rule of thumb: whenever the right letter of a double batchim is ㅅ and a vowel follows, say ㅆ. The verb 없다 (not exist) makes this one of the most frequent patterns in Korean, because 없어요, 없어서 [업써서] and 없으면 [업쓰면] are everyday forms. The other special case involves ㅎ.

How Do ㄶ and ㅀ Behave?

In ㄶ and ㅀ, the ㅎ is silent before a vowel, so only the ㄴ or ㄹ moves. 많아요 is [마나요], not *[만하요], and 싫어요 is [시러요]. This is the silent-ㅎ rule from Article 12 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules, working together with liaison.

Before a consonant the same ㅎ does not vanish. It merges with a following ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅈ into an aspirated sound: 많다 is [만타] and 싫다 is [실타]. That contrast is the heart of the next section.

Before a Vowel and before a Consonant

The same double batchim sounds different before a vowel and before a consonant. Before a vowel, both letters are used. Before a consonant, only one letter is heard, and the next consonant often becomes tense or aspirated. The table puts the two forms of each word side by side.

Notice that the vowel column always uses the left letter as a final, while the consonant column sometimes keeps the right letter instead: 닭도 keeps ㄱ, and 삶도 keeps ㅁ. Which letter survives before a consonant is covered in the double batchim rules. The vowel side has one more pattern worth practising, the many endings of a single verb.

Particles and Endings with One Stem

One verb stem with a double batchim produces many spoken forms, and every vowel ending splits it the same way. The verb 읽다 (to read) shows this clearly.

The last row is a contrast: -는 starts with a consonant, so there is no liaison. ㄺ reduces to [ㄱ], and [ㄱ] becomes [ㅇ] before ㄴ. The same split applies to 앉다 (to sit): 앉으세요 is [안즈세요]. A different outcome appears when the next part is a full word rather than an ending.

When the Next Word Has Its Own Meaning

When the next part is a word with its own meaning, the double batchim is reduced to one sound first, and only that sound moves. Article 15 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules covers this case. 닭 앞에 (in front of the chicken) is [다가페], not [달가페], because 앞 is a noun, not a particle.

• 닭 앞에 → [다가페]: ㄺ reduces to [ㄱ], which then moves.
• 값어치 (value, worth) → [가버치]: ㅄ reduces to [ㅂ], because -어치 is treated like a meaning word.
• 넋 없다 (to be dazed) → [너겁따]: ㄳ reduces to [ㄱ].

The test is the same one used in the liaison rule: grammar pieces trigger a full split, and meaning words trigger reduction first. Learners rarely meet the meaning-word case at A2, so the worked example returns to the main rule.

Worked Example: 닭이

The phrase 닭이 is the noun 닭 (chicken) plus the subject particle 이, and it is spoken [달기]. It is the textbook example of Korean double batchim liaison.

1. Split into blocks: 닭 / 이.
2. Find the final: 닭 ends in the double batchim ㄺ, left letter ㄹ, right letter ㄱ.
3. Check the next block: 이 starts with the silent ㅇ and is a particle, so the split rule applies.
4. Keep the left letter: ㄹ stays, giving [달].
5. Move the right letter: ㄱ fills the ㅇ of 이, giving [기].
6. Check for special cases: the moved letter is ㄱ, not ㅅ or ㅎ, so it stays plain. The result is [달기].

You will know it worked when you hear a clear l before the g: dal-gi, not da-gi. Compare 닭을 [달글] (the chicken, as object) and 닭은 [달근] (as for the chicken), which split in the same way. The common slips are listed next.

Common Learner Mistakes

Learners often treat a double batchim as if it had only one sound. The mistakes below come from that habit.

• Mistake 1: dropping the left letter. Learners often say 닭이 as *[다기]. Actually the standard is [달기], because Article 14 keeps the left letter. Some Koreans say [다기] in casual speech, but it is not the standard form.
• Mistake 2: a plain ㅅ in 없어요. Learners often say *[업서요]. Actually the moved ㅅ follows the stop ㅂ, so it is tense: [업써요].
• Mistake 3: pronouncing ㅎ in 많아요. Learners often say *[만하요]. Actually ㅎ in ㄶ is silent before a vowel, so the word is [마나요].
• Mistake 4: a tense ㄱ in 읽어요. Learners often say *[일꺼요], because 읽다 is [익따]. Actually tensing happens only before a consonant; before a vowel the moved ㄱ is plain: [일거요].
• Mistake 5: splitting before a consonant. Learners often say 닭도 as *[달또]. Actually no vowel follows, so only one letter is heard: [닥또].

Expert tip: when you see a double batchim, look one block ahead before you open your mouth. A silent ㅇ means "use both letters", and any other consonant means "use one". The practice set uses exactly that check.

Practice and Answer Key

Write the spoken form of each item in brackets, then say it aloud.

1. 닭이
2. 읽어요
3. 앉아요
4. 값이
5. 없어요
6. 많아요
7. 삶이
8. 젊어요
9. 싫어요
10. 닭도

Answer key

1. 닭이 → [달기]
2. 읽어요 → [일거요]
3. 앉아요 → [안자요]
4. 값이 → [갑씨]
5. 없어요 → [업써요]
6. 많아요 → [마나요]
7. 삶이 → [살미]
8. 젊어요 → [절머요]
9. 싫어요 → [시러요]
10. 닭도 → [닥또] (no liaison: the next block starts with a consonant)

Nine or ten correct means the rule is secure. If you missed number 4 or 5, revisit the tense ㅅ; if you missed 6 or 9, revisit the silent ㅎ.

Where to Go Next

The next lesson, Liaison with Compound Words, shows what happens when the second part of a word has its own meaning, the case introduced in the Article 15 section. Return to the Liaison (Resyllabification) section to see all liaison lessons in order, or review each pair in the double batchim hub.

This lesson covers Korean double batchim liaison before particles, endings and suffixes in standard Seoul speech. It does not cover regional pronunciations, the full set of double batchim rules before consonants, or the history of the spellings. The audio shows one standard pronunciation, and real speakers vary in speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I say 읽어요? Say [일거요]. The double batchim ㄺ splits before the vowel ending -어요: ㄹ stays at the bottom of the first block, and ㄱ moves to the start of the next one. The ㄱ is plain, not tense. Revised Romanization writes ilgeoyo, which shows both the l and the g.

Why is 닭이 [달기]? 닭이 is [달기] because ㄺ splits before the particle 이. The left letter ㄹ stays with 다, and the right letter ㄱ fills the empty ㅇ of 이. Many speakers say [다기] in casual speech, but the Standard Pronunciation Rules give [달기], and that is the form to learn.

Is ㅅ tense in 값이? Yes. 값이 is [갑씨], with a tense ㅆ. When ㅄ splits, the ㅂ stays and the ㅅ moves into 이, and a ㅅ that follows the stop ㅂ is pronounced tense. Article 14 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules writes this tense ㅅ into the rule itself, along with 없어 [업써].

How is 삶이 pronounced? 삶이 (life, as a subject) is [살미]. The double batchim ㄻ splits before the particle 이: ㄹ stays with 사 and ㅁ moves forward to make 미. Compare 삶도 [삼도], where no vowel follows and only ㅁ is pronounced. Revised Romanization writes salmi.

Does 앉으세요 follow this rule? Yes. 앉으세요 (please sit down) is [안즈세요]. The ending -으세요 starts with a vowel, so ㄵ splits: ㄴ stays with 아 and ㅈ moves into 으. The same happens in 앉아요 [안자요]. Before a consonant, as in 앉고 [안꼬], only ㄴ is heard and the next consonant turns tense.