Key Facts
- ㄴ + ㄹ becomes [ㄹㄹ]: 신라 is [실라].
- ㄹ + ㄴ becomes [ㄹㄹ]: 설날 is [설랄].
- ㄹ + ㄹ is simply a long l: 빨리.
- Exceptions are Sino-Korean words in which ㄴ + ㄹ becomes [ㄴㄴ]: 의견란 [의견난], 생산량 [생산냥], 결단력 [결딴녁].
- The rule is Article 20 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법).
- Two lessons cover the rule and the exceptions, each 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 Liquidization?
Korean liquidization is a sound change that makes two neighbouring consonants match. A liquid is a smooth consonant such as l or r, and ㄹ is the only liquid in Korean. When ㄴ touches ㄹ, the ㄴ gives way, and the pair is spoken as a long, held l: [ㄹㄹ].
English books use two names for the same rule, liquidization and lateralization. A lateral is a sound made with air flowing around the sides of the tongue, and the held l is exactly that. The spelling never changes, so the learner has to know the rule to say the word.
| Written | Spoken | Revised Romanization | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 신라 | [실라] | Silla | ㄴ + ㄹ | Silla, an ancient kingdom |
| 설날 | [설랄] | Seollal | ㄹ + ㄴ | Lunar New Year |
| 빨리 | [빨리] | ppalli | ㄹ + ㄹ | quickly |
| 의견란 | [의견난] | uigyeonnan | exception | opinion column |
Revised Romanization (RR) is the official Latin-letter system for Korean. It follows the spoken form here, so 신라 is Silla. 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 Liquidization
Start with the lesson that matches the word you want to say. The table gives one starting point for each common situation.
| If you want to say... | Start with |
|---|---|
| 신라, 설날, 편리, 난로 or 대관령 | Korean Lateralization Rules |
| 의견란, 생산량, 결단력, 공권력 or 상견례 | Korean Liquidization Exceptions |
| 심리, 종로 or 독립, where ㄹ changes instead | Korean ㄹ Nasalization |
If you are new to the rule, take the rule lesson first, because the exceptions only make sense once the normal pattern is familiar. The first lesson is next.
What Is the Liquidization Rule?
The liquidization rule says that ㄴ is pronounced ㄹ whenever it sits next to ㄹ, in either order. The lesson Korean Lateralization Rules teaches both directions with a trigger-and-result table: ㄴ + ㄹ in 신라 and 난로 [날로], and ㄹ + ㄴ in 설날 and 칼날 [칼랄].
The lesson also explains why English speakers say "shin-ra" for 신라. It shows that ㄹ is a clear l when doubled, never an r, and it points out that many of the words are Sino-Korean, meaning built from Chinese characters (hanja). Its practice section mixes ten cases, so you can test the rule on sight. After the normal pattern comes the list of words that break it.
What Are the Exceptions?
The exceptions are Sino-Korean words in which ㄴ + ㄹ is spoken [ㄴㄴ] instead of [ㄹㄹ]. The lesson Korean Liquidization Exceptions lists them: 의견란 [의견난], 생산량 [생산냥], 결단력 [결딴녁], 공권력 [공꿘녁] and 상견례 [상견녜].
The Standard Pronunciation Rules list eleven examples, and other words built the same way follow them. The lesson explains the shared feature: a base word ending in ㄴ, such as 의견 or 생산, followed by a one-syllable element such as 란, 량, 력 or 례. Knowing the pattern lets you say new words of this shape without memorizing a list. The table below compares the two lessons side by side.
Comparing the Korean Liquidization Lessons
The table compares the lessons by what each one fixes, its level and its length.
| Lesson | What it fixes | Level | Time | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean Lateralization Rules | the main rule in both directions | B1 | about 25 minutes | 8 clips |
| Korean Liquidization Exceptions | the ㄴㄴ exception words | B2 | about 25 minutes | with audio |
Both lessons give real vocabulary as headline examples, so the audio is useful from the first clip. The next question is how to practise between lessons.
How Do You Practise Korean Liquidization?
Practise by looking for ㄴ and ㄹ side by side, then asking which of the two directions you are in. Use this short routine.
- Read 신라, 난로 and 편리 aloud and say the first block with a final ㄹ: [실라], [날로], [펼리].
- Read 설날 and 칼날 and say the second block with ㄹ: [설랄], [칼랄].
- Say 빨리 slowly, then at normal speed, and keep the ㄹㄹ held for one beat.
- Read 생산량 and 결단력 and check that you say ㄴ twice: [생산냥], [결딴녁].
The held l is also trained in the difficult-sounds lesson on double ㄹ, and the neighbouring sound change, where ㄹ turns into ㄴ, is in Korean nasalization. For contrasts between ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅇ and ㄹ, use the nasal and liquid minimal pairs.
Study Order at a Glance
Take the rule lesson first and the exceptions lesson second. The rule lesson is level B1 and gives the pattern that covers most words. The exceptions lesson is level B2 because it asks you to hold the pattern and its exceptions in mind together.
What Does This Section Cover, and What Does It Leave Out?
The section covers liquidization between ㄴ and ㄹ in standard Seoul-based pronunciation. It does not cover the reverse change, where ㄹ becomes ㄴ after other consonants (see Korean ㄹ nasalization), and it does not cover regional pronunciation. The audio is machine-generated and was approved by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is liquidization in Korean? Liquidization (유음화) is the sound change in which ㄴ is pronounced ㄹ when it touches ㄹ. A written ㄴ followed by ㄹ, or ㄹ followed by ㄴ, becomes a long l. The spelling stays the same, so 신라 is written with ㄴ but said [실라], and 설날 is said [설랄].
Is liquidization the same as lateralization? Yes. Both names describe the same rule. Liquidization comes from the Korean term 유음화, "becoming a liquid", and lateralization names the sound produced, a lateral l with air flowing around the tongue. This site uses liquidization for the section and lateralization for the main rule lesson.
Why is 신라 pronounced 실라? Korean does not allow ㄴ directly before ㄹ in standard speech, so the ㄴ is changed to match the ㄹ. The final ㄴ of 신 becomes ㄹ and meets the ㄹ of 라, which gives a long [ㄹㄹ]. The same logic gives 난로 [날로] and 편리 [펼리].
What are the exceptions to liquidization? The exceptions are Sino-Korean words in which a word ending in ㄴ is followed by an element starting with ㄹ, such as 의견란 [의견난], 생산량 [생산냥], 결단력 [결딴녁], 공권력 [공꿘녁] and 상견례 [상견녜]. In them, ㄴ + ㄹ becomes [ㄴㄴ]. They are covered in their own lesson so that the main rule stays simple.
Does 빨리 follow the liquidization rule? Not exactly. The word 빨리 is written with two ㄹ letters, so nothing needs to change, and it is simply said with a long l, [빨리]. It is useful practice because it trains the same held l that liquidization produces in 신라 and 설날.
Where to Go Next
For the full set of sound changes, return to Korean pronunciation rules. To continue with this topic, open Korean Lateralization Rules, the first of the two lessons, and finish Korean liquidization with the exceptions lesson.