Key Facts
- ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ: 합니다 is [함니다].
- ㄱ becomes ㅇ before ㄴ or ㅁ: 먹는 is [멍는].
- ㄷ becomes ㄴ before ㄴ or ㅁ: 닫는 is [단는].
- ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅁ, ㅇ, ㄱ or ㅂ: 심리 is [심니].
- The trigger for the first three patterns is a following ㄴ or ㅁ, and the change keeps the place of the sound in the mouth.
- The rules are in Articles 18 and 19 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법).
Last updated: 2026-10-08. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts in this section are generated drafts that still await review by a Korean specialist.
What Is Korean Nasalization?
Korean nasalization is a family of sound changes in which a consonant takes on a nasal quality from a neighbor. A nasal is a consonant made with air flowing through the nose: ㄴ, ㅁ and the "ng" sound of a final ㅇ. A stop is a consonant that blocks the air for a moment: ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ.
When a stop at the end of a block meets a nasal at the start of the next block, the stop becomes the nasal that is made in the same place. The place stays and the manner changes.
| Final sound | Before ㄴ or ㅁ | Place | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅂ (lips) | ㅁ | lips | 합니다 [함니다] |
| ㄱ (tongue back) | ㅇ | tongue back | 먹는 [멍는] |
| ㄷ (tongue tip) | ㄴ | tongue tip | 닫는 [단는] |
| ㄹ after ㅁ, ㅇ, ㄱ, ㅂ | ㄴ | tongue tip | 심리 [심니] |
Nasalization is different from liaison. Liaison happens before a vowel and moves a consonant forward, as in 책이 [채기]. Nasalization happens before a nasal consonant and changes the consonant itself, as in 먹는 [멍는]. The decision table below matches each situation to a lesson.
Where to Start with Korean Nasalization
Start with the lesson for the word you want to say. The table sends each common situation to one lesson.
| If you want to say... | Start with |
|---|---|
| any nasalized word and want the whole system | Korean Nasalization Rules |
| 합니다, 입니다 or 감사합니다 | Korean ㅂ Nasalization |
| 먹는, 국물 or 한국말 | Korean ㄱ Nasalization |
| 있는, 닫는 or 좋네요 | Korean ㄷ Nasalization |
| 심리, 종로 or 독립 | Korean ㄹ Nasalization |
Nasalization builds on the final-consonant sounds in batchim pronunciation. The general rule comes first.
What Is the General Nasalization Rule?
The general rule says that a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ. The lesson Korean Nasalization Rules teaches it with a trigger-result table, so a learner can predict the spoken form of 먹는, 닫는, 합니다 and 심리 from the written form.
The lesson also shows why spelling is not enough. The letters ㅋ, ㄲ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅍ and ㅎ all count as ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sounds at the end of a block, so many written letters feed the same three patterns.
How Does ㅂ Nasalization Work?
ㅂ nasalization turns a final ㅂ sound into ㅁ, and it explains the most common formal ending in Korean. The lesson Korean ㅂ Nasalization teaches 합니다, 입니다, 감사합니다, 없는 and 앞마당 with ㅁ in place of ㅂ.
It also covers two-step changes, such as ㅍ to ㅂ to ㅁ in 앞마당 [암마당], and the question endings -ㅂ니까 [-ㅁ니까]. For the single question of how to say thank you, the page on how to pronounce 감사합니다 gives the full answer.
How Do ㄱ and ㄷ Nasalization Work?
ㄱ nasalization turns a final ㄱ sound into ㅇ, and ㄷ nasalization turns a final ㄷ sound into ㄴ. The two patterns share a common trigger, the verb ending -는, and each has its own lesson because the groups of letters are different.
Korean ㄱ Nasalization teaches 먹는 [멍는], 국물 [궁물], 한국말 [한궁말], 읽는 [잉는] and 막내 [망내]. The group has five spellings: ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㄳ and ㄺ.
Korean ㄷ Nasalization teaches 있는 [인는], 닫는 [단는], 옷만 [온만], 꽃말 [꼰말] and 좋네요 [존네요]. The group has seven spellings: ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ and ㅎ, and it is the largest of the three.
Nasalization of ㄹ
ㄹ nasalization is the odd member of the family, because the change runs the other way: the sound before ㄹ triggers it, and the second consonant changes. Here a ㄹ after ㅁ, ㅇ, ㄱ or ㅂ becomes ㄴ, and a stop before it may then become a nasal as well. The lesson Korean ㄹ Nasalization teaches 심리 [심니], 종로 [종노], 정리 [정니], 독립 [동닙] and 협력 [혐녁].
A neighboring rule handles ㄴ next to ㄹ, as in 신라 [실라]. That is liquidization, and it has its own subsection.
Comparing the Korean Nasalization Lessons
The table compares the five lessons by what each fixes and its headline words.
| Lesson | What it fixes | Headline words |
|---|---|---|
| Nasalization Rules | the trigger-result table for all patterns | 먹는, 닫는, 합니다, 심리 |
| ㅂ Nasalization | the formal ending -ㅂ니다 | 합니다, 감사합니다 |
| ㄱ Nasalization | the back-of-tongue pattern | 먹는, 한국말 |
| ㄷ Nasalization | the largest letter group | 있는, 닫는, 좋네요 |
| ㄹ Nasalization | ㄹ after ㅁ, ㅇ, ㄱ, ㅂ | 심리, 종로, 독립 |
All five lessons give a polite-speech or high-frequency word as the headline example, so the first audio is useful straight away. Each lesson takes about 25 minutes. After the table, the question is how to practise.
How Do You Practise Korean Nasalization?
Practise by finding the nasal first. Look for ㄴ or ㅁ at the start of a block, then check the block before it.
- Say 합니다 as [함니다] and 감사합니다 as [감사함니다].
- Say 먹는 as [멍는] and 있는 as [인는].
- Say 한국말 as [한궁말] and 몇 명 as [면명].
- Say 심리 as [심니] and 종로 as [종노].
Nasalization applies inside words and across spaces when the words are said together, as in 한국 말. For more practice with the nasal sounds themselves, use the Korean minimal pairs page. The overview of all rules is in Korean pronunciation rules.
Study Order at a Glance
Start with the general rule, then ㅂ (because of 합니다), then ㄱ, ㄷ and ㄹ. The ㅂ lesson comes first among the patterns because the formal ending -ㅂ니다 appears in the first polite phrases a learner meets. The ㄹ lesson comes last because it combines two steps, a change of ㄹ and then a change of the stop before it.
Nasalization in Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization records nasalization. It writes 합니다 as hamnida and 먹는 as meongneun, so the romanization already shows the change. It does not record every sound change, which is why this site pairs romanization with Hangul and a bracketed spoken form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is nasalization in Korean? Nasalization (비음화) is the sound change in which a stop consonant at the end of a block becomes a nasal before ㄴ or ㅁ. The stops ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ become ㅇ, ㄴ and ㅁ, and each keeps its place in the mouth. The spelling stays the same, and only the speech changes, as in 합니다 [함니다].
Why is 합니다 pronounced 함니다? The final ㅂ of 합 meets the ㄴ of 니, and a ㅂ before ㄴ or ㅁ is spoken as ㅁ. The lips stay closed and the air goes through the nose, so the word becomes [함니다]. Every formal ending written -ㅂ니다 has the same change.
Is nasalization the same as liaison? No. Liaison happens before a vowel and moves a final consonant forward, so 책이 is [채기]. Nasalization happens before ㄴ or ㅁ and changes the consonant into a nasal, so 먹는 is [멍는]. A single word can show both, as in 국물을 [궁무를].
Which words show nasalization? Very common words do. Formal endings such as 합니다 and 입니다, the verb ending -는 as in 먹는 and 있는, and nouns such as 국물, 막내 and 한국말 all show it. Counting phrases such as 몇 명 [면명] show it too, even though the spelling gives no hint.