Korean ㄷ ㅎ Palatalization: Sounds, Rules and Examples

Korean ㄷ ㅎ palatalization is the sound change in which a final ㄷ followed by the suffix -히- is pronounced [치]. 닫히다 (to be closed) is said [다치다], and 굳히다 (to harden something) is [구치다]. Two rules run in order: ㄷ and ㅎ merge into [ㅌ], and [ㅌ] before 이 becomes [ㅊ].

What you'll learn

• Say 닫히다, 굳히다, 묻히다 and 걷히다 with [치].
• Explain the two rules at work, aspiration and palatalization, and their order.
• Tell ㄷ + 히 verbs apart from verbs that only aspirate, such as 먹히다.
• Recognize the sound-alike pairs 닫히다 and 다치다, 묻히다 and 무치다.

Prerequisite: Korean ㄷ ㅌ Palatalization, which covers ㄷ and ㅌ before the suffix 이. It also helps to know aspiration before ㅎ. Estimated time: 25 minutes.

What Is Korean ㄷ ㅎ Palatalization?

Korean ㄷ ㅎ palatalization is the special case of palatalization that starts with a ㄷ + ㅎ pair. Palatalization (구개음화) is the rule that turns [ㄷ] and [ㅌ] into [ㅈ] and [ㅊ] before the vowel 이 when a suffix or particle follows a stem. In 같이 [가치], the ㅌ is already written. In 닫히다, the [ㅌ] is not written: it is created by a first rule, and only then does palatalization act on it.

The rule appears in the note (붙임) to Article 17 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법), published by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원). The note says that when ㄷ is followed by the suffix 히 and forms [티], it is pronounced [치], with 굳히다, 닫히다 and 묻히다 as its examples. The next section explains why this catches learners out.

Why English Speakers Struggle Here

English speakers struggle here because the spelling shows three letters, ㄷ, ㅎ and ㅣ, and none of them is ㅊ. A learner reading 닫히다 letter by letter tends to say "dat-hi-da", with a stop and then a breathy [h]. Korean speakers never say it that way.

A second problem is that the learner may stop after the first rule. A learner who has studied aspiration knows that ㄷ + ㅎ gives [ㅌ], and so says [다티다]. That form is half right, but Korean ears hear it as wrong. English has a similar "t + y" merger in "got you" said as "gotcha", but English speakers do not apply it consistently, while Korean applies its version every time. The table in the next section shows the result for each verb.

What Does ㄷ + 히 Become?

ㄷ + 히 becomes [치]. The ㄷ leaves the first syllable and merges with the ㅎ, and the next syllable is said [치], with a puff of air like the "ch" in "cheese".

The first syllable keeps its vowel and loses its final consonant in speech. 닫 becomes 다, 굳 becomes 구, 걷 becomes 거. The [ㅊ] then starts the second syllable. Revised Romanization follows the pronunciation for this rule: its own example is 굳히다, romanized guchida. To see why the result is [치] rather than [티], the two steps need to be taken apart.

Why Does It Change Twice?

The sound changes twice because two separate rules of Standard Korean apply one after the other. Each rule is ordinary on its own; the surprise is only that they chain.

1. Aspiration. A final ㄷ next to ㅎ merges with it into the aspirated [ㅌ]. Article 12 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules covers this merger, as in 맏형 [마텽]. 닫히다 → 다티다.
2. Palatalization. [ㅌ] before the vowel 이, across the boundary between a stem and a suffix, becomes [ㅊ]. Article 17 covers this, as in 같이 [가치]. 다티다 → [다치다].

The order matters. If palatalization looked first, it would find ㄷ before ㅎ, not before 이, and do nothing. Only after aspiration has created [ㅌ] directly before 이 can palatalization act. Linguists call this rule ordering: the output of one rule feeds the next.

The middle row is never spoken. It exists only to show the route. With the mechanism clear, the next question is which verbs show it.

Which Verbs Show It?

The verbs that show it are verbs whose stem ends in ㄷ and that add the suffix -히-. This suffix is one of the passive suffixes (이, 히, 리, 기) and one of the causative suffixes, which the Korean grammar section teaches in full. A passive verb makes the subject the one affected: 문이 닫히다 (the door is closed). A causative verb makes someone cause the action: 마음을 굳히다 (to firm up one's mind).

In the past tense, 히 + 었 contracts to 혔, and the palatalized [쳐] is then said [처], because Korean does not distinguish 쳐 from 처 in verb forms (Article 5 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules). So 닫혔어요 is [다처써요]. 안개가 걷히다 is a common weather expression, worth learning as a unit. The next section separates this rule from aspiration alone.

Is It the Same as Aspiration Alone?

No. Aspiration alone stops at [ㅋ], [ㅌ], [ㅍ] or [ㅊ]; ㄷ ㅎ palatalization takes one more step. The difference shows when the stem ends in a consonant other than ㄷ, or when the vowel after ㅎ is not 이.

꽂히다 (to be stuck in, to be pinned) is a useful trap. It also ends in [치], but only by aspiration: ㅈ + ㅎ gives [ㅊ] in one step. Your ear cannot tell the routes apart, but the spelling can. The full aspiration rule is in aspiration before ㅎ.

Sound-Alike Words: 닫히다 and 다치다

Because ㄷ ㅎ palatalization produces [치], several -히- verbs sound exactly like other common words. Context, not sound, tells them apart.

This is a useful listening point. If you hear [다처써요] with no door or window in the sentence, the speaker most likely means 다쳤어요 (I got hurt). For spelling, remember that 닫히다 keeps the stem 닫 visible, just as 같이 keeps 같. Now put the steps together in one worked example.

Worked Example: 닫히다

Follow these steps to say 닫히다 (to be closed).

1. Find the stem and suffix. 닫히다 = 닫- (close) + -히- (passive) + -다.
2. Check the final. The stem ends in ㄷ, and the suffix starts with ㅎ.
3. Apply aspiration. ㄷ + ㅎ merge into [ㅌ]: 다티다. Do not stop here.
4. Apply palatalization. [티] before a suffix vowel 이 becomes [치]: 다치다.
5. Say it. [다치다]: a short open 다, then 치 with a light puff of air, then 다.

You will know it worked when your 닫히다 is identical to 다치다 (to get hurt). If you hear a stop before [h], you have read the letters. If you hear [티], you have stopped after step 3. For contrast, 닫다 (to close) has no suffix, so it is [닫따], with tensification instead. A few edge cases complete the picture.

Edge Cases: Speed, Spelling Aloud and Verb Forms

Three situations are worth knowing.

Speed. ㄷ ㅎ palatalization is part of the standard form, not a casual shortcut. A news reader says 닫히다 as [다치다] just as a friend does in a quick chat. Slowing down does not bring back [ㄷ] or [ㅎ].

Spelling aloud. When Koreans dictate a word or explain its spelling, they may say each syllable on its own: 닫, 히, 다. That is a spelling aid, not a pronunciation. In a sentence, the word is always [다치다].

Other verb forms. The rule works in every form that keeps 히 after the stem. 닫히고 (is closed and) is [다치고], 굳히면 (if you harden) is [구치면], and 묻혀서 (being buried, so) is [무처서]. It disappears only when the suffix is absent: 닫고 (closes and) is [닫꼬], with tensification instead, and 묻어요 (buries) is [무더요], with plain liaison. If you are unsure, check the dictionary: the Standard Korean Language Dictionary (표준국어대사전) gives [다치다] in brackets for 닫히다. These cases lead straight to the mistakes learners make most often.

Common Learner Mistakes

Mistake 1: reading every letter. Learners often say 닫히다 as [닫히다]. Actually ㄷ and ㅎ merge, and the result is [다치다].

Mistake 2: stopping at [ㅌ]. Learners who know aspiration say [다티다]. Actually palatalization follows: [다치다].

Mistake 3: using a plain [ㅈ]. Learners who know 굳이 [구지] sometimes say 굳히다 as [구지다]. Actually the ㅎ makes the sound aspirated: [구치다].

Mistake 4: palatalizing other finals. Learners sometimes say 먹히다 as [머치다]. Actually only ㄷ (and ㅌ) palatalize: [머키다].

Mistake 5: palatalizing before ㅕ. Learners sometimes say 맏형 as [마쳥]. Actually the vowel is ㅕ, not 이: [마텽].

Each mistake skips or overextends one step. The practice set checks both steps.

Practice and Answer Key

Exercise 1. Write the spoken form.

1. 굳히다
2. 걷히다
3. 묻히다
4. 받히다

Exercise 2. [치] or not? Give the spoken form.

1. 잡히다
2. 닫히다
3. 맏형
4. 꽂히다

Exercise 3. Which word sounds the same as 걷히다: 거치다, 거피다 or 걷다?

Answers.

Exercise 1: 1 [구치다], 2 [거치다], 3 [무치다], 4 [바치다].

Exercise 2: 1 no, [자피다]. 2 yes, [다치다]. 3 no, [마텽]. 4 yes, [꼬치다], but by aspiration of ㅈ, not palatalization.

Exercise 3: 거치다 (to pass through).

If you missed two or more in Exercise 2, write out the middle row (after aspiration) for each word before saying it.

Where to Go Next

The next lesson, H-weakening, shows what happens to ㅎ between vowels and after ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ and ㅇ. Review Korean ㄷ ㅌ Palatalization if the 이 cases still feel shaky. The whole group is on the Palatalization page.

This lesson covers ㄷ + 히 in standard Seoul speech. It does not cover the grammar of passives and causatives in depth, regional pronunciation or historical sound change. The audio gives one standard form per clip.

In short, Korean ㄷ ㅎ palatalization turns ㄷ + 히 into [치] through two rules in order, aspiration and then palatalization, so 닫히다 is [다치다].

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say 닫히다? 닫히다 (to be closed) is said [다치다]. The final ㄷ of 닫 and the ㅎ of 히 merge into [ㅌ], giving 다티다, and [티] then becomes [치] by palatalization. The result sounds exactly like 다치다 (to get hurt), so context tells the two apart.

Is 묻히다 [무치다]? Yes. 묻히다 is [무치다] in both of its meanings: "to be buried" (the passive of 묻다, to bury) and "to get something smeared on" (the causative of 묻다, to be stained). It sounds the same as 무치다 (to season vegetables), so 나물을 무치다 and 흙에 묻히다 differ only in spelling.

Why is it not [다티다]? [다티다] stops halfway. Aspiration has merged ㄷ and ㅎ into [ㅌ], but Standard Korean then applies palatalization: [ㅌ] before the vowel 이 across a suffix boundary becomes [ㅊ]. Article 17 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules states this case directly, giving 닫히다 [다치다] as its example.

What about 먹히다? 먹히다 (to be eaten) is [머키다]. Its final ㄱ merges with ㅎ into [ㅋ], which is aspiration, but palatalization does not follow, because only [ㄷ] and [ㅌ] change before 이. The same holds for 잡히다 [자피다] and 넓히다 [널피다]. Only ㄷ + 히 gives [치].

Is there a ㅌ + 히 verb? Not among common verbs. Standard verbs with the suffix -히- after a stem ending in ㅌ are not part of everyday Korean, so learners only need the ㄷ case. Verbs such as 받치다 (to support) and 밭치다 (to strain) are spelled with ㅊ directly and involve no sound change.

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