What you'll learn
- Say 닭 as [닥] with no sound for the ㄹ.
- Say 닭이 as [달기] and 닭고기 as [닥꼬기].
- Explain why the ㄹ appears in some forms and disappears in others.
- Contrast the noun 닭고기 with the verb form 읽고 [일꼬].
Before you start: know that a batchim is the final consonant at the bottom of a block, and a double batchim is a pair of them. The lesson takes about 10 minutes, and audio plays only when you press a button.
Last updated: 2026-10-09. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts on this page were generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026.
How to Pronounce 닭 in Four Steps
To pronounce 닭, say "dak" and stop the sound with the back of the tongue, with no puff of air. The only consonant at the end is ㄱ.
- Start with ㄷ. The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth; at the start of a word the sound falls between English "d" and "t".
- Add ㅏ. Open your mouth wide: "ah".
- Close with ㄱ. Raise the back of the tongue to the soft palate and stop. Do not release it.
- Ignore the ㄹ. The ㄹ is written but not pronounced here.
You will know it worked when the word ends in a silent stop at the back of the mouth, with no "l" sound. Next, why the ㄹ vanishes and returns.
Which Rule Changes 닭?
The rule for 닭 is the double batchim rule: the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법) of the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) say that a double batchim is usually reduced to one consonant at the end of a word or before a consonant. For ㄺ, Article 11 says the second consonant, ㄱ, is pronounced: 닭 is [닥]. Before a vowel, Article 14 says the second consonant moves to the next syllable: 닭이 is [달기], with the ㄹ staying on 닭.
The ㄺ rule has a famous exception. In verb stems, the ㄺ is pronounced as ㄹ before a ㄱ ending: 읽고 is [일꼬], and 읽다 is [익따] because ㄷ does not trigger the exception. The noun 닭고기 does not follow the exception, so it is [닥꼬기].
| Form | What follows ㄺ | What happens | Spoken |
|---|---|---|---|
| 닭 | nothing | only ㄱ is pronounced | [닥] |
| 닭이 | vowel 이 | ㄹ stays, ㄱ moves | [달기] |
| 닭고기 | consonant ㄱ | only ㄱ, then ㄱ + ㄱ turns tense | [닥꼬기] |
| 읽고 | consonant ㄱ (verb stem) | only ㄹ is pronounced, ㄱ turns tense | [일꼬] |
The table shows one rule giving four outcomes, and the type of word (noun or verb) decides the last row. For the full chart of this double batchim, see double batchim ㄺ. The tense ㄲ in 닭고기 follows tensification after ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ. Now hear the forms.
How Do 닭, 닭이 and 닭고기 Sound?
닭 sounds like [닥], 닭이 like [달기], and 닭고기 like [닥꼬기]. Listen for the tongue: the back of the tongue closes the sound in the first and third words, and the tongue tip rests on the ridge behind the upper teeth for a clear l in the second.
The word 치킨 (chikin) is the Korean spelling of English "chicken", and it is usually the name of the fried chicken dish. It has no sound changes.
The loanword is spoken as written, [치킨], so it makes a useful contrast with the native word 닭. For more food and daily words, see Korean vocabulary. Now one complete trace.
Worked Example: from Spelling to Sound
The worked example below traces 닭고기 from the written form to the spoken form. Follow each step.
- Split into blocks. 닭 / 고 / 기.
- Find the batchim. 닭 ends in the double batchim ㄺ (ㄹ + ㄱ).
- Look at what follows. 고 starts with the consonant ㄱ, so no vowel follows.
- Apply the rules. The ㄺ is reduced to ㄱ. The ㄱ before another ㄱ makes the second one tense, ㄲ.
- Write the spoken form. 닥 + 꼬 + 기 = [닥꼬기].
- Say it aloud with a firm, short "kko".
The same routine, split, find the batchim, look at the next sound, apply the rule, works for every word on this site. It is taught in full in the batchim method. Now the usual mistakes.
Why Do Learners Say Dalk?
Learners say "dalk" or "dahlg" because they read both letters of the double batchim. Four assumptions cause most errors.
- Learners often assume that both ㄹ and ㄱ are pronounced. Actually only one is pronounced at the end of a word, because Korean allows one consonant after a vowel at the end of a syllable.
- Learners often assume that 닭이 is spoken [다기]. Actually the ㄹ stays on 닭 and only the ㄱ moves, because it is a double batchim and not a single one.
- Learners often assume that 닭고기 and 읽고 follow the same pattern. Actually the noun is [닥꼬기] and the verb stem is [일꼬], because the standard treats verb stems as an exception. The verb is taught in How to Pronounce 읽어요.
- Learners often assume that the final ㄱ is released like an English "k". Actually the sound is held and not released.
Fix the first assumption and the others follow. Now test yourself.
Practice and Answer Key
Do the exercises after listening. Cover the answer key until you finish.
Practice · 7
How is 닭 (chicken) pronounced on its own?
Show answer
[닥]
For ㄺ, Article 11 says the second consonant ㄱ is pronounced at the end of a word: [닥].
How is 닭이 pronounced?
Show answer
[달기]
Before a vowel the ㄹ stays on 닭 and only the ㄱ moves forward: [달기].
How is 닭고기 pronounced?
Show answer
[닥꼬기]
The noun follows the normal rule: ㄺ reduces to ㄱ, and ㄱ before ㄱ makes the second one tense: [닥꼬기].
Which letter of ㄺ is silent when 닭 stands alone?
Show answer
ㄹ
Only the ㄱ is pronounced in 닭 [닥], so the ㄹ is silent.
How is the verb form 읽고 pronounced?
Show answer
[일꼬]
In verb stems, ㄺ is pronounced as ㄹ before a ㄱ ending, and the ㄱ turns tense: [일꼬].
Why do 닭고기 and 읽고 sound different?
Show answer
The standard treats verb stems as an exception, and 닭고기 is a noun
The ㄺ exception applies only to verb stems before ㄱ, so the noun is [닥꼬기] and the verb is [일꼬].
How does the final ㄱ of [닥] end?
Show answer
Held, with no release
The back of the tongue closes on the soft palate and stops, with no puff of air.
- Alone. How is 닭 pronounced by itself?
- Particle. How is 닭이 pronounced?
- Compound. How is 닭고기 pronounced?
- Silent. Which letter of ㄺ is silent in 닭?
- Verb. How is 읽고 pronounced?
Answer key: 1. [닥]. 2. [달기]. 3. [닥꼬기]. 4. ㄹ. 5. [일꼬].
Common questions follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pronounce 닭? Say [닥], like "dahk" with the back of the tongue closing the sound and no puff of air. The double batchim ㄺ is made of ㄹ and ㄱ, and the standard pronounces only the ㄱ when 닭 stands alone or before a consonant. The ㄹ is silent. Revised Romanization writes dak.
Is 닭 pronounced 닥 or 달? The standard form is [닥]. The ㄺ is a double batchim, and in most positions the second consonant, ㄱ, is the one pronounced. Other double batchim follow other patterns, so do not generalize from one word. Learn the standard [닥] first, and the double batchim chart will fill in the rest.
Is 닭고기 pronounced 닥꼬기? Yes, in the standard. Before the ㄱ of 고기, the ㄺ is simplified to ㄱ, and the second ㄱ becomes the tense sound ㄲ, so the noun 닭고기 is [닥꼬기]. Verbs behave differently: the stem 읽 in 읽고 keeps its ㄹ, and the word is spoken [일꼬]. Learn nouns and verbs separately.
How is 치킨 related to 닭? 치킨 is the Korean spelling of the English word "chicken". 닭 is the native Korean word for the bird, and 닭고기 means chicken meat. In everyday Korean, 치킨 is usually the name of the fried chicken dish. The sounds of 치킨 are simple and spoken as written: [치킨].
Next Steps and Scope
How to pronounce 닭 comes down to the double batchim rule: ㄱ alone at the end, ㄹ staying before a vowel, and the tense ㄲ in 닭고기. This lesson does not cover every double batchim, it does not score your speech, and the variation note on 닭고기 is a note reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Build your word bank with Korean vocabulary, and return to How to Pronounce Korean Words for the word list.
Next in the series: How to Pronounce 앉다.