Korean Pronunciations Tips
These are some tips on how to sound more natural when speaking Korean. Please note that these aren't official rules by any means, just my personal opinions about some things I've picked up from many hours of listening to the language!
Diphthongs are sounds created when vowels flow into each other (ex: oi in coin, ai in hair). The English language uses these a lot more than Korean, since even the basic individual English vowel sounds are actually diphthongs.
For example, try slowly pronouncing the letter a, and listen to the way it actually slides from eh to ee. In Korean, this sound doesn't exist on its own, but it can be created by combining 에 and 이 -> 에이.
So even though these diphthongs don't really exist in Korean, they can often be heard in everyday speech. For example, something I've noticed is that, when used at the end of a word, 에 and 애 are sometimes pronounced more like 에이 or 애이, and 오 is sometimes pronounced more like 오우. My personal theory is that this is a result of English influence.
My point in all this is that, although it is generally taught that the Korean vowel sounds are short and tight, with no flowing of different sounds into one another, the pronunciation of the language in everyday life can be different!
This one is simply a matter of speed and ease of pronunciation. While the syllable 와 is a combination of 오 and 아, a distinct 오 sound isn't usually heard when the word 봐 is spoken, so it sounds more like 바.
Similarly, the syllable 왜 is a combination of 오 and 애, but the 오 is not distinctly pronounced when a consonant comes before 왜. For example, the word 안돼 often sounds more like 안대.
This isn't a huge deal, but I find it helps your pronunciations sound a lot more natural and closer to that of a native speaker if the 오 isn't so clearly pronounced in these sounds. It's still there, of course, but it sort of takes a back seat.
As we've already looked at with vowels, some sounds are disregarded for speed and ease of pronunciation. In the following cases, I believe this is due to the same consonant appearing more than once in a word, so one of the occurrences is ignored.
For example, something I've heard many times is the word 맛있어 pronoinced as 마있어. I could never find a solid explanation for this. My theory is that the ㅅ in 맛 is disregarded because the ㅆ in 있어 comes right after.
Another slightly less common example is 것 같아 being pronounced as 거 앝아. Again, my theory is that the ㄱ in 같아 is disregarded because of the ㄱ in 거 that comes right before.
Again, this is not a very big deal, and not every native Korean speaker does these, but it is something I've picked up on that may help you sound more natural and comfortable with the language.
If you've listened to any Korean spoken in a natural situation rather than an educational one, you've probably noticed that native Korean speakers slur their words. A lot. To the point where some words are almost unrecognizable. In terms of listening and understanding, this makes things a bit difficult. It's also something to keep in mind when speaking.
The most common example is 안녕하세요. I have never once heard a native Korean person pronounce each syllable of this word clearly and distinctly. Slurring is already normal, but the fact that this is one of the most used words means that it's likely to be understood no matter how intensely you slur.
I suppose for a beginner it would be a good idea to start out with clear pronunciation to help you communicate better and fully understand what you're saying. But I think the more you get used to speaking the language, the easier it will be to emulate this natural slur.
I hope this was helpful! I'll be sure to add more tips to this post if I think of any.
