What is Korean "r" sound exactly?

Nohkara

Pronouns: He/him
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
So, I'm pretty confused with this sound!

All video tutorial about this sound is, eh, not very clear IMO and different videos tell so different things that I don't know anymore which one to trust. :cynical:

I know that ㄹis L when it's as an ending consonant but when beginning its R - but what is Korean R sound exactly?

I have listened some Korean VB voiced by natives and I feel like their pronunciation variates just like with ㅈ...?

I'm 100% sure that Korean R =/= English R.

But, is Korean R like a Japanese R like or more like a rolled/thrilled one like Spanish RR or is it something completely different from Japanese or Spanish? if it is something completely different, please try to describe how to say accurately as detailed as possible - thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MillyAqualine

VocAddict

The Voice Within Us
Defender of Defoko
Tagging @WinterdrivE

I haven't practiced Korean phonology enough so I might be wrong but it's similar to the alveolar flap [ɾ/4] though I heard some speakers pronounce it closer to /d/.
 
Last edited:

WinterdrivE

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
Lol, tag me why? Its my third language XD

As best I can tell, its more consistently a flap than Japanese. i.e., the Japanese R has a tendency to vary between a flap (before i, after n) and a liquid (before o), but the Korean r is a little harder and has less of a tendency to lean towards a liquid. (probably because Korean actually has a liquid l and has to maintain this distinction unlike Japanese) I'd probably describe it as something between a Japanese r and a spanish r. Like, it has the faster, harder, more d like quality of a spanish r, but maintains the retroflex quality of a Japanese r or Korean l.

Like the thing I've noticed listening to Korean singers is that I've heard r's sound like d's, and i thought they were d's until i saw the lyrics. This struck me in particular because I know this is something you'd never hear in Japanese. Like, in the special accent in singing that I feel like all languages have independent of spoken accents, Japanese leans r towards l whereas Korean leans r towards d or a standard flap more like Spanish's.

@VocAddict what you may be hearing is two things: Korean really doesn't like ㄹ. It and ㅎ are probably the weakest consonants in Korean, meaning they get dropped or changed into other things. In particular, Korean doesn't like r at the beginning of words, where some people may pronounce it more like n to make it easier to pronounce.

The otehr thing is r after ng, m, k, p, t assimilates into n. (and the plosive, k, t, or p, if present also assimilates into a nasal with the same place of articulation) eg, there's a neighborhood called "daehakro"(대학로) but out loud its pronounced "dae hang no" (대항노) because of the k and the r next to each other.
 
Last edited:

수연 <Suyeon>

Your friendly neighborhood koreaboo trash
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
ㄹ is a tap like Japanese r, transforms into L at the end of a word, or when combined with a second ㄹ.

This site should explain it in an understable way.

jonathangardner.net/korean/wiki/Phonology

The best way to get a grasp is to listen to Korean vocalists and remember that any deviation from the tap or L is either because of non-native words (esp. English) or stylistic variation (like how most J-Rock and Enka singers sing using aspiration even tho it's not present in the spoken language outside of ki, kya, kyu, kyo). At no point will you hear it sound like an American R. It's not supposed to trill. That - the presence of a trill - was actually a complaint from SeeU users.
 
Last edited:

Nohkara

Pronouns: He/him
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
Thread starter
ㄹ is a tap like Japanese r, transforms into L at the end of a word, or when combined with a second ㄹ.

This site should explain it in an understable way.

jonathangardner.net/korean/wiki/Phonology

The best way to get a grasp is to listen to Korean vocalists and remember that any deviation from the tap or L is either because of non-native words (esp. English) or stylistic variation (like how most J-Rock and Enka singers sing using aspiration even tho it's not present in the spoken language outside of ki, kya, kyu, kyo). At no point will you hear it sound like an American R. It's not supposed to trill. That - the presence of a trill - was actually a complaint from SeeU users.
Lol, tag me why? Its my third language XD

As best I can tell, its more consistently a flap than Japanese. i.e., the Japanese R has a tendency to vary between a flap (before i, after n) and a liquid (before o), but the Korean r is a little harder and has less of a tendency to lean towards a liquid. (probably because Korean actually has a liquid l and has to maintain this distinction unlike Japanese) I'd probably describe it as something between a Japanese r and a spanish r. Like, it has the faster, harder, more d like quality of a spanish r, but maintains the retroflex quality of a Japanese r or Korean l.

Like the thing I've noticed listening to Korean singers is that I've heard r's sound like d's, and i thought they were d's until i saw the lyrics. This struck me in particular because I know this is something you'd never hear in Japanese. Like, in the special accent in singing that I feel like all languages have independent of spoken accents, Japanese leans r towards l whereas Korean leans r towards d or a standard flap more like Spanish's.

@VocAddict what you may be hearing is two things: Korean really doesn't like ㄹ. It and ㅎ are probably the weakest consonants in Korean, meaning they get dropped or changed into other things. In particular, Korean doesn't like r at the beginning of words, where some people may pronounce it more like n to make it easier to pronounce.

The otehr thing is r after ng, m, k, p, t assimilates into n. (and the plosive, k, t, or p, if present also assimilates into a nasal with the same place of articulation) eg, there's a neighborhood called "daehakro"(대학로) but out loud its pronounced "dae hang no" (대항노) because of the k and the r next to each other.

Thank you for both for answering! Suyeon's posted link also answered that why Korean VB has "la/li/le/lo..." CV samples (I didn't ask this but... I though that that was for tuning purposes like previous word ended in L and the next word starts with a vowel - or for Konglish *hahah*)

I have heard SeeU and one native Korean UTAU to make "rr" sometimes, I didn't know that that's not supposed to be done (other than a style purpose maybe?) , thank you for clarifying that too~~~
 

WinterdrivE

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
Yeah, la/li/lo etc on their own/at the beginning of a word/string aren't phonotactically possible in Korean because, as suyeon said, it can only be achieved by combining an ending ㄹ with a beginning ㄹ.
 

Similar threads