The Sound of ㄹ: L or R?
The consonant /ㄹ/ is one of the few alphabets that may sound one or another. Sometimes, it is more of an L. Sometimes, it sounds like an R, but not a rolled one. Here are some tips to help you figure out the sound it makes based on its position in a syllable.
When ㄹ is
the initial character of a syllable, it sounds more like a quick R such as 라디오 (radio), 라면 (ramyeon),
and 로마 (Rome), but it is not uncommon to hear the L sound such as lamyeon. Foreign words like lotion (로션) still sounds like lo-shon and not ro-shon. So ㄹ, as an initial sound, falls between R and L.
When ㄹ is
at the bottom of a syllable, it sounds more like an L such as 신발 (shinbal), 이불 (ibul),
and 네팔 (nepal). They mean shoes, blanket, and the country Nepal.
However, when a
particle (은, 이, 에)
is attached to the above words, ㄹ is dragged to the next syllable (not in writing) becoming its initial sound. Hence, 신발은 (신발 + 은) sounds like 신바른 (shinba-reun) and 이불이 (이불 + 이) sounds like 이부리 (iburi).
Foreign words that have a definite L sound can be written in Hangeul by using ㄹ twice- one at the bottom of the first syllable and one at the beginning of the next syllable. Hence, Manila (the capital city of the Philippines) is written as 마닐라 and the name Ella is written as 엘라. Otherwise, they would sound like Manira and Era. This is why Koreans find it hard to distinguish L and R when they start learning English. Can you imagine the burden of pronouncing the word ruler?
Foreign words that have a definite L sound can be written in Hangeul by using ㄹ twice- one at the bottom of the first syllable and one at the beginning of the next syllable. Hence, Manila (the capital city of the Philippines) is written as 마닐라 and the name Ella is written as 엘라. Otherwise, they would sound like Manira and Era. This is why Koreans find it hard to distinguish L and R when they start learning English. Can you imagine the burden of pronouncing the word ruler?