받침 - Batchim: Rules, Tips, and Tricks!

The most requested, long awaited post is finally here. Batchim. God’s gift and curse to
all Korean learners. Even the word itself is a perfect example of how complicated
Batchim (받침) is to foreigners / Korean Second Language (KSL) learners. For those
that don’t know, Batchim is the bottom or lower position in a Korean syllable. I will
show you the final consonants to understanding and pronouncing Batchim – along with
some tips and tricks!

1. ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㄳ, ㄺ = ㄱ
2. ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅎ = ㄷ
3. ㅁ, ㄻ = ㅁ
4. ㄹ, ㄼ, ㄾ, ㅀ = ㄹ
5. ㄴ, ㄵ, ㄶ = ㄴ
6. ㅂ, ㅍ, ㅄ, ㄿ = ㅂ
7. ㅇ = ㅇ

Consonants in Batchim will sound different depending on what is beside them and
what is next. Following the rule above, I will give you two examples. For example:

• 있어요 (conjugation of to have/exist): people often mispronounce this as

있.어요 [iss-eo-yo] when in reality it should sound more like 이써요 [isseo-yo]
o 있다: mispronounced as 있.다 [iss-da], should be pronounced as 있다
[eetda]
• 받침: mispronounced as 받.침 [Bad chim], should be pronounced as 밭침
[Batchim]

These are four examples of a Batchim word structure (yes, I drew this for you as a
visual representation). For each consonant, I will give a rule, word, and trick to
pronouncing each. The first word you see will be the proper spelling of the Korean
word [then the mispronunciation in brackets], the second word you see will be the
same word, just a visual representation of how you should pronounce it [then the tip
on how to pronounce the word properly].

1. ㄱ (기역)

한국 [hanguk] (Korea) + ㅇ
한국어 [hanguk.eo] – 한구거 [hangugeo]

• 먹다 [meokta] (to eat) + ㅇ

• 먹어요 [meok.eoyo] – 머거요 [meogeoyo]

밖 [bakk] (outside) + ㅇ
밖에 [bak.e] – 바께 [bakke]

2. ㄷ (디귿)

• 꽃 [ggot] (flower) + ㅇ
• 꽃을 [ggoch.eul] – 꼬츨 [ggo.cheul]

받다 [batda] (to receive) + ㅇ

받으세요 [bad.euseyo] – 바드세요 [ba.deuseyo]

• 있다 [eetda] (to have/exist) + ㅇ

• 있어요 [iss.eoyo] – 이써요 [isseoyo]

3. ㅁ (미음)

*everything that has ㅁ in the Batchim, generally takes on that syllable

몸 [mom] (body) + ㅇ
몸이 [mom.ee] – 모미 [mome]
4. ㄹ (리을)

• 놀다 [nolta] (to play) + ㅇ

• 놀어요 [nol.eoyo] – 노러요 [no.r;leoyo]

별 [byeol] (star) + ㅇ
별이 [byeol.ee] – 벼리 [byeo.r;lee]

• 핥다 [haltta] (to lick) + ㅇ

• 핥은 [halt.eun] – 할튼 [halteun]

5. ㄴ (니은)

돈 [don] (money) + ㅇ
돈이 [don.ee]] – 도니 [doni]

• 앉다 [anta] (to sit) + ㅇ

• 앉으세요 [anj.euseyo] – 안즈세요 [an.jeuseyo]

6. ㅂ (비읍) + ㅇ

앞 [ab] (front)
앞에 [ap.e] – 아베 [ah.pe]

~ 십이 [ship.ee] (twelve)

• 없다 [eobda] (to not have/exist) + ㅇ

• 없어요 [eobs.eoyo] – 업서요 [eob.seoyo]

7. ㅇ (이응)

*as you may know already if there is a ㅇ in the bottom of the syllable, then it makes
a -ng sound. Anytime you see a ㅇ in Batchim, it will always make -ng.
 • 사랑 [sarang] (love)
• 행복 [haengbok] (happiness)

But, SK101! What about ㅆ (쌍 시옷) and ㅅ (시옷)?? I still don’t understand!

When ㅆ is in Batchim, and a consonant follows, it makes a ‘t’ sound. When a vowel
follows, it makes an ‘ss’ sound. (있다 / 있어요)

Similarly to ㅆ, ㅅ makes a ‘t’ sound with consonants ‘sh’ sound with vowels. You
would also hear the ‘sh’ sound when there is a double consonant at the bottom, the
second consonant being ㅅ. (없이 – eobshi)

Okay…but I’m still confused. Does ㅂ make a ‘p’ or ‘b’ sound in Batchim?

I hate ㅂ with a living passion. Here are the rules:

• If ㅂ is in the middle of the word, it creates a ‘b’ sound: 일번 [ilbeon]

• If ㅂ is at the start of a word, it creates a soft ‘b’ sound: 바나나 [banana]
• If ㅂ is at the bottom of the word, it creates a soft ‘p’ or ‘m’ sound depending
on the vowel or consonant following the ㅂ: 감사합니다 [gamsamnida] or 효섭
[hyo-seop]
o Essentially, if you come across a word with ㅂ in it, and it doesn’t follow
the Batchim rules stated above, the only other time it will sound like a
hard ‘b’ is when it is ㅃ (쌍 비읍): 빨간 (bbalgan)

There you have it! Batchim! I hope that this clears up confusion and concern when
speaking Korean. Just so you guys know (even if it’s rare), some Koreans
mispronounce Batchim - that’s how difficult the rules are. So don’t be so hard on
yourself. Take your time, you will get there one day.