Nasalization

Description

When a ㄴ, ㄹ, or ㅁ interacts with other consonants, sometimes it undergoes "nasalization." Nasalization basically means it forces another consonant (and/or itself in the case of the ㄹ) to become a nasal sound (ㄴ, ㅇ, or ㅁ).

This rule is called 비음화 in Korean.

Cases

First syllable Consonant	Second syllable Consonant	Becomes	Examples
ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ	ㄴ/ㄹ	ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ → ㅇ ㄴ/ㄹ→ ㄴ	학년 → [항년] 국내 → [궁내] 꼬락내 (feet smell) → [꼬랑내] 득남 → [등남] 득녀 → [등녀] 막내 → [망내] 속눈썹 → [송눈썹] 욕망 → [용망] 작년 (last year)→ [장년] 저녁노을 → [저녕노을] 폭력 → [퐁녁] 독립 → [동닙]
ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ	ㅁ	ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ → ㅇ	각막 → [강막] 곡물 → [공물] 국물 → [궁물] 국민 → [궁민] 국민 → [궁민] 박물관 → [방물관] 북미 → [붕미] 색맹 → [생맹] 식물 → [싱물] 악마 → [앙마] 악몽 (nightmare) → [앙몽] 한국말 (Korean language) → [한궁말] 목마르다 → [몽마르다] 부엌 문 → [부엉 문]
ㅇ	ㄹ	ㄹ → ㄴ	종로 → [종노] 종료 → [종뇨] 청량리 → [청냥니] 정리 → [정니] 승리 → [승니]
ㅎ	ㄴ	ㅎ → ㄴ	논현 → [논년]
ㄴ	ㅎ	ㅎ → ㄴ	반하다 → [반하다/반나다]
ᆮ/ᇀ/ᆺ/ᆻ/ᆽ/ᆾ	ㄴ/ㄹ	ᆮ/ᇀ/ᆺ/ᆻ/ᆽ/ᆾ → ㄴ ㄴ/ㄹ → ㄴ	덧니 → [던니] 있는 → [인는] 송곳니 → [송곤니] 받는 → [반는] 존댓말 → [존댄말] 했나 → [핸나]
ᆮ/ᇀ/ᆺ/ᆻ/ᆽ/ᆾ	ㅁ	ᆮ/ᇀ/ᆺ/ᆻ/ᆽ/ᆾ → ㄴ	거짓말 → [거진말]
ᆸ/ᇁ	ㄴ/ㄹ	ㅂ/ㅍ → ㅁ ㄴ/ㄹ → ㄴ	십륙 → [심뉵] 왕십리 → [왕심니]
ㅁ	ㄹ	ㄹ → ㄴ	심리 → [심니]
ㄴ	ㄹ (in a compound noun)	ㄹ → ㄴ	테헤란로 → [테헤란노]

Advanced Note

• A note for intermediate learners: You should also remember that when the second half of a compound noun begins with ㄹ as in ~로 (road) or ~리 (vilage), you must treat it as a ㄴ, even after another ㄴ. So while 신라 → [실라] is the norm, a street in Seoul called 테헤란로 becomes [테헤란노]. Another related phenomenon is when a compound noun's second half begins with 이 or a yod (야,얘,여,예,요,유). You insert a ㄴ and thus, 색_연필 becomes 생년필.

See also

• ㄲ + ㄴ, ㅁ
• ㅋ + ㄴ, ㅁ