Batchim 받침

batchim · from Korean

What is batchim in Korean?

Batchim is the final consonant at the bottom of a Korean syllable block, which is pronounced as one of only seven sounds.

Although many letters can appear as batchim, they neutralise to seven final sounds: k, n, t, l, m, p and ng. A batchim also links to a following vowel (resyllabification) and triggers other sound changes. It is the main reason written Korean and spoken Korean seem to disagree.

Examples

밥 bap (rice); 닭 dak (chicken, double batchim ㄺ); 옷 ot (clothes, ㅅ said t); 꽃 kkot (flower, ㅊ said t)

Kungfucius says: Korean has more final letters than final sounds. Spelling bees are a real sport there.