🇰🇷What is "유음화" (Lateralization) in Korean?

🇰🇷What is "유음화" (Lateralization) in Korean?

"Lateralization" (유음화) is a phonological phenomenon in Korean where the consonant "ㄴ" (n) sound changes into "ㄹ" (l/r) sound when it appears next to another "ㄹ." This change happens to make pronunciation smoother and more natural.

Conditions for Lateralization

There are two main conditions where this occurs:

✅ Condition 1: When "ㄴ" is followed by "ㄹ"
✅ Condition 2: When "ㄹ" is followed by "ㄴ"

In both cases, "ㄴ" sound becomes "ㄹ,"sound making the pronunciation easier. This happens because "ㄹ" is a lateral sound, meaning air flows along the sides of the tongue when pronounced.

Examples of Lateralization

1) When the final consonant is "ㄴ" ("ㄴ + ㄹ" → "ㄹ + ㄹ")
spelling / sound
인류 → [일류]
한라산 → [할라산]
전라도 → [절라도]
논리 → [놀리]
신라 → [실라]
대관령 → [대괄령]


2) When the final consonant is "ㄹ" ("ㄹ + ㄴ" → "ㄹ + ㄹ")

설날 → [설랄]
칼날 → [칼랄]
달나라 → [달라라]
물난리 → [물랄리]

Exceptions to Lateralization

Lateralization does not always occur. Some words, especially Sino-Korean compound words, keep the original "ㄴ" sound because it sounds more natural in that context.

For example:
spelling / sound
의견란 → [의견난] (not [의결란])
생산량 → [생산냥] (not [생살량])
결단력 → [결딴녁] (not [결딸력])

Summary of Lateralization

✅ If "ㄴ + ㄹ", the sound changes to "ㄹ + ㄹ"
✅ If "ㄹ + ㄴ", the sound changes to "ㄹ + ㄹ"
✅ But some words are exceptions!

This rule helps Korean speech sound smoother and more natural. Understanding lateralization will improve your pronunciation and listening skills in Korean!