Pronunciation: Linking (연음화)

When a syllable ends in a final consonant (받침) and the next syllable begins with a vowel (the silent ㅇ), the final consonant moves over and is pronounced as the first sound of the next syllable. The spelling never changes — only the sound. Example: 음악 is written eum + ak but pronounced eu-mak.

Linking happens constantly when you attach particles that start with a vowel — 이 (subject), 을 (object), 에 (to/at), 은 (topic). The noun's 받침 jumps into the particle. This is the most common place beginners hear linking. Example: 책 + 을 sounds like chae-geul, not chaek-eul.

When a syllable has a two-consonant 받침 (like ㄺ, ㄵ, ㄼ) and a vowel follows, both consonants are pronounced: the first stays as the 받침 and the second links into the next syllable. By contrast, before a consonant only ONE of the two is heard. Example: 읽어요 = il-geo-yo (both ㄹ and ㄱ sound), but 읽다 = ik-tta.

Final consonants like ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ are pronounced as a plain [t] when standing alone (e.g., 옷 = ot). But when a vowel follows, the ORIGINAL written consonant comes back to life and links over. So 옷 alone is ot, yet 옷이 is o-si (the ㅅ returns), and 꽃이 is kko-chi (the ㅊ returns). The spelling tells you the true linking sound.