Speak Korean in your own accent — and still be understood.
🌿 The Busanienne Method: Pronouncing Korean Naturally
This guide isn’t meant to make you sound native.
Hopefully, this gives you a simple way to say Korean words — no pressure to be perfect, just to be understood. 😉
🔤 How does it work?
I use romanized Korean (e.g. mudeowi, which means muggy and humid heat) and show you how to pronounce it naturally using English syllables.
Each word is broken down into syllables (e.g. mu-duh-wi) with pronunciation hints based on familiar English sounds.
Examples:
📘 Helpful rules at a glance
- j = ㅈ, like in jinx → e.g. jin-jja (진짜, “really”)
- jj = ㅉ, a tense j — like two j’s stuck together, tight and with no breath
→ Mnemonic: double consonants = tense & snappy 💥 - ch = ㅊ, like in cheer or churro → e.g. chuh:-bang-juhn (처방전, “prescription”)
- Long vowels (:) — hold the sound slightly longer → e.g. jin:-tong-je (진통제, “painkiller”)
- Hyphens (-) help break words into syllables and show how sounds naturally flow together
→ e.g. mu-duh-wi (무더위, “muggy and humid heat”), po-gyuhm (폭염, “Korean heatwave”)
| Korean Word | Romanization | Pronunciation 🇺🇸 |
|---|---|---|
| 무더위 | mudeowi | mu-duh-wi → mu as in moon, duh like “duh!”, wi like weekend |
| 졸려 | jollyeo | jol-lyuh → jol like jolly, lyuh like “young” but lighter |
| 진짜 | jinjja | jin-jja → jin like jinx, jja = tense j — short, tight, no air |
| 폭염 | pogyeom | po-gyuhm → po as in pot, gyuhm rhymes with “yum” |
💡 Why this system?
- You don’t need to sound perfect — just understandable!
- Tailored to help English speakers pronounce Korean words more naturally 🇺🇸
- The system may evolve over time (audio might be available occasionally)
What matters is that Koreans understand you 🧡
📝 Note: I started using this system from July 2025. Older posts might still show older styles, but I’m updating them gradually.
💬 Got any feedback or suggestions? Feel free to share — even silently, I hear you.
BUSANIENNE 