Back to RulesUnit 7 · Rule 6/10
축하[추카]
Aspiration
When ㅎ meets ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, or ㅈ, the two merge into the aspirated sounds ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ. That is why 축하 (congratulations) is pronounced [추카].
Pattern
ㅎ + ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ/ㅈ (또는 반대 순서) → 거센소리 ㅋ/ㅌ/ㅍ/ㅊ
How It Works
The breathy energy of ㅎ fuses with the neighboring plain consonant into a single aspirated sound. Order does not matter: ㄱ+ㅎ=[k], ㄷ+ㅎ=[t], ㅂ+ㅎ=[p], ㅈ+ㅎ=[ch] (all aspirated).
Transformation Examples
See — and hear — how the spelling turns into its actual pronunciation.
축하
[추카]
chuka
congratulations
좋다
[조타]
jota
good
북한
[부칸]
bukan
North Korea
입학
[이팍]
ipak
entering school
Exceptions & Notes
When a vowel follows ㅎ, the ㅎ drops instead of aspirating. 좋아 becomes [조아] (ㅎ gone), while 좋다 becomes [조타] (aspirated).
Check Your Understanding
01
How is 축하해요 (congratulations) pronounced?
02
What does ㅂ + ㅎ become?