LingoDrop
Korean · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "비" in Korean?
bi. One syllable: a plain ㅂ with almost no voicing, and a tight, pure 'ee'.
bi
One brief beat, and the shortest word shape Korean allows. With only two sounds in it there is no room for error and no context to help a listener recover from one.
Listen: 비
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
비가 계속 와요.
Biga gyesok wayo.
It keeps raining.
Listen: 비가 계속 와요.
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비가 계속 와요 attaches the subject particle and then 계속, where the ㅖ of 계 loses its glide after the consonant and is simply pronounced 게. The verb 와요 is a single w-glide beat.
Where English speakers slip
A full English b makes the word sound like the letter itself, which is heavier than Korean wants, so keep it quiet. Letting the vowel slacken toward the vowel of 'sit' is the other slip, and in a word this short it is immediately audible.