Korean · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "동료" in Korean?

dong-nyo. Written with a ㄹ, but after the nasal ㅇ that ㄹ becomes an n -- which is why the romanization shows nyo and not ryo.

동료 /toŋ.njo/

dongnyo

Two blocks. The rule to name is ㄹ-nasalization: a ㄹ following ㅇ or ㅁ becomes ㄴ, which is a systematic change in Sino-Korean compounds and one the spelling deliberately hides.

Listen: 동료

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Sound it out

dong Plain ㄷ at the front, quiet, a rounded ㅗ, and a nasal ㅇ held without release.

nyo The written ㄹ, turned into ㄴ by the nasal in front of it, then a y-glide and a rounded ㅗ.

Hear it in a sentence

회사 동료하고 점심을 먹어요.

Hoesa dongnyohago jeomsimeul meogeoyo.

I have lunch with a coworker.

Listen: 회사 동료하고 점심을 먹어요.

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회사 동료하고 점심을 먹어요 keeps the nasalization intact and follows it with 점심을, where the ㅁ resyllabifies forward to give jeom-shi-meul. The whole middle of the sentence is nasal-heavy.

Where English speakers slip

Reading it as 'dong-ryo' is the natural response to the spelling, and it is wrong, because Korean will not allow ㄹ directly after that nasal. Learners also release a g after 동, the same English habit that spoils 강하다 and 중요하다 -- the ㅇ is resonance and nothing more.