LingoDrop
Korean · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "에서" in Korean?
e-seo, two short beats. The first vowel is the 'e' of 'bet' and the second is the unrounded ㅓ, so the two should sound clearly unalike.
eseo
Two unstressed beats riding on the noun in front. The vowel contrast between the syllables is the thing to police, because the particle loses its shape the moment both vowels drift toward the same neutral 'uh'.
Listen: 에서
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
집에서 일해요.
Jibeseo ilhaeyo.
I work at home.
Listen: 집에서 일해요.
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집에서 일해요 resyllabifies at the join: the ㅂ of 집 moves into 에 and voices, so the phrase is ji-be-seo rather than jip-e-seo. The verb 일해요 then softens its ㅎ between voiced sounds, landing close to i-rae-yo at conversational speed.
Where English speakers slip
Rounding the second vowel into 'eh-so' is the common distortion and it flattens the distinction between this particle and others. Keep the lips unrounded. Beginners also insert a pause before 에서 to mark it as a separate word, when it should flow out of the noun with no break at all.