Korean · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "가능하다" in Korean?

Q: How do you pronounce 가능하다 in Korean?

가능하다 is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ka.nɯŋ.ha.da/. It means “to be possible.” ga-neung-ha-da. The middle syllable pairs the lip-flat ㅡ with a held ㅇ, and the ㅎ after it stays fairly audible.

ga-neung-ha-da. The middle syllable pairs the lip-flat ㅡ with a held ㅇ, and the ㅎ after it stays fairly audible.

가능하다 /ka.nɯŋ.ha.da/

ganeunghada

Four blocks at the same speed. The middle one runs marginally longer because the nasal is held, but that is a consequence of the ㅇ rather than an accent, and nothing gets extra volume.

Listen: 가능하다

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Sound it out

ga An unaspirated ㄱ, light and barely voiced, over an open ㅏ.

neung Forward n, the unrounded ㅡ, and a final ㅇ held as pure nasal. The lips never round in this syllable.

ha ㅎ after a nasal, weakened but still present -- more audible than the ㅎ in 잘하다.

da Soft, voiced, and quickly gone.

Hear it in a sentence

오늘 만나는 게 가능해요?

Oneul mannaneun ge ganeunghaeyo?

Is it possible to meet today?

Listen: 오늘 만나는 게 가능해요?

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오늘 만나는 게 가능해요? uses the nominalizing 게 and finishes on the verb, and 만나는 in front gives you the geminate n of 만나 followed by another ㄴ, so three nasals land in a row before the question resolves.

Where English speakers slip

The ㅡ rounds into 'noong' for most learners, which is the recurring error with this vowel -- spread the lips. And do not release a g after 능, because the ㅇ is nasal resonance, and adding a stop there is the English 'finger' habit showing through.