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Korean · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "자주" in Korean?
ja-ju. Two plain ㅈ sounds, the second fully voiced between vowels, over an open vowel and then a rounded one.
jaju
Even weight across the pair. Like 자다 and 저, this word depends on keeping ㅈ plain, and having the letter twice inside one short word makes it a convenient place to hear how position changes its sound.
Listen: 자주
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
자주 영화를 봐요.
Jaju yeonghwareul bwayo.
I often watch movies.
Listen: 자주 영화를 봐요.
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자주 영화를 봐요 puts the adverb first and then 영화를, where the ㅇ of 영 holds as a nasal into 화 without releasing. The verb 봐요 contracts 보 and 아 into a single w-glide beat.
Where English speakers slip
Aspirating either consonant gives 차주 or 자추, and neither is the word, since plain ㅈ carries no breath. The vowel contrast is the second thing to watch, because English speakers reduce the second syllable to a schwa when Korean wants it fully rounded and just as long as the first.