Korean · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "파란색" in Korean?

Q: How do you pronounce 파란색 in Korean?

파란색 is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /pʰa.ɾan.sɛk̚/. It means “blue (color).” pa-ran-saek, with an aspirated ㅍ at the front carrying a real puff, and a flicked tap in the middle where the r is.

pa-ran-saek, with an aspirated ㅍ at the front carrying a real puff, and a flicked tap in the middle where the r is.

파란색 /pʰa.ɾan.sɛk̚/

paransaek

Three even beats. It is worth drilling this word directly against 빨간색: identical rhythm, identical ending, and the sole difference is the opening consonant -- aspirated ㅍ here against tensed ㅃ there. If the contrast is not audible to you yet, that is the gap to close.

Listen: 파란색

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Sound it out

pa ㅍ is the aspirated bilabial, the breathiest of the three p-sounds. English 'pot' at the start of a word comes close, though Korean's is a shade stronger.

ran ㄹ between vowels is a quick tap of the tongue tip, like the tt in American 'butter'. It is nothing like an English r with a curled tongue.

saek The same colour morpheme, finishing on an unreleased k with the tongue simply held at the velum.

Hear it in a sentence

저는 파란색을 좋아해요.

Jeoneun paransaegeul joahaeyo.

I like blue.

Listen: 저는 파란색을 좋아해요.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

저는 파란색을 좋아해요 attaches 을 straight onto 색, and the final k resyllabifies forward and voices, giving pa-ran-sae-geul. The consonant that was a silent closure a moment earlier is suddenly a fully audible g.

Where English speakers slip

The r is the first casualty: English speakers curl the tongue back into an American r, when ㄹ between vowels is one flick against the ridge. The second is under-aspirating the ㅍ so it drifts toward 바란색. Put a palm in front of your mouth -- for ㅍ you should feel the air clearly, and for the ㅃ of 빨간색 you should feel almost none.