Demystifying the Korean "ㄹ" (Rieul): Neither R nor L
Stop struggling with the letter ㄹ. Learn how native Korean speakers flick their tongue tip for initial, medial, and double-ㄹ sounds, with K-pop lyrics examples.
If you ask three different English speakers how to pronounce the letter "ㄹ", you will get three different answers: "It is an R", "It is an L", or "It is a mixture of both."
The truth is that ㄹ is a single, elegant flap of the tongue tip against the roof of your mouth — similar to the quick "tt" sound in American English "water" or "butter". Once you stop forcing English R and L concepts onto it, your Korean pronunciation will instantly sound more natural.
The 3 Distinct Personalities of "ㄹ"
The sound of ㄹ depends on where it lives in a word:
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Reviewed by Native Korean Educators
E-E-A-T VerifiedAll Hangul letter explanations, pronunciation rules, and sample vocabulary in this article are reviewed by native Korean language educators according to real classroom standards.