Common Pronunciation Problems for

Korean Learners of English

Error Type 1:// Adding a schwa sound
ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

One of the most common errors for Korean learners of

English is inserting a schwa sound or /i/ between or
after consonants. This results in adding a syllable to
the word and consequently affects the intelligibility of
the learners speech.

Web()site; prob()lem;
s()plendid();
friend()ly;
cons()truction; six();
fve() etc

Error Type 2: // Substituting schwa

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Another factor that impacts the intelligibility of

Korean learners is substituting the schwa sound for
either a // or //. Since the schwa sound is the most
common vowel in the English language,
mispronouncing it has a severe impact on the
learners intelligibility. For example in words such as
[available], the frst two schwa sounds are
represented by letter [a], which are normally
pronounced as vowel // in Korean.

Responsib()le;
Personality;
Vegetab()les;
stationary etc.

Error Type 3: //
ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

As with the schwa sound, vowel // is classifed as a central vowel But; bus; cough;
which means that the tongue is situated in the center of the
fudge; custard;
mouth. As Koreans do not have a central vowel in their native
rust etc

language, they naturally replace it with // or //.

Error Type 4: //
ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Once more, this vowel is quite close to the center and so

First; service; burn;
Koreans commonly hear it as /:/. As this vowel contains
curl; work; learn;
an /r/ component, it makes it even harder for Korean learners worm etc.
to replicate.

Error Type 5: //
ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Korean learners systematically produce // as /e/.

Although // is categorized as a short vowel, it
sounds slightly longer than /e/ as it is more tense.
The jaw opens wider and the tongue falls lower
inside the mouth. Korean learners need to be
trained on opening their jaw wider while keeping

Have; Cat; Fat; Rat;

plaid; apple;advertising;addr
ess etc.

their tongue low and at the front.

Error Type 6: /i/ & //

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

As most learners of English, Koreans are quite confused

with /i/ & //. It must be said that // is more familiar to
Korean learners than an English /i:/. The learners should
not be solely instructed to elongate // to produce /i:/ as
this does not work and does not fx the root of the
problem. The core issue is that Koreans are not able to
position their tongue at a point inside the mouth high
enough to produce /i:/ correctly. The aim is to help the
students maintain their tongue at a very close distance
from the hard palate.

/i:/ Need; read; treat;

believe; meat; wheel;
receipt etc.//: Knit; rid;
tit; live; mitt; will; sit etc.

Error Type 7: /u/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

This vowel is also sometimes considered to be a diphthong as Spoon; fute; cruel;

it almost ends with a consonant /w/. For Korean learners,
fool; pool; move;
there are two issues with this phoneme. The frst issue is
drool; whose etc.
related to the tongue position which is usually not high enough
inside the mouth and the second is related to the lips which do
not move forward and form a circle as they should to produce
the /w/ component of the phoneme. The vowel that Korean
learners produce instead is quite short and has no equivalent
in native English.

Error Type 8: /o/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

As in the case of /u:/, Korean learners are not able to

produce the /w/ component of phoneme /o/ so the result is
often /:/. Please review the error description of /u:/.

Wrote; old; boat;

coat; mode; road;
showed etc.

Error Type 9: /e/ & /a/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Both of these vowels are again diphthongs comprising

a vowel and a consonant. Since, as we have already
established, Koreans have trouble producing a proper
/i:/ due to the height it requires, its extremely difficult
for them as it is for most English learners to move the
tongue down and then immediately back up to the
highest point inside the mouth to produce consonant
/j/. This leads them to omit the /j/.

/e/: Name; date; wait;

train; great; same; wage
etc./a/: right; fight; side;
light; tried; hide; night
etc.

Error Type 10: /j/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

As consonant /j/ essentially requires positioning and sliding

the tongue forward along the hard palate, Korean learners
fnd it enormously challenging mainly before vowels /i:/ //
or /e/. Koreans do not hear any difference between [year]
and [ear]. Failing to produce the /j/ however also means that

Year; yeast;yield;
me (j) and you; is
he (j) in?; etc

Korean learners are not able to perform any word liaisons as

shown in the example.

Error Type 11: /w/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

As in Japanese, this consonant exists in Korean but not Would;wicked;with;women

performed in the same fashion. Koreans are able to
; do (w)I; situation; casual
produce this consonant in most cases except before
etc
// and /u:/. When /w/ needs to be pronounced before
those two vowels, its usually completely omitted and
replaced with a glottal sound. However, when it
precedes /i:/ // or /e/, its normally replaced with /v/.
As in the case of /j/, the major drawback of not being
able to produce this consonant easily is that they will
not be able to pronounce /w/ to connect a word
ending with a vowel /u:/, // or /o/ with another word
starting with a vowel as shown in the example.

Error Type 12: // & //

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Both of these consonants require that the speakers

place the tip of their tongue between their teeth and
produce a sound by letting their air escape from their
tongue and teeth but Korean learners, as with most
learners of English, seem to fnd this quite difficult to
manage. What happens then is that they keep their
tongue inside and press the tip of their tongues against
the teeth resulting in /d/ instead of // while they
replace // with an /s/.

//: thin; wrath;

moth;thigh; Ruth;
truth etc.//: weather;
loathe;then; writhe;
scythe; rather etc.

Error Type 13: /p/ & /f/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

The consonant /f/ does not exist in Korean, but neither

does /p/ as it is pronounced in English. This explains
why Korean learners constantly confuse both of these
consonants. There are times when /p/ is heard as /f/ and
vice versa. The reason being is that Korean learners
produce /p/ as a semi-explosive and semi-fricative
sound. They then need to be instructed to close their
lips completely and build pressure up inside their

/p/: Pan; pot; pawn; pool;

cup; lap; warp etc./f/: fan;
fought; fawn; fool; cough;
laugh; wharf etc

mouth. When lips suddenly open, the air bursts out of

the mouth as consonant /p/.

Error Type 14: /v/ & /b/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Like consonant /f/, /v/ doesnt exist in Korean, which

is the reason that its constantly substituted for /b/.
Even when Korean learners are taught how to
articulate it correctly, they de-voice it when it falls in
the end of the word.

Love; have; drive;

living;Victor; vest; van; vall
ey etc.

Error Type 15: Voiced Vs. Voiceless

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Weve already mentioned that Korean learners de-voice /v/ at word

endings even if they know how to position their lower lip correctly
against their upper teeth. This is, however, also true in the case of
most voiced consonants such as /b/, /z/, /d/, /g/, /d/, //, and // as
shown in the examples.

/b/: robe
becomes
/z/: buzz
becomes
/d/: rude
becomes
/g/: log
becomes

rope
bus
root
lock

/d/: badge
becomes batch
//: casual
becomes
cashual

Error Type 16: /z/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Consonant /z/ doesnt exist in Korean.Consequently,

when Korean learners come across /z/ either in the
beginning or the middle of
a word, they replace it with a Korean sound equivalent
or similar to the consonant //. When /z/ occurs in the
end though, its often de-voiced to /s/.

/z/ (beginning and

middle): zero; zone; zeal;
rising; advertising etc.
/z/ (end): hes; rise; wise;
dies; whose etc.

Error Type 17: /k/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

The Korean [k] is defnitely different from that of English. /k/ (in the
While /k/ is a consonant produced by bringing the back of beginning): cat; kilo;
the tongue into contact with the soft palate, the position corn; cough etc.

of the back of the tongue when producing the English /k/

is deeper and lower. There will not be any issues for
Korean learners when they pronounce /k/ in the
beginning of the words but in the middle and certainly
the end, they clearly have trouble making it audible.

/k/ (middle and

end): Bacteria; ecstasy;
secretary; rock; cake;
soak; hook etc.

Error Type 18: /l/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Like Japanese and Chinese learners, Koreans struggle with

/l/ (end):fall; call;
consonant /l/. This phoneme poses different problems in
soul; deal; verbal;
different parts of the word. When /l/ is located in the beginning available etc.
or the middle of a word, Koreans move both their tongue and
lips simultaneously mixing /l/ with /w/. The tip of their tongue
doesnt quite come into contact with the ridge either or at least
the contact is not strong enough to create the sound. When /l/
is at the end of the word, Koreans often substitute it for /r/ or
place their tip in the far end of the hardpalate.

Error Type 19: /r/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

Perhaps one of the most well-known pronunciation errors for

Koreans is /r/. This consonant, especially as pronounced in
American English, doesnt exist in the Korean language.
When /r/ is at the beginning of a word or follows another
consonant as in consonant clusters like [pr] or [tr] or [fr], its
either replaced with /l/ or by a quick tap against the ridge
normally represented by symbol / /. When /r/ comes at the end
of the word, its sometimes substituted for /l/.

/r/ (beginning
and
middle):right;
race; really;
problem; traffic;
frog etc.
/r/ (end):car;
meter; prefer;
bear; shower etc.

Error Type 20: /n/

ERROR DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLES

The English /n/ is made by placing the tip of the tongue

against the ridge and blowing the air through the nose. Korean
learners seem to place the tip of their tongues between their
teeth and push the air through their nose when /n/ is either
found in the beginning or middle of the word. When /n/ takes

/n/ (beginning
and middle):new;
nurse; Norway;
Wednesday;
burning; fantastic

the fnal position in a word, Korean learners produce a nasal

sound without moving the tip of their tongue up towards the
ridge area.

etc.
/n/ (end):union;
station; London;
person; Italian etc.