ㄶ (니은히읗): the Korean double final consonant

The ㄴ is the sound you hold at the end of the syllable, while the ㅎ is not heard by itself. With ㄶ (nieun-hieut), when the next syllable starts with ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅈ, the ㅎ blends into it and makes it a strong, puffed sound: 많다 is [만타], and 많고 is [만코].

Before a vowel the ㅎ falls silent and the ㄴ moves forward: 많아요 is [마나요] and 괜찮아요 is [괜차나요]. Nothing is left of the ㅎ in these forms.

Say 많다 (to be many) on its own first, as [만타], and then 많아요, which is read [마나요]. Say 괜찮다 (to be okay) on its own first, as [괜찬타], and then 괜찮아요, which is read [괜차나요]. Say 귀찮다 (to be a bother) on its own first, as [귀찬타], and then 귀찮아요, which is read [귀차나요].

Before ㄱ and ㅈ the ㅎ hands its breath to the next consonant, before ㄴ it simply vanishes, and before a vowel it is silent.

For ㄶ (nieun-hieut), say these forms aloud and compare each reading with the spelling: 많고 [만코], 많지 [만치], 많은 [마는], 많네 [만네].

Think of ㅎ as a breath that is passed along to the next consonant or lost on the way.

Many learners read 괜찮다 as “gwaen-chan-da” with a plain d. The ㅎ turns the ㄷ into a puffed t, so the word is [괜찬타].

Under the vowel you write ㄴ and then ㅎ, both shrunk to fit. The pair needs four strokes in all, 1 stroke plus 3 strokes.

In the case of ㄶ (nieun-hieut), build the block from the top, leaving a small bottom row for ㄶ.

Look at the ingredients: ㄴ comes from the tip of the tongue with a hum through the nose, and ㅎ comes from the throat with a breathy h.

With ㄶ (nieun-hieut), if either ingredient feels shaky, review the pages for ㄴ and ㅎ first.

In 많다 (to be many) the first block 많 is made of ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄶ (nieun-hieut), so the double final sits at the bottom.

For ㄶ (nieun-hieut), a block can hold only one final spot, which is why two consonants must share it and why Korean needs rules about which one is read.

Each word here uses ㄶ (nieun-hieut) as its final; the table lists the reading and the meaning.

In the case of ㄶ (nieun-hieut), there are eleven double finals in all. ㄳ, ㄵ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㅀ, and ㅄ are read from the first letter as well, while ㄺ, ㄻ, and ㄿ follow the other pattern.

With ㄶ (nieun-hieut), sorting the eleven pairs into first-letter and last-letter groups turns a long list into two small rules.

Say each word in the table twice, once alone and once with the vowel ending, and listen for the moment the second letter reappears. For ㄶ (nieun-hieut), repeat until the switch from [만타] to [마나요] feels automatic.

A one-page worksheet for ㄶ (nieun-hieut) sits beside this guide, with the stroke order, space for tracing and a spot-the-letter game.