ㄳ (기역시옷): the Korean double final consonant

At the end of a word or before another consonant, only the first letter is heard: ㄳ becomes a plain k-stop, and ㅅ stays silent. 몫 is read [목], not [목시], and 넋 is read [넉].

When a vowel follows, the picture changes. The ㄱ stays at the end of the first syllable and the ㅅ moves across to start the next one, where it turns tense: 몫이 is read [목씨] and 넋이 is read [넉씨].

Say 몫 (share) on its own first, as [목], and then 몫이, which is read [목씨]. Say 넋 (spirit) on its own first, as [넉], and then 넋이, which is read [넉씨]. Say 삯 (pay) on its own first, as [삭], and then 삯이, which is read [삭씨].

A noun that ends in ㄳ keeps only the k-stop before a consonant, and a following ㄷ turns tense, while a following ㅁ pulls the k into a nasal ng.

Practice the shifts in 몫만 [몽만], 넋도 [넉또], 몫을 [목쓸] until each reading feels normal.

Think of ㅅ as a guest who waits outside the door and only steps in when a vowel opens it.

Beginners often pronounce both letters in a row, making 몫 sound like “mok-si”. Close your mouth at the k-stop and let the ㅅ go.

ㄳ is written as ㄱ followed by ㅅ (siot), both small enough to fit side by side under the vowel. Together they take three strokes: 1 stroke and 2 strokes.

With ㄳ (giyeok-siot), draw the consonant and vowel first, then add ㄳ (giyeok-siot) underneath without letting the block grow out of its square.

ㄱ (기역) is made with the back of the tongue and gives a light breath, while ㅅ (시옷) is made with the teeth ridge and gives a soft hiss.

For ㄳ (giyeok-siot), each of the two letters has its own page, so you can compare ㄱ and ㅅ (siot) before reading how they behave together.

In 몫 (share) the first block 몫 is made of ㅁ + ㅗ + ㄳ (giyeok-siot), so the double final sits at the bottom.

In the case of ㄳ (giyeok-siot), only one final spot exists under a vowel, so two consonants crowd into it and the reading rules decide which sound survives.

With ㄳ (giyeok-siot), these words are the ones to learn first for ㄳ (giyeok-siot); check the reading column before you move on.

Eleven double finals exist. Like ㄳ, ㄵ, ㄶ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㅀ, and ㅄ are read from the first letter; the rest, ㄺ, ㄻ, and ㄿ, are read from the other end.

For ㄳ (giyeok-siot), learning them in two groups, those read from the first letter and those read from the last, covers all eleven.

With ㄳ (giyeok-siot), say each word in the table twice, once alone and once with the vowel ending, and listen for the moment the second letter reappears. In the case of ㄳ (giyeok-siot), repeat until the switch from [목] to [목씨] feels automatic.

Print the ㄳ (giyeok-siot) worksheet when you are ready: one page, built from the facts above, with the strokes to trace and a letter-spotting game.