ㄽ (리을시옷): the Korean double final consonant

The first letter is the sound you hear, so ㄽ is read as ㄹ at the end of a word or before a consonant. 외곬 is read [외골], and the ㅅ is not heard.

Before a vowel the ㅅ moves forward and turns tense: 외곬이 is [외골씨], and 곬이 is [골씨]. The pattern is the same as in ㄳ and ㅄ.

Say 외곬 (single track) on its own first, as [외골], and then 외곬이, which is read [외골씨]. Say 곬 (groove) on its own first, as [골], and then 곬이, which is read [골씨].

The ㄹ is kept before a consonant, and a vowel brings the ㅅ forward as a tense ss.

Practice the shifts in 외곬으로 [외골쓰로], 곬이 [골씨] until each reading feels normal.

Think of ㄽ as the quietest of the eleven: the ㄹ rings out and the ㅅ waits for a vowel.

Learners sometimes expect “ls” in the middle of the word. In practice the ㅅ merges into the next syllable only when a vowel follows.

Under the vowel you write ㄹ and then ㅅ, both shrunk to fit. The pair needs five strokes in all, 3 strokes plus 2 strokes.

In the case of ㄽ (rieul-siot), draw the consonant and vowel first, then add ㄽ (rieul-siot) underneath without letting the block grow out of its square.

ㄹ (리을) is made with the tip of the tongue and gives a quick touch of the tongue tip, while ㅅ (시옷) is made with the teeth ridge and gives a soft hiss.

With ㄽ (rieul-siot), each of the two letters has its own page, so you can compare ㄹ and ㅅ (siot) before reading how they behave together.

In 외곬 (single track) the first block 외 is made of ㅇ + ㅚ (oe), so the double final sits at the bottom.

For ㄽ (rieul-siot), only one final spot exists under a vowel, so two consonants crowd into it and the reading rules decide which sound survives.

In the case of ㄽ (rieul-siot), these words are the ones to learn first for ㄽ (rieul-siot); check the reading column before you move on.

Of the eleven double finals, ㄳ, ㄵ, ㄶ, ㄼ, ㄾ, ㅀ, and ㅄ share ㄽ (rieul-siot)'s habit of keeping the first letter, and ㄺ, ㄻ, and ㄿ keep the opposite letter.

With ㄽ (rieul-siot), learning them in two groups, those read from the first letter and those read from the last, covers all eleven.

For ㄽ (rieul-siot), read each word aloud in two forms, bare and with its vowel ending, and keep going until [외골] and [외골씨] come out without thinking.

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