THE INKLINGO LANGUAGE GUIDES
10+ Korean Tongue Twisters (With Audio)
These 12 Korean tongue twisters train specific sound contrasts, from short warm-ups to longer challenges. Read the meaning first, then keep every sound clear as you move from slow to natural to fast.
Start here: easy tongue twisters
- 민주주의의 의의The significance of democracy.
- 저 콩깍지가 깐 콩깍지냐 안 깐 콩깍지냐.Is that bean pod a shelled pod or an unshelled pod?
- 저기 저 뜀틀이 내가 뛸 뜀틀인가 안 뛸 뜀틀인가.Is that vaulting box the one I will jump over or the one I will not?
- 네가 그린 기린 그림은 못 그린 기린 그림이고 내가 그린 기린 그림은 잘 그린 기린 그림이다.Your giraffe drawing is poorly drawn, and my giraffe drawing is well drawn.
- 중앙청 창살은 쌍창살이고 시청 창살은 외창살이다.The central government building has double bars and city hall has single bars.
- 저 분은 백 법학박사이고 이 분은 박 법학박사이다.That person is Dr. Baek, a doctor of law, and this person is Dr. Bak, also a doctor of law.
- 고려고 교복은 고급 교복이고 고려고 교복은 고급 원단을 사용했다.Goryeo High's uniform is a high-quality uniform, made with high-quality fabric.
- 간장공장 공장장은 강 공장장이고 된장공장 공장장은 공 공장장이다.Manager Gang runs the soy-sauce factory, and Manager Gong runs the soybean-paste factory.
- 경찰청 철창살은 외철창살이고 검찰청 철창살은 쌍철창살이다.The police headquarters has single iron bars, while the prosecutors' office has double iron bars.
- 앞집 팥죽은 붉은 팥 풋팥죽이고 뒷집 콩죽은 햇콩 단콩 콩죽이다.The front house has porridge of red, green-picked red beans; the back house has porridge of fresh, sweet beans.
Easy Korean tongue twisters to try first
Begin with a short line. Children and adults can both practice these; clear sounds matter more than speed.
민주주의의 의의
Minjujuuiui uiui
The significance of democracy.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Easy · 의; repeated ui
Pronunciation: 의 has context-dependent pronunciation: initial 의 in a word differs from the possessive particle 의. Read the word boundaries before trying speed.
In a sentence
Source note저 콩깍지가 깐 콩깍지냐 안 깐 콩깍지냐.
Jeo kongkkakjiga kkan kongkkakjinya an kkan kongkkakjinya.
Is that bean pod a shelled pod or an unshelled pod?
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Easy · ㄲ; tense consonants
Pronunciation: Keep kk tense with little air. Do not replace it with the airy k sound of ㅋ.
In a sentence
Source noteExplore these words: Books & writing (flashcards) · School & university (flashcards) · Family & relationships (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Korean storiesLonger Korean tongue twisters and sound contrasts
Break the line at each comma, then join the pieces without swallowing the endings.
저기 저 뜀틀이 내가 뛸 뜀틀인가 안 뛸 뜀틀인가.
Jeogi jeo ttwimteuri naega ttwil ttwimteuringa an ttwil ttwimteuringa.
Is that vaulting box the one I will jump over or the one I will not?
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Intermediate · ㄸ; wi; final l
Pronunciation: Keep tt tense, then move straight to wi without an extra vowel. Link the final l into the following vowel naturally.
Source note네가 기린 못 기린 그림이고 내가 기린 기린 그림이다.
Nega geurin girin geurimeun mot geurin girin geurimigo naega geurin girin geurimeun jal geurin girin geurimida.
Your giraffe drawing is poorly drawn, and my giraffe drawing is well drawn.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Intermediate · geu / gi; final n / m
Pronunciation: Keep the vowel difference between geurin and girin. End geurim with both lips closed for m.
Source note중앙청 창살은 쌍창살이고 시청 창살은 외창살이다.
Jungangcheong changsareun ssangchangsarigo sicheong changsareun oechangsarida.
The central government building has double bars and city hall has single bars.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Intermediate · ch / ss; linking l
Pronunciation: The ch of 창 is aspirated; ss in 쌍 is tense. Link 살은 as sa-reun rather than adding a pause.
Source note저 분은 백 법학박사이고 이 분은 박 법학박사이다.
Jeo buneun Baek beopakbaksaigo i buneun Bak beopakbaksaida.
That person is Dr. Baek, a doctor of law, and this person is Dr. Bak, also a doctor of law.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Intermediate · baek / bak / beop; final stops
Pronunciation: Do not release final k as a separate syllable. In 법학, the h and preceding stop combine in pronunciation.
Source note고려고 교복은 고급 교복이고 고려고 교복은 고급 원단을 사용했다.
Goryeogo gyobogeun gogeup gyobogigo Goryeogo gyobogeun gogeup wondaneul sayonghaetda.
Goryeo High's uniform is a high-quality uniform, made with high-quality fabric.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Intermediate · go / gyo / geup
Pronunciation: Keep the glide in gyo; go has no y sound. End geup with closed lips without adding a vowel.
In a sentence
Source noteExplore these words: Art (flashcards) · Books & writing (flashcards) · School & university (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Korean storiesHard Korean tongue twisters for a final challenge
Use one breath group at a time. These are games, so the literal scene can be intentionally impossible.
공장 공장장은 강 공장장이고 된장공장 공장장은 공 공장장이다.
Ganjang gongjang gongjangjangeun Gang gongjangjangigo doenjang gongjang gongjangjangeun Gong gongjangjangida.
Manager Gang runs the soy-sauce factory, and Manager Gong runs the soybean-paste factory.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Hard · gan / gang / gong; repeated jang
Pronunciation: Keep the vowels a and o distinct while holding the nasal endings. Break gong-jang-jang into three beats first.
Source note철창살은 외철창살이고 검찰청 철창살은 쌍철창살이다.
Gyeongchalcheong cheolchangsareun oecheolchangsarigo geomchalcheong cheolchangsareun ssangcheolchangsarida.
The police headquarters has single iron bars, while the prosecutors' office has double iron bars.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Hard · cheol / chal / cheong; ss
Pronunciation: Give ch its aspiration without turning it into English sh. Track the vowel changes in cheol, chal and cheong.
Source note앞집 팥 풋팥죽이고 뒷집 콩죽은 햇콩 단콩 콩죽이다.
Apjip patjugeun bulgeun pat putpatjugigo dwitjip kongjugeun haetkong dankong kongjugida.
The front house has porridge of red, green-picked red beans; the back house has porridge of fresh, sweet beans.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Hard · p / t / k; final consonants
Pronunciation: Final consonants are not separate extra syllables. Listen for the tense consonants that arise at word boundaries.
Source note육통 적금통장은 황색 적금통장이고 팔통 적금통장은 녹색 적금통장이다.
Yuktong tongjang jeokgeumtongjangeun hwangsaek jeokgeumtongjangigo paltong tongjang jeokgeumtongjangeun noksaek jeokgeumtongjangida.
The sixth neighborhood head's savings book is yellow, and the eighth neighborhood head's savings book is green.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Hard · tong / jang; final k
Pronunciation: The repeated 통장 is a pun: a neighborhood head and a bankbook. Keep the nasal ending of tong before starting jang.
Source note목동 로얄 뉴로얄 레스토랑 뉴메뉴 미트소시지소스스파게티, 크림소시지소스스테이크.
Mokdong royal nyuroyal reseutorang nyumenyu miteusosijisoseuseupageti, keurimsosijisoseuseuteikeu.
The Mokdong Royal New Royal restaurant's new menu: meat-sausage-sauce spaghetti and cream-sausage-sauce steak.
Playful pronunciation exercise; some wording is deliberately absurd.
Hard · s / seu; loanword syllables
Pronunciation: Keep every written loanword syllable, especially seu. Do not compress the words back into English pronunciation.
Source noteExplore these words: Food & cooking (flashcards) · Money & banking (flashcards) · Crime & law (flashcards)
Put these words into context with a story at your level.
Read Korean storiesA five-minute pronunciation drill
- Choose one short line and identify its target sound.
- Listen once, then say each phrase slowly while following the native script.
- Repeat the whole line three times clearly before trying natural speed.
- Record one attempt; compare only the target sounds, not your speaking speed.
- Finish with an ordinary sentence using one of the same words.
Korean tongue twisters: frequently asked questions
What are tongue twisters called in Korean?
잰말놀이 (jaenmallori) is a common Korean term for fast-speech wordplay. Many examples repeat very similar syllable blocks.
Which tongue twister should a beginner try first?
Choose one from the easy section and say it correctly three times at a slow pace. Move to a longer line only after you can keep the sound contrast consistent.
Should I practice fast or slowly?
Start slowly enough to hear every syllable. Increase speed a little after three clear repetitions; return to the slow version whenever the words start to merge.
Do native speakers find tongue twisters difficult?
Yes. The challenge comes from switching between similar sounds quickly, so knowing every word does not make the line effortless.
Are these tongue twisters suitable for children?
The easy lines use simple scenes and are good starting games. An adult can explain unfamiliar words and let the child repeat a single phrase without a speed contest.
Will tongue twisters make me fluent?
They can help you notice specific sound contrasts and coordinate articulation. You still need listening, ordinary conversation and meaningful reading to build fluency.
Why does the same tongue twister have different wording elsewhere?
Many circulate orally and in several written versions. This guide identifies the source of the selected version instead of treating every variation as a separate new tongue twister.
How can I check my pronunciation?
Record one slow attempt, listen for the target contrast, and compare it with the model audio. Ask a proficient speaker about a specific sound rather than only asking whether the whole line was fast enough.
Make these words part of your day
Explore Korean stories, listen along, and save vocabulary as you go.
Find a story at your levelSources and verification
English translations and examples were written for this guide. Source notes distinguish documented expressions, original practice sentences, and literary quotations. Literary excerpts retain the language of their original period.
- Tongue Twisters: Eight classic Korean tongue twisters — Contemporary collection of circulating Korean word games; English wording and romanization here are original.
- Omniglot: Korean tongue twisters — Independent collection used for wording and corroboration; not a source for our pronunciation explanations.
- Vocal Image: Korean tongue twisters — Further evidence of circulation for the named traditional challenges.
Source notes for all 12 entries
- 민주주의의 의의: Short attested twister; romanization follows written Revised Romanization rather than hiding permitted speech variants. [omniglot]
- 저 콩깍지가 깐 콩깍지냐 안 깐 콩깍지냐.: Classic collection item 8; Vocal Image documents a related bean-pod form. [classic] [vocalimage]
- 저기 저 뜀틀이 내가 뛸 뜀틀인가 안 뛸 뜀틀인가.: Classic collection item 6. [classic]
- 네가 그린 기린 그림은 못 그린 기린 그림이고 내가 그린 기린 그림은 잘 그린 기린 그림이다.: Omniglot's complete form; the classic collection has the clauses in the opposite order. [omniglot] [classic]
- 중앙청 창살은 쌍창살이고 시청 창살은 외창살이다.: Classic collection item 4; a traditional bureaucratic word game. [classic]
- 저 분은 백 법학박사이고 이 분은 박 법학박사이다.: Classic collection item 7; spacing normalized only. [classic] [vocalimage]
- 고려고 교복은 고급 교복이고 고려고 교복은 고급 원단을 사용했다.: Complete attested school-uniform form in the collection. [omniglot]
- 간장공장 공장장은 강 공장장이고 된장공장 공장장은 공 공장장이다.: Complete widely attested factory-manager form, independently present in all three collections. [classic] [omniglot] [vocalimage]
- 경찰청 철창살은 외철창살이고 검찰청 철창살은 쌍철창살이다.: Complete form appears independently in the classic and Omniglot collections. [classic] [omniglot] [vocalimage]
- 앞집 팥죽은 붉은 팥 풋팥죽이고 뒷집 콩죽은 햇콩 단콩 콩죽이다.: Classic collection item 5; the deliberately dense bean descriptions are preserved. [classic] [vocalimage]
- 육통 통장 적금통장은 황색 적금통장이고 팔통 통장 적금통장은 녹색 적금통장이다.: Complete Omniglot form; 통장 is interpreted by context rather than the source's unclear English gloss. [omniglot] [vocalimage]