Korean IPA transcription converts Hangul into International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, applying the phonological sandhi rules that make written and spoken Korean diverge. Because Hangul is featural, each syllable block decomposes cleanly into an onset (초성), nucleus (중성), and optional coda (종성), which makes algorithmic transcription reliable.
How it works
Each syllable in the Unicode Hangul Syllables block (U+AC00–U+D7A3) is decomposed arithmetically. Given a code point c, the index is c - 0xAC00; the onset is index / 588, the nucleus is (index % 588) / 28, and the coda is index % 28. Each jamo index maps to a base IPA value, then assimilation runs across boundaries:
coda /k t p/ + onset /n m/ → coda nasalizes to /ŋ n m/ (nasalization)
coda /n/ + onset /l/ or /l/ + /n/ → both become /l/ (liquidization)
coda /h/ + onset stop, or stop + /h/ → aspirated /kʰ tʰ pʰ/ (aspiration)
coda /t/ (ㄷ/ㅌ) + onset /i,j/ → palatalize to /tɕ tɕʰ/ (palatalization)
Obstruent codas are unreleased and marked with the no-audible-release diacritic. Before a vowel-initial syllable the coda resyllabifies into the next onset.
Example and notes
신라 (Silla) decomposes to /sin.la/, but the adjacent /n/+/l/ triggers liquidization, giving [ɕil.la]. 국물 (soup stock) is underlyingly /kuk.mul/; the /k/+/m/ boundary nasalizes the coda to [kuŋ.mul]. This is a broad phonemic transcription intended for learners and linguists; allophonic vowel raising and intonation are not marked.