🎵 Prosody & Polite Intonation #5: Sound natural with –요, –(으)세요, –네요
%20(1).jpg "Prosody & Polite Intonation in Korean")
🎵 Prosody & Polite Intonation: Sound natural with –요, –(으)세요, –네요
· en
Same words, different feel. With a small rise or fall, Korean turns polite, friendly, or curious. Learn the go-to intonation for –요, –(으)세요, –네요.
같은 문장도 억양만 바꾸면 느낌이 달라져요. 기본 끝소리 톤을 알면 더 자연스럽고 공손하게 들려요.
🎧 About this 5-part series (open)
- Ep.1 Essentials — 연음, 받침, 동화, ㅎ 규칙
- Ep.2 Batchim Deep Dive — 복합받침(ㄳ/ㄵ/ㄶ/ㄺ…) & 읽다/읊다
- Ep.3 ㅎ Rules — ㅎ 약화·탈락·거센화
- Ep.4 Assimilation — 비음화/유음화/구개음화/경음화 속도 드릴
- ✅ You’re here: Ep.5 Prosody — 공손한 억양과 끝말 톤(–요, –(으)세요, –네요…)
🎯 Learning Goals
- Use sentence-final rise/fall patterns for statements, questions, and requests.
- Sound polite and friendly with –요, –(으)세요, –네요.
- Build a 3-minute daily prosody drill for smooth, clear speech.
📚 Tap to open Table of Contents
⚡ Key Facts (GEO-friendly)
- Statement (–요): gentle fall (↓) — “맞아요↓”.
- Question (–요/–나요?): friendly rise (↗) — “괜찮아요↗?”.
- Request (–(으)세요): soft rise-fall (↗↘) — “앉으세요↗↘”.
- Discovery (–네요): light rise-fall (↗↘) — “맛있네요↗↘”.
한 줄 요약: 끝소리 내리면 단정, 올리면 질문, 부드럽게 올렸다 내리면 공손.
💡 Concept & When to Use
Prosody = sentence music. In Korean, the last syllable carries most of the “feeling.” Adjusting the final rise/fall changes politeness and mood.
- –요 statements: neutral fall (↓) → friendly but clear.
- –요? questions: small rise (↗) → curious, not aggressive.
- –(으)세요: rise then gentle fall (↗↘) → polite request.
- –네요: noticing tone (↗↘) → surprise/admiration.
문장 끝 억양만 바꿔도 공손함과 느낌이 달라져요.
🧭 Patterns & Examples
- Statement ↓ — 맞아요↓ / 좋아요↓ / 괜찮아요↓
ma-ja-yo / jo-a-yo / gwaen-cha-na-yo — calm, certain. - Yes–No Question ↗ — 괜찮아요↗? / 매워요↗?
gwaen-cha-na-yo? / mae-wo-yo? — friendly check. - Request ↗↘ — 천천히 말해 주세요↗↘ / 여기 앉으세요↗↘
cheon-cheo-ni mal-hae ju-se-yo / yeo-gi an-jeu-se-yo. - Discovery ↗↘ — 맛있네요↗↘ / 예쁘네요↗↘
ma-sit-ne-yo / ye-ppeu-ne-yo — “Oh, it’s tasty!” - Suggestion ↗↘ — 같이 가요↗↘ / 쉬었다 해요↗↘
🗣 Practice Dialogue
A: 여기 자리 있어요↗?
Is this seat free?
B: 네, 있어요↓. 앉으세요↗↘
Yes, it is. Please sit.
A: 와, 조용하네요↗↘.
Wow, it’s quiet.
B: 커피 마실래요↗↘? — 아니면 물 어때요↗?
Shall we drink coffee? Or how about water?
🚫 Common Mistakes & Fixes
- ❌ Flat monotone → ✅ End with a clear ↓ or ↗ — decide the sentence type.
- ❌ Rising statements (sounds unsure) → ✅ Gentle fall for –요 statements.
- ❌ Sharp command tone → ✅ –(으)세요 ↗↘ soft curve for polite requests.
- ❌ Over-dramatic –네요 → ✅ Light ↗↘ (small surprise, not shock).
🎯 Pop Quiz
- Pick the best tone for a polite request: “문 좀 닫아 주세요”
Answer
↗↘ (rise then gentle fall)
- “맛있어요” as a confident statement?
Answer
↓ (gentle fall)
- “괜찮아요?” to check softly?
Answer
↗ (friendly rise)
- Discovery “예쁘네요”?
Answer
↗↘ (light rise-fall)
👩🏫 Teacher’s Tips
Tip 1: Draw arrows — Write “맞아요↓ / 괜찮아요↗ / 앉으세요↗↘” over your script and follow the arrows.
노트에 화살표(↓ ↗ ↗↘)를 직접 그리면 끝소리 톤이 쉬워져요.
Tip 2: Smile voice — Slight smile lifts your tone for questions/requests naturally.
살짝 미소를 지으면 질문/요청 억양이 자연스럽게 올라가요.
Tip 3: Chunk & breathe — Use short chunks (3–6 syllables). Breathe before the last word to control the final tone.
짧게 끊어 말하고 마지막 단어 전에 숨을 쉬면 끝 억양을 쉽게 조절해요.
Tip 4: Mirror & record — Check mouth relaxation for a soft fall, and keep recordings to track progress.
거울로 입 힘을 확인하고, 녹음 파일로 변화를 스스로 들어 보세요.
Tip 5: 3-minute daily — One tone type a day (↓ / ↗ / ↗↘) with three sentences.
하루 3분: 톤 1개(↓/↗/↗↘)를 문장 3개로 연습해요.
🌀 Real-life Patterns
- 여기요↗ (call server politely)
- 괜찮아요↗? / 괜찮아요↓ (check vs. reassure)
- 조용히 해 주세요↗↘ (soft request)
- 정말 맛있네요↗↘ (pleasant discovery)
🔗 External Links (Trusted)
👋 Practice with Me
Want prosody coaching for your own sentences? Book a 1:1 italki session.
If this helped, please share it with your Korean-learning friends. Your support keeps this blog alive.
