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Explain the pronunciation rules for Korean consonants and provide examples.



Korean consonants play a crucial role in the pronunciation of the language and mastering their pronunciation is essential for achieving clear and accurate communication. The Korean language has a total of 14 basic consonants, each with its own unique sound. Understanding the pronunciation rules associated with these consonants is key to developing good pronunciation skills in Korean.

1. ㄱ (giyeok): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'g' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 고기 (gogi) meaning "meat" is pronounced as [go-gi].
2. ㄴ (ni-eun): This consonant is pronounced as a soft 'n' sound. For example, 노래 (nora-e) meaning "song" is pronounced as [no-rae].
3. ㄷ (digeut): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'd' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 도시 (dosi) meaning "city" is pronounced as [do-si].
4. ㄹ (rieul): This consonant is pronounced as a light 'l' sound when it appears at the beginning of a word or after a consonant. However, when it appears at the end of a word, it is pronounced as a final 'l' sound. For example, 라디오 (radio) meaning "radio" is pronounced as [ra-di-o].
5. ㅁ (mieum): This consonant is pronounced as an 'm' sound. For example, 마음 (ma-eum) meaning "heart" is pronounced as [ma-eum].
6. ㅂ (bieup): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'b' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 밥 (bap) meaning "rice" is pronounced as [bap].
7. ㅅ (si-eot): This consonant is pronounced as an 's' sound. For example, 사랑 (sarang) meaning "love" is pronounced as [sa-rang].
8. ㅇ (ieung): This consonant is a unique consonant in Korean that can be pronounced as either a silent placeholder or as an 'ng' sound at the beginning of a word or after a consonant. For example, 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) meaning "hello" is pronounced as [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo].
9. ㅈ (jieut): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'j' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 저 (jeo) meaning "I" is pronounced as [jeo].
10. ㅊ (chieut): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'ch' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 축구 (chukgu) meaning "soccer" is pronounced as [chuk-gu].
11. ㅌ (tieut): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 't' sound at the beginning of a word or when it appears after a consonant. For example, 텔레비전 (television) meaning "television" is pronounced as [te-le-bi-jeon].
12. ㅍ (pieup): This consonant is pronounced as a unaspirated 'p' sound at the beginning of a word or