ㄹ

The traditional account* holds that the form of ㄹ l is the outline of the tongue, 舌 […] 之形, but does not specify what this means. Gari Ledyard proposes that it was a graphic simplification of Phagspa l, ultimately from Tibetan ལ l, though the iconic considerations of the traditional account may have determined the form that this simplification took.

* Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye “Explanations and Examples of the Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People” (1446), defining and explaining the script now known as 한글 (han-geul, “Great script, Korean script”) in South Korea and 조선글 (joseon-geul, “Korean script”) in North Korea.

• IPA^(key): /l/
• Actual realisation:

  (word-initially or between vowels) IPA^(key): [ɾ]

  (after nasals other than /n/, or after stops) IPA^(key): [n]

  (elsewhere) IPA^(key): [ɭ]

ㄹ • (r)

1. 리을 (rieul, “rieul”), a letter of the Korean writing system, hangeul; the alveolar flap or approximant ([ɾ], [l])

In the North Korean order, it is the fourth jamo. In the South Korean order, it is the sixth.

• Alveolar consonants: ㄴ (n), ㄷ (d), ㄸ (tt), ㅌ (t), ㅅ (s), ㅆ (ss)
• Nasal stops: ㅁ (m), ㅇ (ng)

• IPA^(key): /-l/

—ㄹ • (--l)

1. that will; who will

   (suffix forming future determiner)

   친구에게 줄 선물

   chin-guege jul seonmul

   the gift that (I) will give to (my) friend

2. that; who

   (suffix forming determiner without tense)

   비가 올 때

   biga ol ttae

   when it rains (literally: times when it rains)

-ㄹ (-l) is appended to the sequential form. Similar to a future participle, the future determiner indicates that the referent of the following substantive will perform the action described by the verb to which -ㄹ (-l) is attached:

• 가다 (gada, “to go”): 가니 (gani, “ga-”) + ㄹ (l): 갈 (gal, “who will go; that sb will go to/at/by...”)
• 묻다 (mutda, “to inquire”): 물으니 (mureuni, “mureu-”) + ㄹ (l): 물을 (mureul, “who will inquire; that sb will inquire”)
• 날다 (nalda, “to fly”): 나니/날면 (nani/nalmyeon, “na-/nal-”) + ㄹ (l): 날 (nal, “that will fly”)

The suffix -ㄹ (-l) is frequently used along with several dependent nouns, such as 것 (geot, “thing”) and 때 (ttae, “time”), for grammatical purposes. It can either denote the future tense, or nothing:

• (future, intention) 그 친구는 이번 기회에 고향집을 찾을 것이라고 했다. (Geu chin-guneun ibeon gihoee gohyangjibeul chajeul geosirago haetda., “He said he will visit his hometown by this chance.”)
• (future, guess) 물이 차가울 것 같다. (Muri chagaul geot gatda., “I guess the water is cold.”)

  cf. 물이 차가운 것 같다. (Muri chagaun geot gatda., “The water seems cold.”) / 물이 차가웠을 것 같다. (Muri chagawosseul geot gatda., “I guess the water was cold.”)

  물이 차가울 것 같았다. (Muri chagaul geot gatatda., “I guessed the water was cold.”) / 물이 차가웠을 것 같았다. (Muri chagawosseul geot gatatda., “I guessed the water had been cold.”)

• (no tense) 그가 하는 말 중에 믿을 만한 것이 있을 리가 없다. (Geuga haneun mal jung-e mideul manhan geosi isseul riga eopda., “Among the words he says, what is worth believing cannot ever exist.”)
• (no tense) 목발은 발이나 다리를 다쳐 잘 걸을 수 없을 때 사용한다. (Mokbareun barina darireul dachyeo jal georeul su eopseul ttae sayonghanda., “We use crutches when we don't walk well due to foot or leg injuries.”)