Korean word

억양

Pronunciation

Romanizationeogyang

Meaning

  • nounintonation

Example

저는 억양을 바꿔서 말해 봤어요.cheo neun eo gyang eul pa kkwo seo mal hae pwa sseo yo

I tried speaking with a different intonation.

Illustration for 억양 (intonation)

More examples

그 배우는 억양으로 감정을 잘 전달해요.keu pae u neun eo gyang eu ro kam jeong eul chal cheon dal hae yo

That actor conveys emotions well through intonation.

Core concept

The pitch contour running across a whole utterance, carrying clues about attitude and sentence type.

Common phrases

  • 억양을 고치다eo gyang eul ko chi da

    correct one's intonation

  • 억양이 자연스럽다eo gyang i cha yeon seu reop tta

    natural intonation

  • 억양을 연습하다eo gyang eul yeon seu pa da

    practice one's intonation

Similar words

톤ton: A speaker's vocal quality can suggest warmth, distance, or another conversational mood.
어투eotu: The way speech is phrased and shaped forms its characteristic verbal style.
말투maltu: A person's customary word choices and expressions form a noticeable speaking habit.

Definition in Korean

말할 때 문장 전체의 음성적 흐름으로 말투나 감정, 문장의 종류를 드러내는 소리의 높낮이 변화mal hal ttae mun jang cheon che ui eum seong jeok heu reu meu ro mal tu na kam jeong mun jang ui chong nyu reul teu reo nae neun so ri ui nom na ji pyeon hwa

Word origin

The word comes from a Sino-Korean compound whose parts suggest lowering and raising, a useful picture of pitch moving through speech.

Usage tips

  • English learners can use intonation to notice why the same words may sound friendly, surprised, or questioning in conversation.

Other meanings

  • inflectionnoun
  • tonenoun

Opposites

  • 단조tanjomonotonynoun

Word lists with this word