# Pronunciation: Gangnam



## Youngfun

Annyeong haesseyo!

In the famous song "Gangnam style" I can hear the singer Psy pronounces "gang-dam".
Is it the normal pronunciation to insert a "d" sound after "ng"?

Thank you.


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## Superhero1

Helllo, Youngfun.

No, it's definitely gang-Nam to my ear. (Pronouncing 사나이 was quite weird though)


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## Youngfun

Well, I've listened to it again, it seems to me that sometimes he says gang-Nam, sometimes something like gang-Dam.
The first time I heard the song, I thought it was "Gundam style" LOL.
On the internet you can find a lot of parodies, such as "Open condom star".  I think many non-Korean speakers heard a D in between...

What's 사나이?


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## Superhero1

사나이 means a man. (rarely used word)


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## arirawr

Korean N (ㄴ) sometimes sounds similar to a D to non-Koreans. It is especially obvious with the word 네 - many Koreans pronounce it kind of like 'de' rather than 'ne'. If you experiment a little with your mouth movement and try to say 네 while exhaling rather than inhaling you could find that n/d sound that's so common for native speakers. Interestingly enough, most Koreans don't seem to notice that difference in sound at all. 

Another example would be ㅁ being pronounced somewhat close to a B. Words like 미안하다 and 믿다 can often be misheard as BIANhada and BIDda by foreigners.


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## trtl115

사나이 means not just a man, it means a manly, young, and strong man.

And it is still widely used in Korean.

But this word is often used in a sarcastic or comedic way, too.


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## durestudios

If you listen to most singers they pronounce words incorrectly or the way they want to to rhyme. 
So I hear ya, I hear the slight 'd' so it sounds like Gangdam style. 
But he's saying Gangnam style. It's normal to hear it. I hear it too, and my native language is Korean.


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## liberal lilac

Gang sounds "gɑŋ" and nam sounds "nɑm". 

Think "a" when you say Lady "Gaga". It's quite close.


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