(a) Initial ㄴ and ㄹ
Follow McCune-Reischauer rules governing initial ㄴ and ㄹ, with the following exceptions. When words are written in Chinese character (Hancha), it may be necessary to check the official reference tools to verify the sound of a Chinese character. For personal names, see Romanization Rule 9.
| 로동/노동 | nodong |
| 력사/역사 | yŏksa |
| 녀성/여성 | yŏsŏng |
| 료리/요리 | yori |
Exception 1: To accommodate Word Division Rule 1, particles beginning with the letter ㄹ are to be separated from other words, and are to be romanized beginning with the letter r in all cases.
| 새 歷史 를 위하여 | sae yŏksa rŭl wihayŏ |
| 김 마리 라는 부인 | Kim Mari ranŭn puin |
| 서울 로 가는 열차 | Sǒul ro kanŭn yŏlch’a |
| 연해주 란 무엇 인가 | Yŏnhaeju ran muŏt in’ga |
Exception 2: When single-syllable improper nouns beginning with the letter ㄹ are separated from other words, romanize as r.
| 몇 리(里) 이냐? | Myŏt ri inya? |
| 그럴 리(理) 가 없다 | Kŭrŏl ri ka ŏpta |
(b) Medial ㄴ and ㄹ
Follow McCune-Reischauer rules governing medial ㄴ and ㄹ, with the
following exceptions. For words in Chinese character (Hancha), check the official reference tools listed in Appendix 1 to verify the sound of Chinese character.
| 善良 | sŏllyang |
| 진리 | chilli |
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