Sheep or Cheap? Korean Blends These Two Sounds

Korean doesn't draw as sharp a line between the smooth 'sh' sound and the quick, stop-plus-friction 'ch' sound, so English pairs like 'sheep' and 'cheap,' or 'shoe' and 'chew,' can end up sounding nearly identical when produced by transfer from Korean habits. The key difference is that 'sh' flows continuously — your tongue stays in one position while air moves through — while 'ch' begins with a brief, complete stop before the air is released into friction, almost like a tiny t hidden at the front. Try this: say 'sheep' and really stretch the sh sound out, sh-sh-sheep, feeling that continuous airflow the whole time. Then say 'cheap' and notice the small stop right before the friction begins. Alternate between 'sheep, cheap, sheep, cheap' slowly, exaggerating that stop-versus-flow difference. Once your mouth learns to feel the contrast, your ear will start hearing it more easily too, and the words will separate naturally.