Korean negation patterns and the main ways to form questions, with example sentences for each. Front: the Korean word or phrase (romanization in parentheses). Back: English meaning.
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- 안 (an) + verb
- Simple present negation: 'not doing'; placed before the verb stem
- -지 않다 (-ji anhda)
- Formal/written negation: 'does not do'; attached to verb stem, conjugated like regular verb
- 못 (mos) + verb
- Negation expressing inability: 'cannot do, am unable to'
- -지 못하다 (-ji moshada)
- Formal inability negation: 'cannot do, am unable to'; more emphatic than 못
- -지 마 (-ji ma)
- Negative imperative: 'don't do'; commands someone not to do something
- -지 마세요 (-ji maseyo)
- Polite negative imperative: 'please don't do'; polite way to ask someone not to do something
- 없다 (eopda)
- Negation of existence or possession: 'does not exist, does not have'
- 아니다 (anida)
- Negation of identity or fact: 'is not, that is not correct'
- ~니 (~ni)
- Informal question particle: adds question meaning to a statement; common in casual speech
- ~냐 (~nya)
- Blunt/direct question particle: 'are you...?'; masculine and less polite
- ~습니까? (~seumnikka?)
- Polite question ending: formal way to ask a yes/no question in Standard Korean
- ~어요? (~eoyo?)
- Polite casual question: turns a statement into a question with moderate politeness
- 뭐 (mwo) / 무엇 (mueos)
- Question word meaning 'what'; 뭐 is spoken form, 무엇 is formal/written
- 누구 (nugu)
- Question word meaning 'who'
- 어디 (eodi)
- Question word meaning 'where'