Three Types of Negation
Korean has three main negation patterns:
| Type |
Pattern |
Meaning |
Example |
| Short negation |
안 + Verb |
don't / doesn't |
안 먹어요 |
| Long negation |
Stem + 지 않다 |
don't / doesn't |
먹지 않아요 |
| Inability |
못 + Verb |
can't |
못 먹어요 |
Short Negation: 안 + Verb
Place 안 directly before the conjugated verb. This is the most common negation in casual speech.
| Positive |
Negative |
English |
| 가요 |
안 가요 |
I don't go. |
| 먹어요 |
안 먹어요 |
I don't eat. |
| 봐요 |
안 봐요 |
I don't watch. |
| 자요 |
안 자요 |
I don't sleep. |
| 좋아요 |
안 좋아요 |
It's not good. |
하다 Verbs: Special Placement
For 하다 compound verbs, 안 goes between the noun and 하다:
| Positive |
Negative |
NOT this |
| 공부해요 |
공부 안 해요 |
~~안 공부해요~~ |
| 운동해요 |
운동 안 해요 |
~~안 운동해요~~ |
| 요리해요 |
요리 안 해요 |
~~안 요리해요~~ |
| 일해요 |
일 안 해요 |
~~안 일해요~~ |
Long Negation: Stem + 지 않다
Attach ~지 않다 to the verb stem. This form is slightly more formal and common in writing.
| Positive |
Stem |
+ 지 않다 |
Conjugated |
| 가다 |
가 |
가지 않다 |
가지 않아요 |
| 먹다 |
먹 |
먹지 않다 |
먹지 않아요 |
| 보다 |
보 |
보지 않다 |
보지 않아요 |
| 공부하다 |
공부하 |
공부하지 않다 |
공부하지 않아요 |
| 덥다 |
덥 |
덥지 않다 |
덥지 않아요 |
Short vs Long: Same Meaning, Different Feel
| Short |
Long |
Meaning |
| 안 가요 |
가지 않아요 |
I don't go |
| 안 먹어요 |
먹지 않아요 |
I don't eat |
| 안 좋아요 |
좋지 않아요 |
It's not good |
| 공부 안 해요 |
공부하지 않아요 |
I don't study |
Both mean the same thing. Short negation is more casual; long negation is slightly more formal or emphatic.
Inability: 못 + Verb
Place 못 before the verb to express inability -- you want to do something but cannot.
| Positive |
Negative (못) |
English |
| 가요 |
못 가요 |
I can't go. |
| 먹어요 |
못 먹어요 |
I can't eat. |
| 자요 |
못 자요 |
I can't sleep. |
| 봐요 |
못 봐요 |
I can't see/watch. |
하다 Verbs with 못
Same pattern as 안 -- 못 goes between the noun and 하다:
| Positive |
Negative |
English |
| 공부해요 |
공부 못 해요 |
I can't study. |
| 운동해요 |
운동 못 해요 |
I can't exercise. |
| 요리해요 |
요리 못 해요 |
I can't cook. |
| Short |
Long |
Meaning |
| 못 가요 |
가지 못해요 |
I can't go |
| 못 먹어요 |
먹지 못해요 |
I can't eat |
| 공부 못 해요 |
공부하지 못해요 |
I can't study |
안 vs 못: Key Difference
| Negation |
Meaning |
Reason |
Example |
| 안 |
I don't / I won't |
Choice, preference |
안 먹어요. (I don't eat it -- by choice) |
| 못 |
I can't |
Inability, circumstances |
못 먹어요. (I can't eat it -- allergic, too spicy, etc.) |
Comparison Examples
| 안 (choice) |
못 (inability) |
| 안 가요. (I'm not going -- don't want to) |
못 가요. (I can't go -- have work) |
| 안 먹어요. (I don't eat it -- preference) |
못 먹어요. (I can't eat it -- allergy) |
| 운동 안 해요. (I don't exercise -- lazy) |
운동 못 해요. (I can't exercise -- injured) |
Negative Adverbs
These words are used together with negation for emphasis:
| Adverb |
Meaning |
Example |
| 전혀 |
not at all |
전혀 모르겠어요. (I don't know at all.) |
| 별로 |
not particularly |
별로 안 좋아요. (Not particularly good.) |
| 아직 |
not yet |
아직 안 했어요. (Haven't done it yet.) |
| 절대 |
never / absolutely not |
절대 안 해요. (I will never do it.) |
Words That Are Already Negative
Some Korean verbs are inherently negative and do not use 안/못:
| Positive |
Negative (built-in) |
Note |
| 있다 (to exist) |
없다 (to not exist) |
NOT ~~안 있다~~ |
| 알다 (to know) |
모르다 (to not know) |
NOT ~~안 알다~~ |
| 좋아하다 (to like) |
싫어하다 (to dislike) |
안 좋아하다 is also OK |
Practice
Make these sentences negative using the indicated method:
- 학교에 가요. → ___ (short negation: I don't go)
- 공부해요. → ___ (short negation: I don't study)
- 먹어요. → ___ (inability: I can't eat)
- 한국어를 공부해요. → ___ (long negation: I don't study Korean)