Korean word

못

Pronunciation

Romanizationmot

Meaning

  • adverbcan't

Example

죄송하지만 저는 그걸 못해요.choe song ha ji man cheo neun keu geol mo tae yo

I'm sorry, but I can't do that.

Illustration for 못 (can't)

More examples

아침에 알람 소리를 못 들어서 못 일어났어요.a chi me al lam so ri reul mot teu reo seo mot i reo na sseo yo

I couldn't get up this morning because I couldn't hear the alarm.

Core concept

A planned action is prevented either by limited ability or by an outside obstacle.

Common phrases

  • 못 일어나다mot i reo na da

    can't get up

  • 못 참다mot cham tta

    can't stand it

Similar words

안an: Says that an action or state does not happen as a simple choice or fact.
전혀cheonhyeo: Means not at all, stressing that nothing exists or happens even a little.
도저히tojeohi: Means that something is impossible despite every effort or available method.

Definition in Korean

능력 부족이나 외부 사정으로 어떤 행동이 이루어지지 않음을 나타내는 부사.neung nyeok pu jo gi na oe bu sa jeong eu ro eo tteon haeng dong i i ru eo ji ji a neu meul na ta nae neun pu sa

Word origin

The adverb's deeper origin is uncertain, but its combination with the verb meaning do forms the expression cannot do, unlike the homonymous nouns meaning nail and pond.

Usage tips

  • Recognizing this form before a verb makes everyday Korean replies shorter and easier to follow.

Other meanings

  • nailnoun
  • pondnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word