Korean word

오죽하면

Pronunciation

Romanizationojukamyeon

Meaning

  • adverbhow desperate

Example

오죽하면 너한테 그런 말까지 했겠어?o ju ka myeon neo han te keu reon mal kka ji haet kke sseo

How desperate must I have been to say something like that to you?

Illustration for 오죽하면 (how desperate)

More examples

오죽하면 모든 항공편이 결항했겠어. 날씨가 정말 나빴나 봐.o ju ka myeon mo deun hang gong pyeo ni kyeol hang haet kke sseo nal ssi ga cheong mal na ppan na pwa

How desperate must the situation have been for all flights to be canceled? The weather must have been really bad.

Core concept

The situation is so extreme that the resulting action seems understandable or almost inevitable.

Common phrases

  • 오죽하면 말문이 막혔겠어o ju ka myeon mal mu ni ma kyeot kke sseo

    How desperate must one have been to be lost for words

  • 오죽하면 변호사를 찾았겠어o ju ka myeon pyeon ho sa reul cha jat kke sseo

    How desperate must one have been to turn to a lawyer

Similar words

하도hado: Excessive intensity often explains why a particular result happens.
어찌나eojjina: Emphasizes an unusually strong degree, often with an emotional reaction or result.
그렇게까지keureokekkaji: Expresses surprise or emphasis when a situation has gone that far.

Definition in Korean

주로 '오죽하면 ... 했겠어?'와 같이 쓰여 상황의 극단성을 근거로 결과나 행동을 당연시하는 뜻을 더하는 부사chu ro o ju ka myeon haet kke sseo wa ka chi sseu yeo sang hwang ui keuk ttan seong eul keun geo ro kyeol gwa na haeng dong eul tang yeon si ha neun tteu seul teo ha neun pu sa

Word origin

오죽하 (ojuka, "be extremely so") combines with 면 (myeon, "if") to frame an extreme situation as a reason for an expected result.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this word often carries strong emotion, so a natural English rendering may be "things must have been that bad" rather than a plain statement of fact.

Opposites

Related words

  • 오죽하다ojukadadesperateadjective

Word lists with this word