TOPIK · Level 103
15 words
Korean word
자체
Pronunciation
Romanizationchache
Meaning
- nounitself
Example
그 제품 자체가 문제였다.keu che pum cha che ga mun je yeot tta
The product itself was the problem.
More examples
서비스 자체가 문제가 아니라 외부 요인이었다.seo bi seu cha che ga mun je ga a ni ra oe bu yo i ni eot tta
It was an external factor, not the service itself, that was the problem.
Core concept
The thing viewed on its own, apart from its attachments or surrounding conditions.
Common phrases
서비스 자체seo bi seu cha che
service itself
시스템 자체si seu tem cha che
system itself
Similar words
그 자체keu chache: A thing pointed to with emphasis as the thing itself.
자기chagi: A spoken pronoun for oneself that can also be a familiar form of address.
자신chasin: A person's self viewed as the one who acts or feels.
Definition in Korean
어떤 대상의 본래 상태나 존재 자체를 가리키는 말로, 외부 요소나 부속을 제외한 '그 자체'를 뜻한다.eo tteon tae sang ui pol lae sang tae na chon jae cha che reul ka ri ki neun mal lo oe bu yo so na pu so geul che oe han keu cha che reul tteu tan da
Word origin
This Sino-Korean term comes from a formation meaning a thing's own body or form, which leads naturally to considering the thing on its own.
Usage tips
- English speakers may expect a separate emphatic pronoun, but Korean can place this noun after a subject or object to mark that the thing itself is being considered.
Opposites
- 외부oebuoutsidenoun
Related words
- 자체적chachejeokintrinsicadjective