Korean word

하긴

Pronunciation

Romanizationhagin

Meaning

  • adverbthat's true

Example

하긴, 어제 늦게 잤으니까.ha gin eo je neut kke cha sseu ni kka

That's true, since I went to bed late yesterday.

Illustration for 하긴 (that's true)

More examples

하긴 뭐, 처음 해보는 일이니까 긴장하는 게 당연해.ha gin mwo cheo eum hae bo neun i ri ni kka kin jang ha neun ke tang yeon hae

Well, that's true; since it's my first time doing it, it's natural to be nervous.

Core concept

Acknowledges part of what someone has said while leaving room for a softer qualification or disagreement.

Common phrases

  • 하긴 뭐ha gin mwo

    well, that's true

  • 하긴 그렇긴 해ha gin keu reo kin hae

    It is true, though

Similar words

그런데keureonde: Introduces a new point while keeping the conversation connected to what was just said.
그래도keuraedo: Shows that an action or decision continues despite a difficulty or opposing reason.
사실sasil: Signals that the following information reflects the actual situation.

Definition in Korean

상대의 말에 부분적으로 동의하거나 사실을 받아들이면서도 말의 강도를 누그러뜨리거나 부드럽게 반박할 때 쓰는 부사.sang dae ui ma re pu bun jeo geu ro tong ui ha geo na sa si reul pa da deu ri myeon seo do ma rui kang do reul nu geu reo tteu ri geo na pu deu reop kke pan ba kal ttae sseu neun pu sa

Word origin

The form developed as a shortened conversational form built from the verb meaning to do with nominalizing and topic markers, retaining the idea of accepting one point before adding another.

Usage tips

  • Unlike a firm yes, this word often signals that the speaker agrees only so far, making a correction or different view sound less blunt.

Other meanings

  • welladverb

Word lists with this word