KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -밖에
Korean Grammar “-밖에”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 3)
How to attach it
This particle does not change: it attaches to every noun in the same way, whatever the last sound is.
| Korean | Meaning | With the particle | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 나라 | country | 나라밖에 | narabakke |
| 음식 | food | 음식밖에 | eumsikbakke |
| 선물 | gift | 선물밖에 | seonmulbakke |
Explanation
지갑에 천 원밖에 없어서 아무것도 못 샀어요.
“밖에” means “only / nothing but ~” and must always be used with a negative expression such as 없다, 안 ~, or 못 ~. The sentence means “I had only 1,000 won in my wallet, so I couldn’t buy anything.” Unlike 만 (only), which also works in affirmative sentences, 밖에 can be used only in negative sentences; “천 원밖에 있어요” is incorrect.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 지갑에 천 원밖에 없어서 아무것도 못 샀어요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 지갑에 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 갑 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㅂ | [가] ga |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [베] be |
| 천 | ㅊ+ㅓ+ㄴ | cheon |
| 원밖에 | ||
| 원 | ㅇ+ㅝ+ㄴ | won |
| 밖 | ㅂ+ㅏ+ㄲ | [바] ba |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [께] kke |
| 없어서 | ||
| 없 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ | [업] eop |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] seo |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 아무것도 | ||
| 아 | ㅇ+ㅏ | a |
| 무 | ㅁ+ㅜ | mu |
| 것 | ㄱ+ㅓ+ㅅ | [걷] geot |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | [또] do |
| 못 | ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ | [몯] mot |
| 샀어요 | ||
| 샀 | ㅅ+ㅏ+ㅆ | [사] sa |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 갑에 → [가베]
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 것도 → [걷또]
- Final-sound reduction: every final consonant is pronounced as one of seven sounds — ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ or ㅇ. 못 → [몯]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 지갑 | noun | wallet | TOPIK level 2 |
| 없다 | adjective | to not exist, to not have | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 지갑에 천 원____ 없어서 아무것도 못 샀어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 지갑에 천 원밖에 없어서 아무것도 못 샀어요.
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