KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -에도 불구하고
Korean Grammar “-에도 불구하고”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 5)
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 | 나라에도 불구하고 | naraedo bulguhago |
| 음식 | food | 음식에도 불구하고 | eumsigedo bulguhago |
| 선물 | gift | 선물에도 불구하고 | seonmuredo bulguhago |
Explanation
비가 많이 오는 날씨에도 불구하고 경기가 열렸어요.
“-에도 불구하고” means “in spite of / despite ~” and introduces a result that goes against what one would expect. Use “-에도 불구하고” after a noun and “-(으)ㄴ/는데도 불구하고” after a verb or adjective. The sentence means “Despite the heavy rain, the game was held.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 비가 많이 오는 날씨에도 불구하고 경기가 열렸어요.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 비가 | ||
| 비 | ㅂ+ㅣ | bi |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 많이 | ||
| 많 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄶ | [마] ma |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [니] ni |
| 오는 | ||
| 오 | ㅇ+ㅗ | o |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 날씨에도 | ||
| 날 | ㄴ+ㅏ+ㄹ | nal |
| 씨 | ㅆ+ㅣ | ssi |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 불구하고 | ||
| 불 | ㅂ+ㅜ+ㄹ | bul |
| 구 | ㄱ+ㅜ | gu |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 고 | ㄱ+ㅗ | go |
| 경기가 | ||
| 경 | ㄱ+ㅕ+ㅇ | gyeong |
| 기 | ㄱ+ㅣ | gi |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 열렸어요 | ||
| 열 | ㅇ+ㅕ+ㄹ | yeol |
| 렸 | ㄹ+ㅕ+ㅆ | [려] lyeo |
| 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
- Silent ㅎ: a final ㅎ (including the ㅎ inside ㄶ and ㅀ) is not pronounced before a vowel. 많이 → [마니]
- 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. 렸어 → [려써]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 비 | noun | rain | TOPIK level 1 |
| 날씨 | noun | weather | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 비가 많이 오는 날씨____ 불구하고 경기가 열렸어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 비가 많이 오는 날씨에도 불구하고 경기가 열렸어요.
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