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Attaching 뿐 to a noun
Describing 뿐 with a verb, adjective or 이다
Using 뿐 in the middle of a sentence
Not only, but also: ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라
Vocabulary
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.
A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.
Nouns:
술자리 = drinking party
Common Usages:
술자리를 갖다 = to hold a drinking party
Examples:
그 친구를 술자리에 초대하고 싶지 않을 뿐이에요
= That friend just won’t want to invite you to the drinking party
업무차 매일 술자리를 갖다 보니 피로가 심하게 쌓였어요
= Because of work, I am holding drinking parties every day and my fatigue piled up severely
무늬 = pattern/design
Common Usages:
줄무늬 = stripe pattern
체크 무늬 = plaid, checkered pattern
호피 무늬 = leopard pattern
얼룩말 무늬 = zebra print/pattern
Examples:
저는 어렸을 때부터 체크무늬 남방을 입는 것을 제일 좋아했어요
= Ever since I was younger, I liked wearing checkered clothes
그 셔츠에 무늬가 너무 신기해요. 줄무늬뿐만 아니라 얼룩무늬도 있네요
= That shirt’s pattern is cool. Not only is there striped, but there is camouflage pattern as well
줄무늬 = stripes
Examples:
한동안 한국에서 줄무늬 티셔츠가 크게 유행했어요
= For a while in Korea striped shirts were trendy
옷의 줄무늬가 세로인지 가로인지에 따라 사람의 체형이 달라 보여요
= Depending on if the stripes on a shirt are horizontal or vertical, a person’s body figure looks different
체크무늬 = plaid
Common Usages:
체크무늬 셔츠 = plaid shirt
체크무늬 바지 = plaid pants
Examples:
친구가 소풍가는 날 위 아래 모두 체크무늬 옷을 입어서 멀리서도 눈에 띄었어요
= On the day we went on a picnic, my friend wore plaid on top and bottom (shirt and pants) so it was easy to see him even from far away
체크무늬 지갑을 사고 싶어서 백화점에 갔지만 마음에 드는 게 없어서 못 샀어요
= I wanted to buy a plaid wallet so I went to the department store but there wasn’t any that I liked so I didn’t buy one
얼룩무늬 = zebra pattern
Examples:
얼룩무늬 낮잠 이불은 제가 제일 좋아하는 이불이에요
= My zebra-pattern naptime blanket is my favorite blanket
얼룩무늬 잠바를 입고 가면 친구들이 항상 얼룩말이라고 놀려요
= Whenever I go wearing my zebra patterned jacket, my friends always make fun of me by calling me a zebra
그 셔츠에 무늬가 너무 신기해요. 줄무늬뿐만 아니라 얼룩무늬도 있네요
= That shirt’s pattern is cool. Not only is there striped, but there is camouflage pattern as well
꿈속 = in a dream
Common Usages:
꿈속에서 만나다 = to meet (a person) in a dream
Examples:
꿈속에서 생기는 일은 그냥 꿈일 뿐이에요
= Things that happen in one’s dream are just dreams
우리 딸! 잘 자고 꿈속에서 만나~~ 사랑해
= Our daughter! Have a good sleep! See you in your dreams!
신혼여행 = honeymoon
Examples:
우리가 신혼여행을 갈 때 10 일 동안 런던에서 머물 거예요
= When we go on our honeymoon, we will stay in London for 10 days
제가 하고 싶은 것은 와이프랑 신혼여행을 가는 것뿐이에요
= The only thing I want to do is go on a honeymoon with my wife
노예 = slave
Common Usages:
노예 계약 = slave contract (a contract not fair for the worker)
Examples:
그 노예가 창문 밖을 봤을 뿐 아무 말도 하지 않았어요
= That slave just looked outside and didn’t say anything
그 가수와 소속사의 계약은 노예계약이라 불릴 만큼 아주 불공정 했어요
= The contract between that singer and the entertainment company could almost be called a slave contract, it’s really unfair
후유증 = aftereffects, aftermath
Common Usages:
후유증이 남다 = for aftereffects to be left over
Examples:
사고의 후유증일 뿐이에요
= It’s just the after effects of the accident
여행을 갔다 오고 나면 꼭 후유증으로 일주일 내내 피곤해요
= The aftereffects of travelling, is that when you come back you are tired for a whole week
부작용 = side effect
Common Usages:
심한 부작용 = severe side effect
가벼운 부작용 = light side effect
부작용이 남다 = for side effects to be left over
Examples:
이 약을 먹으면 부작용으로 손발이 부을 수도 있어요
= If you take this medicine, your hands and feet could get swollen as a side effect
환자분이 느끼는 고통은 부작용 중 하나 일 뿐이에요
= The pain you (the patient) are feeling is just one of the side effects
짝퉁 = a knock off item
Common Usages:
짝퉁 시장 = a market for counterfeit/knock off items
Examples:
우리 엄마는 중국에서 새로운 가방을 샀는데 비쌀 뿐만 아니라 짝퉁이었어요
= My mom bought a new bag in China, and not only was it expensive, it was a knock-off다
이곳은 상태가 진품에 제일 가까운 짝퉁을 살 수 있는 유명한 짝퉁 시장이예요
= This place is the market where you can buy popular counterfeits that most closely resemble the real products
곰팡이 = mold
Common Usages:
곰팡이 제거제 = mold removing disinfectant
곰팡이가 쓸다 = for mold to show up/grow
곰팡이가 피다 = for mold to show up/grow
Examples:
곰팡이뿐만 아니라 벌레도 있어요
= Not only is there mold, but there are bugs as well
식빵을 상온에 오래 두었더니 곰팡이가 피어서 먹을 수가 없어요
= I left the bread out in room temperature for a while, and then mold grew on it, so I couldn’t eat it
생리 = menstruation
Common Usages:
생리통 = menstrual pains
생리대 = menstrual pads
면생리대 = cotton menstrual pads
생리주기 = menstrual cycle
생리가 터지다 = for one’s period to start
Examples:
급하게 생리가 터져서 근처 편의점에 가서 생리대를 샀어요
= All of a sudden my period started so I went to a convenience store and bought some pads
본인의 생리주기를 잘 알고 있으면 생리를 하기 전에 미리 준비할 수 있어요
= If you know your menstrual cycle well, you can prepare for it in advance
현상 = phenomenon
Common Usages:
드문 현상 = a rare phenomenon
자연 현상 = a natural phenomenon
흔한 현상 = a common phenomenon
Examples:
해가 아침마다 뜨는 것은 어쩔 수 없는 현상이에요
= The fact that the sun rises every day is an inevitable phenomenon
아이들이 중학교에 입학해서 사춘기를 겪는 것은 아주 흔한 현상이에요
= Kids entering middle school and then going through puberty is a very common phenomenon
나무뿌리 = root of a tree
Examples:
나무뿌리가 썩지 않게 물을 너무 많이 주면 안돼요
= You shouldn’t give too much water so that the root of the tree doesn’t rot
사람들이 나무뿌리를 다 파내서 여기 있는 게 풀뿐이야
= People dug up all of the roots of trees, so the only thing left here is grass
숙소 = lodging/accommodations
Common Usages:
숙소비 = the price of accommodation
임시 숙소 = temporary accommodations
단기 숙소 임대 = short term accommodation rental
장기 숙소 임대 = long term accommodation rental
Examples:
저는 캐나다 숙소를 알아봐야 돼요
= I need to look into places to stay in Canada
성수기가 가까워질수록 숙소비가 더 비싸져요
= As it gets closer to the peak season, the price of accommodation gets more expensive
성수기가 가까워질수록 숙소비가 더 비싸져요
= As it gets closer to the peak season, the price of accommodation gets more expensive
우선 여행을 가기 전에 비행기 표와 숙소를 예약했다
= First, before leaving for our trip, I reserved a plane ticket and a place to stay
우리는 새로운 곳에 도착해서 숙소를 찾기 위해 주위를 두리번거렸어요
= We arrived in a new place and then looked around the area to find a place to stay
출장을 가야 되는데 회사가 식사비뿐만 아니라 숙소 비용도 안 줄 거예요
= I have to go on a business trip, but my company is not paying for my food or my stay
원주민 = aboriginal/native
Examples:
그 지역에서 살아 남은 사람들은 원주민뿐이에요
= The only people left in that area are the natives
외진 지역일수록 원주민들은 외부에서 들어온 사람을 배척할 가능성이 있어요
= As you get to a more secluded location, native peoples of a land are more likely to reject people from other places
겉 = exterior
Common Usages:
겉옷 = outer clothes (like a jacket)
겉모습 = looks, outer appearances
겉보기 = outward appearance
수박 겉 핥기 = an idiom that describes something “superficial”
Examples:
사람을 겉모습으로 평가해선 안 돼요
= You shouldn’t judge somebody on their looks
청소를 그렇게 하면 겉에만 깨끗해질 뿐이야
= If you clean it like that, it’s just the outside that will be clean
그 선물을 겉보기로만 봐서 나쁜 선물인 줄 알았어요
= By only looking at the outside appearance, I thought you got me a bad present
요즘에는 일교차가 심하길래 항상 겉옷을 가지고 다녀요
= These days, the daily temperature difference is severe, so I always bring my outerwear (jacket) when I go outside
벌레 = bugs, insects
Common Usages:
책벌레 = bookworm
애벌레 = caterpillar
바퀴벌레 = cockroach
Examples:
벌레를 보면 너무 무섭고 징그러워서 도망가게 돼요
= I saw a bug and it was really scary and gross, so I ended up running away
어렸을 때부터 책을 읽는 것을 너무 좋아해서 친구들이 책벌레라고 불렀어요
= Ever since I was young, I have loved reading books so my friends called me a bookworm
Verbs:
물다 = to bite
Notes: The word for “to ask” in Korean is 묻다. When 묻다 is conjugated, most of the results are similar to the conjugations of “묻다.” For example:
묻다 + ~아/어요 = 물어요
묻다 + ~아/어 = 물어
묻다 + ~았/었어요 = 물었어요
To prevent confusion between “묻다” (to ask) and “물다” (to bite), Korean people often use “물어보다” to mean “to ask.”
Common Usages:
물어뜯다 = to bite and pull on
혀를 깨물다 = to bite one’s tongue
입술을 깨물다 = when in pain (physical or emotional), one might “bite their lips.”
Examples:
눈물이 주륵 흐를 것만 같아서 눈물을 참기 위해 입술을 깨물었다
= I thought I was going to cry, and in order to hold in my tears I bit my lips
상어는 사람을 무는 이유는 사람을 대부분 물개로 착각하기 때문이에요
= The reason why sharks bite humans is mostly because they mistake them/us for seals
뜯다 = to pick at, to pluck
Common Usages:
포장을 뜯다 = to rip off the wrapping
Examples:
집에 오자마자 기다리고 기다리던 선물의 포장을 뜯었다
= As soon as I arrived home I ripped open the wrapping of the present I was waiting for
액자를 감싸고 있던 종이를 뜯자 아주 멋진 그림이 나타났다
= After picking off the paper covering the frame, there was a really nice picture inside
물어뜯다 = to bite and pull on
Common Usages:
손톱을 물어뜯다 = to bite at one’s fingernails
Examples:
그 남자는 손톱을 물어뜯을 뿐 전화를 받지 않았어요
= The man didn’t answer his phone, and was just biting his fingernails
우리 집 강아지가 제가 제일 좋아하는 인형을 물어뜯어 놓아서 너무 슬펐어요
= Our puppy chewed up my favorite doll, so I am really sad
도망가다 = to run away, to leave quickly
Common Usages:
잽싸게 도망가다 = to leave swiftly
Examples:
한 꼬마는 슈퍼에서 물건을 훔치고 잽싸게 도망갔다
= Some little boy stole an item from the supermarket and then swiftly ran away
고양이가 아침에 도망 나갔다고 들었어요! 그래서 그를 아침에 봤을 때 어쩐지 슬퍼 보였어요
= Oh! I just heard his cat ran away this morning! I was wondering why he looked so sad! That explains it!
괴롭히다 = to harass, to torment
Examples:
그 학생이 친구를 괴롭힐 뿐만 아니라 돈도 뺏어요
= That student doesn’t just harass his friend, but he also takes his money
한 학생이 친구를 심하게 괴롭혀서 반성하는 의미로 그 친구에게 사과 편지를 썼어요
= A student severely bothered/bullied his friend, and as a way of self-reflecting about what he did wrong, he wrote an apology letter
파내다 = to dig out, pick out
Common Usages:
끝까지 파내다 = to dig all the way to the end, to do everything possible
Examples:
사람들이 나무뿌리를 다 파내서 여기 있는 게 풀뿐이야
= People dug up all of the roots of trees, so the only thing left here is grass
나는 우리아빠의 죽음에 대한 진실을 끝까지 파내기 위해 최선을 다할 거야
= I am going to do everything possible and try my absolute best to find out the truth about my father’s death
패하다 = to be defeated, to lose
Common Usages:
안타깝게 패하다 = to lose in regrettable fashion
Examples:
비록 경기에 최선을 다했지만 치명적인 실수로 안타깝게 경기에 패하고 말았다
= Even though we did everything we could in the game, we made a fatal mistake, so we ended up regrettably losing it
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Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use 뿐 in a variety of situations. First, you will learn how to use 뿐 after a noun. Then, you will learn how to use 뿐 after a verb/adjective – both at the end of a sentence and in the middle of a sentence. Finally, you will learn how to use ~뿐만 아니라 to have the meaning of “not only A, but B.” Let’s get started.
Attaching 뿐 to a noun
뿐 can be attached directly to a noun to indicate that there is nothing other than the noun it is attached to. For example:
이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = There is nothing other than the side effects to worry about now
You could also translate 뿐 simply to “only” or “just.” For example:
이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = The only thing to worry about now is the side effects
Below are many more examples:
내가 원하는 유일한 것은 너뿐이야
= The only thing I want is you
그 창고에 있는 것은 짝퉁뿐이에요
= The only thing in that warehouse is fakes
그 지역에서 살아 남은 사람들은 원주민뿐이에요
= The only people left in that area are the natives
사람들이 나무뿌리를 다 파내서 여기 있는 게 풀뿐이야
= People dug up all of the roots of trees, so the only thing left here is grass
제가 하고 싶은 것은 와이프랑 신혼여행을 가는 것뿐이에요
= The only thing I want to do is go on a honeymoon with my wife
It is common to attach ~만 to 뿐 followed by 아니라 to indicate that there is some other noun involved to. For example:
This usually translates to “not only… but…” For example:
너뿐만 아니라 나도 경기에서 패했어= Not only you, but I also lost the match
Below are many more examples:
커피뿐만 아니라 간식도 샀어요
= Not only did I buy coffee, but I also bought snacks
곰팡이뿐만 아니라 벌레도 있어요
= Not only is there mold, but there are bugs as well
가족뿐만 아니라 친구들도 사랑해야 돼요
= Not only family, but you also need to love your friends too
그 셔츠에 무늬가 너무 신기해요. 줄무늬뿐만 아니라 얼룩무늬도 있네요
= That shirt’s pattern is cool. Not only is there striped, but there is camouflage pattern as well
So far you have only seen 뿐 attached to nouns. In this usage, 뿐 is a particle and is not a word on its own.
It is also possible to describe 뿐 with verbs, adjectives and 이다, making it a pseudo-noun like 수, 적, 데 and others. Let’s look at that next.
Describing 뿐 with a verb, adjective or 이다
By attaching ~ㄹ/을 to a verb, adjective or 이다, you can describe 뿐. Its translation is often similar to a situation you could have created in the previous section. I would like to illustrate this for you by providing you the ends of two possible sentences:
… 라면뿐이에요
… 라면일 뿐이에요
The ends of those sentences might both translate to “just ramen” or “only ramen.” However, the context given before each one would likely be different. When you use the first one, you are indicating (as I described in the previous section) that there is literally nothing but ramen remaining. So, for example, we could create the beginning of the sentence to be:
집에 있는 음식을 다 먹어서 이제 먹을 수 있는 게 라면뿐이에요
= I ate everything in the house, so the only thing left is just ramen
The second one has a different meaning and purpose. When you use the second one, you are indicating that there is nothing particular or special about the thing describing 뿐. So, for example, we could create the beginning of the sentence to be:
물을 조금 넣었다고 화를 이렇게 많이 내? 그냥 라면일 뿐이야.
= I just put a little bit of water in it, why are you so mad? It’s just ramen.
Here, there is nothing special about ramen. It’s just ramen. The listener should relax and realize that there is nothing particularly special about this, and therefore shouldn’t be so upset.
This can be confusing because both sentences essentially end with “just ramen.” It is important to recognize that 뿐 attached to a noun and 뿐 being described by a verb/adjective/이다 create a different meaning and nuance. Here are more examples of 뿐 being described by something:
그냥 돈일 뿐이에요 = It’s nothing… it’s just/only money
그것은 농담일 뿐이에요 = It’s just a joke
사고의 후유증일 뿐이에요 = It’s just the after effects of the accident
제가 배우가 되는 것은 꿈일 뿐이에요 = Becoming an actor is just a dream
그것을 사는 것은 돈 낭비일 뿐이에요 = Buying that is just a waste of money
꿈속에서 생기는 일은 그냥 꿈일 뿐이에요
= Things that happen in one’s dream are just dreams
저는 그냥 모든 일에 최선을 다 할 뿐이에요
= I just do my best in everything I do
청소를 그렇게 하면 겉에만 깨끗해질 뿐이야
= If you clean it like that, it’s just the outside that will be clean
생리를 하는 것은 그냥 자연스러운 현상일 뿐이에요
= Menstruating is just a natural phenomenon
그 친구를 술자리에 초대하고 싶지 않을 뿐이에요
= That friend just won’t want to invite you to the drinking party
네가 여기서 있는 것은 이 문제를 더욱 어렵게 할 뿐이야
= You being here just makes the problem worse
———————
~ㄹ/을 것 gets added even if the action is in the past tense. In these cases the ~ㄹ/을 뿐 gets attached to 았/었. For example:
저는 하늘을 봤을 뿐이에요 = I was just looking at the sky
네가 시키는 대로 했을 뿐이야 = I was just doing as you ordered
In this sense, it is possible to use 뿐 not just at the end of a sentence, but in the middle of a sentence. If you do this, 뿐 does not get conjugated in any way, and the whole construction is used to describe a state in which something is done.
그녀는 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 그냥 앉아 있었어요
= She just sat there staring at me
강아지가 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 도망가지 않았어요
= The dog just sat there staring at me, not running away
그 노예가 창문 밖을 봤을 뿐 아무 말도 하지 않았어요
= That slave just looked outside and didn’t say anything
그 남자는 손톱을 물어뜯을 뿐 전화를 받지 않았어요
= The man didn’t answer his phone, and was just biting his fingernails
Not only …, but B: ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라
Earlier we saw that ~뿐 can be attached to nouns and followed by ~만 아니라 to say “Not only a noun but another noun.” By using ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라, you can create this same meaning, but applied to verbs or adjectives. For example:
그는 가난할 뿐만 아니라 못생겼어요
= He is not only poor, but ugly
Below are more examples;
그 학생이 친구를 괴롭힐 뿐만 아니라 돈도 뺏어요
= That student doesn’t just harass his friend, but he also takes his money
이 회사는 집을 제공할 뿐만 아니라 차도 제공해요
= Not only does this company provide housing, but it also provides a car
음식이 없을 뿐만 아니라 음식을 살 수 있는 돈도 없어요
= Not only do we not have any food, but we also don’t have any money to buy food either
That’s it for this lesson!
Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.
Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this level.