-지

See also: 지

Korean

Etymology 1

Palatalized from earlier 디 (Yale: -ti), short for Middle Korean 디〮ᄫᅵ〮 (Yale: -tíWí, contrastive suffix). Compare Hamgyong Korean 지비 (-jibi), which has the most conservative form of this morpheme; Gyeongsang Korean 재 (-jae) may also be a non-shortened form of 디〮ᄫᅵ〮 (Yale: -tíWí), via Early Modern Korean 지웨 (-ciwey).

Sentence-final use appears in the eighteenth century, arising from an omission of the second fact in colloquial speech.

Suffix

지 • (-ji)

1. Used to contrast two facts regarding the same topic, thereby emphasizing both facts. In conversation, it is usually used to deny or qualify something the other person has said. The second fact tends to be negated or a rhetorical question.

   나는 애국자이지 민족주의자는 아닙니다.

   Na-neun aegukja-i-ji minjokjuuija-neun animnida.

   I am a patriot, not a nationalist.

   우리는 반려견을 가족처럼 생각해. — 개가 동물이지 어떻게 사람이냐?

   Uri-neun ballyeogyeon-eul gajok-cheoreom saenggak-hae. - Gae-ga dongmur-i-ji eotteoke saram-inya?

   We think of pet dogs like family. ― A dog is an animal; how can it be a human?

2. Used to strongly emphasize a fact by connecting two differently worded statements amounting to the same meaning. The second statement tends to be negated or a rhetorical question.

   죽었으면 죽었지 살아있을 리가 없다.

   Jug-eoss-eumyeon jug-eot-ji sara-isseul ri-ga eopda.

   He's dead for sure; no way he's alive.

3. In the intimate style, a general-purpose sentence-final suffix with a more affirmative sense than 어 (-eo):
   1. In the declarative mood, used to strongly affirm that something is the case.

      어떻게든 하겠지. ― Eotteoke-deun ha-get-ji. ― He's going to do it, no matter the how.

      영국 가봤어? ― 가봤지.

      Yeongguk ga-bwasseo? ― ga-bwat-ji.

      Have you been to the United Kingdom? ― Of course I did.

   2. right?; in the interrogative mood, used to request confirmation about something one believes.

      어떻게든 하겠지? ― eotteoke-deun ha-get-ji? ― He's going to do it somehow, right?

      터키가 원래 오스만이었지요?

      teoki-ga wollae Oseuman-i-eot-ji-yo?

      Turkey was originally the Ottomans, right?

   3. In the imperative mood, used to soften orders and make them more indirect.

      천천히 먹지. ― Cheoncheonhi meok-ji. ― It might be good if you ate more slowly.

Usage notes

(contrastive suffix):

• The first fact is often given further emphatic force through the construction 으면... 지 (-eumyeon... -ji), as in one of the examples above.

Alternative forms

• 재 (-jae) — Gyeongsang, sometimes in colloquial Seoul
• 지비 (-jibi) — Hamgyong

Etymology 2

From Middle Korean 디〮 (Yale: -tí), plausibly from ᄃᆞ (Yale: to, “fact”) + 이〮 (Yale: -í, nominative case marker); compare ᄃᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: -tól), of similar use in long negation and incorporating the accusative marker. Apparently a Middle Korean innovation; 隱 (*-n) and 尸 (*-lq) were used in Old Korean long negation.

Nam Pung-hyeon notes that Middle Korean 디〮 (Yale: -tí) and ᄃᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: -tól) apparently correspond to Old Korean 不知 (ANti, noun-negating particle) and 不冬 (ANtol, verb-negating adverb).

Suffix

지 • (-ji)

1. Used for the negated verb or adjective in "long negation".

   담배를 피우지 맙시다. ― Dambae-reul piu-ji mapsida. ― Let's not smoke.

   많지가 않아요. ― Man-chi-ga ana-yo. ― It's not much.

   서울에 오지 말 걸 그랬네요. ― Seour-e o-ji mal geol geuraenne-yo. ― I guess I shouldn't have come to Seoul.

   밥을 먹지도 못해요. ― Bab-eul meok-ji-do mot-hae-yo. ― He can't even eat.

Usage notes

In long negation, a clause is negated with the verbs 않다 (anta, “to not...”), 아니하다 (anihada, “(formal) to not...”) 못하다 (mothada, “to be unable to...”), or 말다 (malda, “to not do”). The verb or adjective of the negated clause takes the suffix 지 (-ji), which transforms the verb or adjective into the direct subject or object of the negating verb. Therefore, the verb negated via long negation can take 가 (-ga, subject marker) or 를 (-reul, direct object marker). Such case markers add a more emphatic nuance to the negation.

Long negation has a more formal connotation than the adverbial negators 안 (an, “not”) and 못 (mot, “cannot”). Compare:

• 야, 나 안 먹었어. ― Ya, na an meogeosseo. ― Hey, I didn't eat.
• 교수님, 저는 먹지 않았습니다. ― Gyosu-nim, jeo-neun meokji anatseumnida. ― I didn't eat, Professor.

Certain terms or expressions have a strong, sometimes obligatory, preference for one negation type or another. For example, adjectives derived from 스럽다 (-seureopda) are almost always negated by long negation, as are inherently negative verbs such as 없다 (eopda, “to not have”) and 모르다 (moreuda, “to not know”).

The adverbs negate only the verb or adjective, whereas long negation negates the entire embedded clause. While this difference is often not semantically meaningful, it can also lead to contrasting meanings, such as when the particle 만 (-man, “only”) is involved:

• 사과만 안 먹어.

  Sagwa-man an meogeo.

  Apples are the only thing they don't eat.

• 사과만 먹지 않아.

  Sagwa-man meokji ana.

  They don't only eat apples [but they eat other things too].

In the first case, only the verb 먹다 (meokda, “to eat”) is negated. In the latter, the entire clause 사과만 먹다 (sagwa-man meokda, “to eat only apples”) is negated.

For negative imperatives, long negation with 말다 (malda) is the only possibility, as no corresponding adverb exists.

Etymology 3

From Middle Korean 디〮 (Yale: -tí), from ᄃᆞ (Yale: to, “fact”) + 이〮 (Yale: -í, nominative case marker).

Suffix

지 • (-ji)

1. Only used in 는지 (-neunji), 은지 (-eunji), 던지 (-deonji), 을지 (-eulji), and 을는지 (-eulleunji).