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HOW TO SAY OR IN KOREAN
Choices are part of daily life conversations, such as “would you like to stay home or go for a walk?”
Let’s see how to give options and choices with this lesson on “or” in Korean.
INTRODUCTION
In Korean, the expression ‘or’ takes two forms in general, depending on whether it is used with a noun or a verb.
- For nouns, ~(이)나 is used.
- For verbs, ~거나 is used.
For ‘or’ between phrases, 아니면 (if not) is used.
NOUN OR NOUN || ENDING WITH CONSONANT
When the noun before ‘or’ ends with a consonant, ‘이나’ is used.
The ending of the noun after ‘or’ does not influence the structure.
PATTERN
Noun + 이나 + Noun
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 중식이나 한식을 먹고 싶어요. | I want Chinese food or Korean food. |
| 빨간색이나 노란색 가방을 주세요. | Please give me a red or a yellow bag. |
View More Phrases
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 빵이나쿠키사올수있어요? | Could you get bread or cookie? |
| 쌀이나밀을재배할수 있습니다. | You can cultivate rice or wheat. |
| 여기서손이나발을씻을수 있습니다. | You can wash your hand or your feet here. |
NOUN OR NOUN || ENDING WITH VOWEL
When the noun before ‘or’ ends with a vowel, ‘나’ is used.
The ending of the noun after ‘or’ does not influence the structure.
PATTERN
Noun + 나 + Noun
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 강아지나 고양이를 갖고 싶어요. | I want to have a dog or a cat. |
| 엄마나 누나가 데리러 올꺼에요. | My mom or my sister will come pick me up. |
View More Phrases
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 나는 노래나 춤을 좋아해요. | I like singing or dancing. |
| 내일 비나 눈이 온데요. | It is going to rain or snow tomorrow. |
| 형은 프랑스나 독일을 방문하고 싶어해요. | My brother wants to visit France or Germany. |
VERB OR VERB
When ‘or’ is used between two verbs, verb + (는)거나 + verb structure is used.
Adding ‘는’ normalize a verb to a noun. 는거나 or 거나 gives essentially the same meaning.
PATTERN
Verb + (는)거나 + Verb
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 먹거나 마셔야 한다. | You have to eat or drink. |
| 나는 노래하는거나 춤추는것을 좋아해요. | I like signing or dancing. |
View More Phrases
| korean | english |
|---|---|
| 이것은 끓여먹거나 튀겨먹을 수 있어요. | We can eat this by either boiling it or frying it. |
| 버스를 타거나 택시를 타고 도착할 수 있어요. | You can get there either by taking a bus or taking a taxi. |
| 나는 피아노를 치거나 기타를 칠꺼에요. | I am going to play piano or play guitar. |
PHRASE OR PHRASE
The Korean word 아니면, meaning ‘if not’, is often used as ‘or’ between phrases.
It is similar to how ‘otherwise’ in English can be replaced with ‘or’, and is generally for casual speaking.
A sentence with 아니면 can be easily re-structured to a sentence with (이)나, or (는)거나.
PATTERN
Phrase + 아니면 + Phrase
| Korean with 아니면 | Korean with (이)나 | english |
|---|---|---|
| 극장에 갈래요? 아니면 쇼핑몰에 갈래요? | 극장이나 쇼핑몰에 갈래요? | Do you like to go to the theatre? Or do you want to go to the mall? |
| 한식 먹을래요? 아니면 중식 먹을래요? | 한식이나 중식 먹을래요? | Do you want to eat Korean food? Or do you want to eat Chinese food? |
View More Phrases
| Korean with 아니면 | Korean with (이)나 | english |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 떠날까요? 아니면 내일 떠날까요? | 오늘이나 내일 떠날까요? | Shall we leave today or tomorrow? |
| 까페에서 만나도 좋구요. 아니면 레스토랑에서 만나도 좋아요. | 까페나 레스토랑에서 만나면 좋겠어요. | We could meet at the café or we could meet at the restaurant. |
| 커피 마시겠어요? 아니면 차를 좀 드릴까요? | 커피나 차 마시겠어요? | Would you like to drink a coffee? Or do you want some tea? |
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FAQs
How to say or in Korean?
In Korean, the expression ‘or’ takes two forms in general, depending on whether it is used with a noun or a verb.
~(이)나 is placed between two nouns.
~거나 is used between two verbs.
For ‘or’ between phrases, 아니면 (meaning “if no”t) is used.
How to make a sentence with 아니면?
아니면 is placed in between two phrases to indicate a choice.
극장에 갈래요? 아니면 쇼핑몰에 갈래요? Do you like to go to the theatre? Or do you want to go to the mall?
한식 먹을래요? 아니면 중식 먹을래요? Do you want to eat Korean food? Or do you want to eat Chinese food?
How to make a sentence with (이)나?
When the noun before ‘or’ ends with a consonant, 이나 is used:
중식이나 한식을 먹고 싶어요. I want Chinese food or Korean food.
When the noun before ‘or’ ends with a vowel, 나 is used:
강아지나 고양이를 갖고 싶어요. I want to have a dog or a cat.
Is Korean SVO or SOV?
Korean is a SOV language, meaning the basic language structure is:
Subject + Object + Verb
Japanese, Mongolian and Turkish are also SOV languages for example.
English is a SVO language: subject + verb + object
—
Learn more about Korean sentence structures here.
Which is easier, Korean or Japanese?
According to studies, Japanese is reportedly the most difficult language for native English speakers to learn.
Korean and Japanese are at the top of the “most difficult” level – with Japanese having just a small edge on Korean for it’s use of 2 alphabetic structures and use of kanji – Chinese characters (in total 3 alphabets essentially) instead of just one alphabet like in Korean.
Where to sign up for Korean classes?
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We also offer Korean Courses in Seoul, in both group and individual classes.
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