Korean Negation Made Clear: 안 vs 못, -지 않다 and -지 못하다, 아니다, 없다 and 모르다, Saying "Don't" with -지 마세요, Negative Adverbs, Answering Negative Questions and Common Mistakes

One of the first things you need in any language is a way to say "no". In Korean, that turns out to be a small system rather than a single word. There is one way to say you do not do something, another to say you cannot, a separate word for "is not" with nouns, special opposite verbs for "have" and "know", a different ending for telling someone not to do something, and a set of adverbs that only appear in negative sentences. On top of that, Koreans answer negative questions in a way that often surprises English speakers.

The good news is that each piece is simple, and once you see how they fit together, Korean negation becomes very logical. This guide walks through the main patterns step by step, with example sentences, a comparison table and the mistakes learners make most often. It assumes you already know basic verb conjugation in the polite -아요/-어요 style. If you need a refresher, see our guide to Korean verb conjugation.

An overview of Korean negation

Here are the main tools at a glance. Each is explained in detail below.

Pattern	Meaning	Example	Translation
안 + verb	do not (short form)	안 가요	I don't go / I'm not going
verb stem + -지 않다	do not (long form)	가지 않아요	I don't go
못 + verb	cannot (short form)	못 가요	I can't go
verb stem + -지 못하다	cannot (long form)	가지 못해요	I can't go
noun + 이/가 아니다	is not (a noun)	학생이 아니에요	I'm not a student
없다	not have / not exist	시간이 없어요	I don't have time
모르다	not know	몰라요	I don't know
verb stem + -지 마세요	please don't	가지 마세요	Please don't go

Short negation with 안

The most common way to make a verb or adjective negative in everyday speech is to put 안 directly in front of it. 안 comes from 아니, meaning "not".

• 가요 (I go) → 안 가요 (I don't go)
• 먹어요 (I eat) → 안 먹어요 (I don't eat)
• 비싸요 (It's expensive) → 안 비싸요 (It's not expensive)
• 추워요 (It's cold) → 안 추워요 (It's not cold)

안 works with both action verbs and descriptive verbs (adjectives). It sounds natural and conversational, which is why you will hear it constantly in dramas, songs and daily life.

Where 안 goes with 하다 verbs

Many Korean verbs are made of a noun plus 하다, such as 공부하다 (to study), 운동하다 (to exercise) and 일하다 (to work). With these verbs, 안 goes between the noun and 하다, not in front of the whole verb.

• 공부해요 → 공부 안 해요 (I don't study), not 안 공부해요
• 운동해요 → 운동 안 해요 (I don't exercise)
• 청소해요 → 청소 안 해요 (I don't clean)

This rule applies to action verbs. Descriptive verbs ending in 하다, such as 깨끗하다 (to be clean) or 조용하다 (to be quiet), are treated as single words, so 안 goes in front: 안 깨끗해요, 안 조용해요. A few 하다 action verbs that are felt as single words, such as 좋아하다 (to like), also take 안 in front: 안 좋아해요.

Long negation with -지 않다

The second way to say "not" is to attach -지 않다 to the verb stem. The meaning is the same as 안, but the tone is slightly more formal and careful. You will see it often in writing, news, formal speech and polite situations.

• 가다 → 가지 않아요 (I don't go)
• 먹다 → 먹지 않아요 (I don't eat)
• 비싸다 → 비싸지 않아요 (It's not expensive)
• 공부하다 → 공부하지 않아요 (I don't study)

Notice that with -지 않다 you do not need to split 하다 verbs; the ending simply attaches to the stem. This makes the long form useful when you are unsure where 안 should go.

Which one should I use?

In everyday conversation, 안 is more common, especially with short verbs. -지 않다 is preferred in writing and more formal speech, and it often sounds better with long verbs or descriptive phrases. Both are correct, and native speakers mix them freely.

Saying "can't" with 못

When you want to say that you are unable to do something, rather than that you choose not to, use 못. Like 안, it goes in front of the verb.

• 가요 → 못 가요 (I can't go)
• 먹어요 → 못 먹어요 (I can't eat it)
• 자요 → 못 자요 (I can't sleep)
• 수영해요 → 수영 못 해요 (I can't swim)

With 하다 action verbs, 못 goes between the noun and 하다, just like 안. The pronunciation of 못 changes depending on the next sound. For example, 못 해요 is pronounced [모태요], 못 먹어요 is pronounced [몬머거요] and 못 와요 is pronounced [모돠요]. Our guide to Korean pronunciation rules explains why these changes happen.

Long form: -지 못하다

The long form of 못 is -지 못하다. Like -지 않다, it is a little more formal and common in writing.

• 가지 못해요 (I can't go)
• 참석하지 못했습니다 (I was unable to attend)

못 and descriptive verbs

In general, 못 is used with action verbs, not with adjectives. You would not say 못 비싸요 to mean "it can't be expensive". The long form -지 못하다 does appear with some descriptive verbs, but with a special meaning: something falls short of an expected standard, as in 넉넉하지 못해요 (it's not enough, it falls short of being plentiful). This is a more advanced use you will meet later.

안 versus 못: "don't" or "can't"?

Choosing between 안 and 못 changes the meaning significantly, and it can change how polite you sound.

Sentence	Meaning	Nuance
안 먹어요	I don't eat it	A choice or habit, such as not liking it
못 먹어요	I can't eat it	An inability, such as an allergy or being too full
안 가요	I'm not going	I decided not to go
못 가요	I can't go	Something prevents me from going
숙제 안 했어요	I didn't do my homework	Sounds like I chose not to
숙제 못 했어요	I couldn't do my homework	Sounds like something stopped me

This difference matters socially. If a friend invites you somewhere and you answer 안 가요, it can sound like you simply do not want to go. 못 가요 sounds softer, because it suggests circumstances prevent you. Koreans often use 못 when declining invitations politely, adding a reason: 미안해요, 그날 일이 있어서 못 가요 (Sorry, I have work that day, so I can't go).

Another way to say "can't": -(으)ㄹ 수 없다

You can also express inability with -(으)ㄹ 수 없다, literally "there is no way to". For example, 지금은 갈 수 없어요 means "I can't go now". It is common in both speech and writing and is the negative of -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (can).

Negating nouns with 아니다

To say that something is not a particular thing, use 아니다 with the subject particle 이 or 가. In polite speech, 아니다 becomes 아니에요 (sometimes misspelled 아니예요; 아니에요 is the standard form).

• 학생이에요 (I'm a student) → 학생이 아니에요 (I'm not a student)
• 의사예요 (He's a doctor) → 의사가 아니에요 (He's not a doctor)
• 제 가방이에요 (It's my bag) → 제 가방이 아니에요 (It's not my bag)

Use 이 after a noun ending in a consonant and 가 after a noun ending in a vowel. Our guide to Korean particles explains 이 and 가 in more detail. In formal speech, 아니다 becomes 아닙니다, and in casual speech it becomes 아니야.

A common mistake is to use 안 with nouns, as in 안 학생이에요. This is incorrect. Nouns are negated with 아니다, not 안.

아니요: the word for "no"

The standalone word for "no" is 아니요, often shortened to 아뇨 in speech. In casual speech among friends, people say 아니 or 아냐. These are related to 아니다 but are used on their own as answers.

Special opposites: 없다 and 모르다

Some common verbs have their own negative partners, and Koreans use these instead of adding 안.

있다 → 없다

있다 means "to have" or "to exist", and its opposite is 없다. Instead of 안 있어요, say 없어요.

• 시간이 있어요 (I have time) → 시간이 없어요 (I don't have time)
• 화장실이 있어요? (Is there a restroom?) → 화장실이 없어요 (There's no restroom)

The same pattern appears in common adjectives built with 있다: 재미있다 (to be fun) becomes 재미없다 (to be boring), 맛있다 (to be tasty) becomes 맛없다 (to taste bad), and 멋있다 (to be cool) becomes 멋없다 (to be uncool).

알다 → 모르다

알다 means "to know", and its opposite is 모르다. Instead of 안 알아요, say 몰라요.

• 알아요 (I know) → 몰라요 (I don't know)
• 한국어를 몰라요 (I don't know Korean)
• 잘 모르겠어요 (I'm not sure, I don't really know), a softer and very common phrase

Telling someone "don't" with -지 말다

To tell someone not to do something, Korean uses a completely different pattern: the verb stem plus -지 말다. You cannot use 안 or 못 to give negative commands.

• 가지 마세요 (Please don't go)
• 걱정하지 마세요 (Don't worry)
• 여기에서 사진을 찍지 마세요 (Please don't take photos here)
• 가지 마 (Don't go, casual)

-지 마세요 is polite and appears on signs and in announcements. In casual speech among close friends, -지 마 is common, and you will often hear 하지 마 (Don't do that) or 울지 마 (Don't cry) in dramas and songs.

"Let's not" and "instead of"

The same verb 말다 appears in other patterns. -지 맙시다 means "let's not" in a formal or public tone, while -지 말자 is the casual version. -지 말고 means "don't do this, but do that instead": 택시 타지 말고 지하철 타세요 (Don't take a taxi; take the subway instead).

Negative adverbs

Some adverbs are used almost only in negative sentences. They add emphasis or soften the statement.

Adverb	Meaning	Example	Translation
전혀	not at all	전혀 몰라요	I have no idea at all
별로	not really, not particularly	별로 안 좋아해요	I don't really like it
아무도	nobody	아무도 없어요	There's nobody here
아무것도	nothing	아무것도 안 먹었어요	I didn't eat anything
하나도	not even one, not at all	하나도 안 매워요	It's not spicy at all
절대	never, absolutely not	절대 포기하지 마세요	Never give up

Note that these adverbs need a negative verb. 별로 좋아해요 without 안 sounds wrong, even though 별로 itself contains a negative feeling.

Negation with tenses and honorifics

Negative forms combine naturally with tense and politeness. The negative word stays the same, and the verb ending carries the tense or level of respect.

• Past: 안 갔어요 / 가지 않았어요 (I didn't go); 못 갔어요 / 가지 못했어요 (I couldn't go)
• Future or intention: 안 갈 거예요 / 가지 않을 거예요 (I won't go)
• Honorific: 안 가세요? (Aren't you going? to someone you respect); 가지 않으세요
• Formal: 가지 않습니다; 가지 못합니다
• Casual: 안 가; 못 가; 가지 마

If you want to review tenses, our guide to Korean tenses covers past, present and future forms in detail.

Answering negative questions: the yes and no trap

This is the part of Korean negation that confuses English speakers most. In Korean, 네 (yes) and 아니요 (no) respond to whether the question's statement is correct, not to whether the action happens.

Imagine someone asks: 내일 안 가요? (Aren't you going tomorrow?)

• If you are not going, answer 네, 안 가요. Literally: "Yes, (that's right,) I'm not going."
• If you are going, answer 아니요, 가요. Literally: "No, (that's wrong,) I'm going."

In English, people usually say "No, I'm not going" and "Yes, I am". In Korean, 네 agrees with the statement in the question. It takes practice, so listen carefully to how Koreans answer and repeat the full sentence after 네 or 아니요 to avoid confusion.

-지 않아요? as "isn't it?"

A question ending in -지 않아요? often works like the English "isn't it?" or "don't you think?". For example, 오늘 춥지 않아요? means "Isn't it cold today?" The speaker usually expects agreement, and a natural answer is 네, 좀 추워요 (Yes, it's a bit cold). This pattern is related to the friendly sentence-final endings explained in our guide to Korean sentence-final endings.

Double negatives and "must"

Korean uses double negatives to express strong obligation or certainty. They may look strange at first, but they are very common.

• -지 않으면 안 되다: "if you don't do it, it won't do", meaning "must". 가지 않으면 안 돼요 means "I have to go".
• 안 -(으)ㄹ 수 없다: "cannot not do", meaning "can't help but". 안 웃을 수 없었어요 means "I couldn't help laughing".
• -지 않을 수 없다: the long-form version of the same idea, common in writing.

Common mistakes and tricky pairs

잘 못하다 versus 잘못하다

Spacing changes meaning here. 잘 못해요, with a space, means "I'm not good at it": 노래를 잘 못해요 (I'm not good at singing). 잘못했어요, written as one word, means "I did something wrong" and is used in apologies: 제가 잘못했어요 (It was my fault). In speech, context and intonation make the difference clear.

못하다 as "be bad at"

When written as one word, 못하다 can also mean "to be poor at" something: 수학을 못해요 (I'm bad at maths). With a space, 못 해요 means "I can't do it" because of circumstances. Learners do not need to worry too much about spacing in speech, but it matters in writing.

Other frequent errors

• Using 안 with nouns: say 학생이 아니에요, not 안 학생이에요.
• Saying 안 있어요 or 안 알아요: use 없어요 and 몰라요.
• Putting 안 before the whole 하다 verb: say 공부 안 해요, not 안 공부해요.
• Using 안 for commands: say 가지 마세요, not 안 가세요 (which means "Aren't you going?").
• Forgetting the negative verb with 별로 or 전혀.
• Answering negative questions the English way with 아니요 when you mean to agree.

Practice: turn these sentences negative

Try making each sentence negative before reading the answer.

• 커피를 마셔요 → 커피를 안 마셔요 / 마시지 않아요 (I don't drink coffee)
• 오늘 바빠요 → 오늘 안 바빠요 / 바쁘지 않아요 (I'm not busy today)
• 운전해요 (I drive) → 운전 안 해요 (I don't drive) / 운전 못 해요 (I can't drive)
• 제 친구예요 → 제 친구가 아니에요 (He's not my friend)
• 돈이 있어요 → 돈이 없어요 (I don't have money)
• 여기에 앉으세요 → 여기에 앉지 마세요 (Please don't sit here)
• 그 사람을 알아요 → 그 사람을 몰라요 (I don't know that person)

Negative phrases you will hear in dramas and songs

Korean dramas and K-pop lyrics are full of negative expressions, and recognising them is a great way to reinforce what you have learned. Here are some of the most common, with notes on how they are used.

• 가지 마 (Don't go): a classic line in emotional farewell scenes, often whispered or shouted as someone walks away.
• 울지 마 (Don't cry): a comforting phrase that appears in countless ballads and drama scenes.
• 하지 마 (Don't do that / Stop it): used to stop someone, playfully or seriously, depending on the tone.
• 몰라 (I don't know / Whatever): a casual reply that can sound sulky or dismissive when said with a certain tone.
• 안 돼 (No way / It's not allowed / It can't be): one of the most frequent expressions in Korean, used for refusal, disbelief or alarm.
• 말도 안 돼 (That makes no sense / That's impossible): literally "it doesn't even make words", used when something is unbelievable.
• 괜찮지 않아 (I'm not okay): a phrase that often marks a turning point in a character's emotions.
• 잊지 마 (Don't forget): common in songs and in scenes where characters part ways.

When you hear these phrases, try to identify which tool is being used: 안, 못, -지 말다 or a special verb such as 모르다. Watching with Korean subtitles makes this much easier. Over time, you will start to notice how tone and context change the feeling of a simple negative, from tender to angry to teasing.

Negation in real conversation

In everyday Korean, people often soften negative statements to avoid sounding blunt. Instead of a flat 싫어요 (I don't like it), you might hear 별로예요 (It's not really my thing) or 좀 그래요 (It's a bit, you know). When declining food, 괜찮아요 (I'm fine, no thank you) is more polite than 안 먹어요. When asked something you do not know, 잘 모르겠어요 sounds gentler than 몰라요. Learning these softer options will make your Korean sound more natural and considerate. For more on choosing the right tone, see our guide to Korean honorifics.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 안 and -지 않다?

They mean the same thing. 안 is shorter and more common in conversation, while -지 않다 sounds slightly more formal and is common in writing.

When should I use 못 instead of 안?

Use 못 when you are unable to do something because of ability or circumstances. Use 안 when you choose not to do it or it simply is not the case.

Can I use 안 with nouns?

No. Nouns are negated with 아니다: 학생이 아니에요 (I'm not a student).

Why do Koreans say 네 when they mean "no"?

With negative questions, 네 means "yes, what you said is right". So to 안 가요? (Aren't you going?), 네, 안 가요 means "Right, I'm not going".

How do I say "don't" in a polite request?

Use the verb stem plus -지 마세요: 걱정하지 마세요 (Please don't worry).

Is 안 알아요 correct?

No. Use 몰라요 for "I don't know". Similarly, use 없어요 instead of 안 있어요.

What does 안 돼 mean?

안 돼 (or politely 안 돼요) comes from 되다, "to be possible" or "to work". It means "that is not allowed", "that won't work" or "no way", depending on context. A parent might say it to stop a child, a shop assistant might use it to say something is not possible, and friends use it to express shock or disbelief.

Final thought: small words, big differences

Korean negation may seem complicated at first because it uses several different tools. But each one has a clear job: 안 for "don't", 못 for "can't", 아니다 for "is not", 없다 and 모르다 for "don't have" and "don't know", and -지 마세요 for "please don't". Once you start noticing these patterns in dramas, songs and conversations, you will hear them everywhere. Practise them in short, everyday sentences, pay attention to how Koreans soften their refusals, and remember the yes and no trap with negative questions. Before long, saying "no" in Korean will feel as natural as saying "yes".