Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
어미 eo-mi
Sentence-final ending — the grammatical suffix at the end of a Korean sentence/verb
What does 어미 mean?
어미 (eo-mi) means: Sentence-final ending — the grammatical suffix at the end of a Korean sentence/verb.
Grammatically it just marks tense/mood/formality, but in real spoken Korean the pitch and energy carried on the 어미 is where most of the emotional information lives — the same words with a falling, flat 어미 can read as tired, curt, or angry, even when nothing else about the sentence changed.
🔊 From the story above
어미 — Eo-mi
짜증 — jjajeung, "irritation / annoyance"
밥 먹어 — bap meogeo, "eat your food / come eat"
괜찮아 — gwaenchana, "I'm okay / it's fine"
오늘 피곤해서 — oneul pigonhaeseo, "I'm tired today"
오늘 몸이 안 좋아서 목소리가 가라앉을 수 있어 — listen & repeat
본 콘텐츠는 — listen & repeat
기술을 활용하여 제작되었습니다 — listen & repeat
How it's actually used
- 한국어는 문장 끝에 붙는 어미에 따라 상대방을 대하는 태도가 완전히 달라져요.
hanggugeoneun munjang kkeute butneun eomie ttara sangdaebangeul daehaneun taedoga wanjeonhi dallajyeoyo.
In Korean, your attitude toward the listener completely changes depending on the sentence-final ending.
💡 Use when explaining the social role of verb endings. - 이 문장에서는 어미를 높임말로 바꾸는 게 더 자연스러울 것 같아요.
i munjangeseoneun eomireul nopinmallo bakkuneun ge deo jayeonseureul geot gatayo.
It would probably be more natural to change the ending to honorific here.
💡 Common feedback during language study or writing correction. - 궁금증을 나타내는 의문사 뒤에는 보통 어떤 어미가 어울릴까요?
gunggeumjungeul nataneun uimunsa dwieoneun botong eotteon eomiga eoullilggayo?
What kind of ending usually goes well after a question word expressing curiosity?
💡 Used in a grammar or linguistic discussion context.
Related words in Grammar
아무것도 amugeotdo아무나 amuna아슬아슬 Aseul-aseul법이다 Beob-ida척하다 Cheokhada