Curious about how to say “nothing” in Korean? The main word for “nothing” in Korean is 아무것도 (amugeotdo).
This main word, however, is not used in the same way as we use it English. 아무것도 (amugeotdo) is normally paired with another negative word for it to actually mean “nothing.” We’ll tell you more about this below.
In this article, we’ll explore various ways to express “nothing” in Korean, along with practical examples and usage tips.
Quick Summary
- ✅The word 아무것도 (amugeotdo) combines with negative verbs to accurately convey “nothing” in Korean.
- ✅It’s typically paired with negative words such as 아니다 (anida) or 없다 (eopda) to form phrases that mean “nothing.”
Contents
How to say “nothing” in Korean
To learn how to say the word for “nothing” in Korean, you have to first know the word 아무것도 (amugeotdo). The word 아무 (amu) means “any” and 것 (geot) means “thing”. Thus, on its own 아무것도 signifies “anything”. Therefore, it needs to be paired with a negative word to mean “nothing.”
It is paired together with either 아니다 (anida) or 없다 (eopda). Sometimes, it may also be paired up with 않다 (anta), which holds significant usage.
Example:
A: 상자 안에 뭐가 있어요? (sangja ane mwoga isseoyo?)
What’s in the box?
B: 상자 안에 아무것도 없어요. (sangja ane amugeotdo eopseoyo)
There’s nothing in the box.
아무것도 아닌 것 (amugeotdo anin geot)
If you want to specifically say “nothing,” you can use the word 아무것도 아닌 것 (amugeotdo anin geot). This term brings together the word “any,” the negative word that turns it into “nothing,” and then the word for “thing,” 것 (geot), which further emphasizes the meaning of the word.
Example:
1. 그는 가끔 아무것도 아닌 것에 집착해. (geuneun gakkeum amugeotdo anin geose jipchakae)
He’s sometimes obsessed with nothing.
아무 일 (amu il)
Another word for anything – and subsequently, nothing – is 아무 일 (amuil). This word, too, gets 도 (do) added to its tail and a negative word as its pairing when properly used. For example, a popular pairing is 하지 않다 (haji anta), which emphasizes that nothing is being done.
Of course, you form the sentences using whichever level of politeness and formality suits the situation. For formal situations, you will want to use the -ㅂ니다 (-mnida) ending. For most others, -요 (-yo), which is the standard way, will do. Generally, for casual situations among friends, you can change or drop the formalities altogether.
Example:
A: 지나 씨, 어제 무슨 일 있었어요? (jina ssi, eoje museun il isseosseoyo?)
Gina, what happened yesterday?
B: 아무 일도 없었어요. (amu ildo eopseosseoyo)
Nothing happened.
Different terms using “nothing” in Korean
Below is a list of expressions that include the word “nothing” and their English translations. These will help you apply this vocabulary in the future. Besides the abovementioned ones, there are additional phrases used to say “it’s nothing” in Korean.
“It’s nothing” in Korean
For “It’s nothing,” you can use 아무것도 아니다 (amugeotdo anida).
Example:
A: 그게 뭐예요? (geuge mwoyeyo?)
What is that?
B: 아무것도 아니에요. (amugeotdo anieyo.)
It’s nothing.
Another way to say it is 별일 아니다 (byeollil anida). This can be used when saying something is not a big deal.
Example:
1. 그냥 잊어버려. 별일 아니야. (geunyang ijeobeoryeo. byeollil aniya.)
Just forget about it. It’s nothing.
“Nothing much” in Korean
Here, too, there are two expressions.
First one is 별거 없다 (byeolgeo eopda).
The second one is 별로 없다 (byeollo eopda).
Both can be used in similar ways.
Example:
A: 오늘 뭐하세요? (oneul mwo haseyo?)
What are you doing today?
B: 별거 없어요. (byeolgeo eopseoyo)
Nothing much.
A: 이번 여름에 특별한 계획 있어요? (ibeon yeoreume teukbyeolhan gyehoek isseoyo?)
Do you have any special plans for this summer?
B: 아니요. 별로 없어요. (aniyo, byeollo eopseoyo)
No, I don’t have much.
“Nothing else” in Korean
The expression for this is 외에 다른 것은 없다 (oee dareun geoseun eopda). In front of 외에, you will add the thing that is the exception, outside of which there is “nothing.”
Example:
A: 오늘 숙제 많이 받았어? (oneul sukje mani badasseo?)
Was there a lot of homework today?
B: 아니, 영어 숙제 외에 다른 것은 없었어. (ani, yeongeo sukje oee dareun geoseun eopseosseo.)
No, there was nothing else besides English homework.
“Good-for-nothing” in Korean
The expression for this is 아무짝에도 쓸모없다 (amujjagedo sseulmoeopda).
Example:
1. 그건 고장나버려서 이제 아무짝에도 쓸모없어. (geugeon gojangnabeoryeoseo ije amujjagedo sseulmoeopseo)
It’s broken, so it’s no good now.
“Worth nothing” in Korean
The expression for this is 아무 가치도 없다 (amu gachido eopda).
Example:
1. 아무 가치도 없어요. 그냥 버려주세요. (amu gachido eopseoyo. geunyang beoryeojuseyo)
It is worth nothing. Just throw it away.
“Nothing to say” in Korean
The expression for this is 할 말이 없다 (hal mari eopda) or 말할 것이 없다 (malhal geosi eopda).
Example:
1. 할 말이 없었어요. (hal mari eopseosseoyo)
There was nothing to say.
2. 그 문제에 대해서는 말할 것이 없어요. (geu munjee daehaeseoneun malhal geosi eopseoyo)
There is nothing to say about the matter.
“Nothing to do” in Korean
The expression for this is 할 일이 없다 (hal iri eopda) or 할 것이 없다 (hal geosi eopda).
Example:
1. 오늘 우리는 할 일이 없어요. (oneul urineun hal iri eopseoyo)
We have nothing to do today.
2. 여기서는 이제 할 것이 없으니까 다른 데로 가자. (yeogiseoneun ije hal geosi eopseunikka dareun dero gaja)
There’s nothing to do here now, so let’s go somewhere else.
“Do nothing” in Korean
The expression for this is 아무것도 하지 마세요 (amugeotdo haji maseyo). Notice that this is an imperative sentence. Thus, this is you ordering someone to do nothing rather than expressing that you are doing nothing.
Example:
1. 내가 돌아올 때까지 아무것도 하지 마. (naega doraol ttaekkaji amugeotdo haji ma)
Do nothing until I come back.
“Nothing special” in Korean
For this expression, you can use 특별한 일 (teukbyeolhan ir) or 특별한 것 (teukbyeolhan geot) with negative verbs like 아니다 (anida) and 없다 (eopda )
Example:
1. 그건 특별한 일이 아니었어요. (geugeon teukbyeolhan iri anieosseoyo)
It was nothing special.
2. 그 영화는 특별한 것이 없어. (geu yeonghwaneun teukbyeolhan geosi eopseo)
There’s nothing special about the movie.
What to do after learning how to say “nothing” in Korean
Now, you can add numerous ways to say “nothing” in Korean to your vocabulary! Next, how about learning some more Korean phrases, this time your favorite lines heard in many Korean dramas?
- Korean Words – Learn new vocabulary to use with the Korean word for “nothing.”
- Korean Phrases – Learn useful phrases or answer questions related to “nothing” in Korean.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below, we’ve covered the most common questions related to using the word “nothing” in Korean.
What is Eopseo?
없어 (eopseo) is the casual form of the verb 없다 (eopda), which can mean “there is no…”, “to do not exist,” and “to have no…”. You can say 없어 (eopseo) to say “There isn’t” or “I don’t have.”
Is “아무” formal or informal? Can it be used in both polite and casual speech?
The answer is yes. It can be used in both formal and informal settings. The word 아무 (amu) in Korean is neutral in terms of formality. The formality of a sentence depends on the verb ending.
For example:
- In casual speech: 아무 것도 아니야. (amu geotdo aniya) It’s nothing.
- In formal speech: 아무 문제 없습니다. (amu munje eopseumnida) There is no problem.
What does 도 mean in 아무것도 and 아무 일도? Why is it used?
Korean particle 도 (do) has a meaning similar to “even” or the phrase “any at all” in English. When used with 아무 (amu), which itself means “any” or “whatever,” it enhances the meaning to express a total lack of restriction or exception.
For example:
- 아무 일도 (아무 + 일 + 도): “no matter at all” or “no event at all”
- 아무것도 (아무 + 것 + 도): “nothing at all”
The use of 도 (do) with 아무 (amu) is very common in negative sentences, and 도 (do) strengthens the negation. So use 도 (do) if you want to emphasize a complete negation or absence of something.
Here are a few examples:
1. 아무 일도 일어나지 않았어. (amu ildo ireonaji anasseo)
Nothing happened at all.
2. 나는 아무것도 몰라요. (naneun amugeotdo mollayo)*
I know nothing.
This also translates to “I don’t know anything at all.”
Conclusion
In wrapping up our lesson on saying “nothing” in Korean, we learned that there are many ways to use this word.
Remember, to form this word, start with 아무것도 (amugeotdo) or “anything” first, then pair it with negative words like 아니다 (anida) or 없다 (eopda).
What questions do you have about how to say “nothing” in Korean? Let us know in the comments below!
