Jump to:
Vocabulary
Nouns:
관내 = jurisdiction
전표 = statement
등불 = lantern
고압 = high pressure
전류 = electric current
전압 = voltage
지연 = delay
관계자 = authorized personnel
귀마개 = ear protection
일시적 = temporary
즉각적 = immediate
Verbs:
삼가다 = to refrain from
저물다 = to get dark
금하다 = to prohibit
손대다 = to touch
조치하다 = to take action/steps/measures
재촉하다 = to hurry somebody
권장하다 = to recommend
Adjectives:
공손하다 = to be polite
Adverbs and Other Words:
본 = formal determiner prefix to describe this, the present, the said in official or written style
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the structure of a common literary infix: ~오~. That is, a particle that squeezes between words and other grammatical principles. Although this infix is somewhat old-fashioned, it shows up a lot in literature and formal situations. Let’s get started!
Where ~(으)오~ Appears
Grammatically, you can place ~(으)오~ onto any verb, adjective or 이다, but not to standalone nouns. For example:
가오~
먹으오~
사람이오~
A variety of grammatical principles can be attached to ~(으)오~, but most are archaic uses and are not common in modern Korean. For example, if you were watching a historical Korean drama where the characters were based in the 1500s, you might hear the following:
제가 곧 가오리다
Here, ~오리다 has the meaning similar to ~겠어요 or ~ㄹ/을게요 in modern Korean. Therefore, the sentence above translates to something like:
I will go soon
The official grammatical principle is ~(으)오~, where ~으오~ is attached to word stems ending in a consonant (except ㄹ), and ~오 is added to word stems ending in a vowel (and ㄹ). However, in modern Korean, while it is grammatically acceptable to use ~으오~, you are likely to only see the ~오~ variety. That is, you are unlikely to see things like:
먹다 – 먹으오~
닫다 – 닫으오~
Grammatically these are acceptable, but you are likely to see ~(으)오~ attached to word stems that end in a vowel (which includes 이다). This means that ~으오~ is never really used anymore, but you are still able to see ~오~ in modern Korean. For example:
가다 – 가오~
위험하다 – 위험하오~
이다 – 이오~
The addition of ~(으)오 brings about an irregular adaptation that has not yet been introduced in our lessons. The addition of ~(으)오 causes verb and adjective stems to change in the same way as when adding ~(으)니. I personally find the irregular pattern for ~(으)오 quite intuitive except for the ㄹ irregular.
Below you can see a table with ~(으)오~ attached appropriately to a word for each irregular. While all are grammatically possible, you are likely to only see two in modern Korean. Specifically, the two where ~(으)오~ is added to verb/adjective stems that end in a vowel.
| Irregular | Word | Application | Common in modern Korean? |
| ㅅ | 짓다 (to build) | 지으오 | NO |
| ㄷ | 걷다 (to walk) | 걸으오 | NO |
| ㅂ | 돕다 (to help) | 도우오 | NO |
| ㅡ | 잠그다 (to lock) | 잠그오 | YES |
| 르 | 자르다 (to cut) | 자르오 | YES |
| ㄹ | 살다 (to live) | 사오 | NO |
| ㅎ | 그렇다 (to be like that) | 그러오 | NO |
Now that we know what ~(으)오 can be attached to, let’s discuss what grammatical endings can attach to it. In modern Korean, the most common grammatical principle you will see attached to it is ~(으)니. You learned about ~(으)니 in Lesson 81. Let’s focus on this.
~(으)오니
In Lesson 81, you learned how to use ~(으)니 and how it can be used to give a suggestion; provide background information or to give an excuse. In certain formal contexts, it is possible to include ~오~ between ~(으)니 and the verb/adjective/이다 that it is attached to. Using ~오~ is done in very specific situations – especially in places that want to sound formal, polite, and serious. Situations that typically use this form include public warning signs, official announcements and in literature.
Signs
In signs made for the general public, especially warning signs where the voice should be serious yet still respectful, it is common to see ~오니. For example:
고압 전류가 흐르오니 절대 손대지 마십시오
= High-voltage current present, do not touch under any circumstances
출입이 통제되오니 관계자 외 출입을 금합니다
= Access restricted – authorized personnel only
작업 중이오니 통행을 삼가 주시기 바랍니다
= Work in progress – please refrain from passing through
소음이 심하오니 귀마개 착용을 권장합니다
= Loud noise – ear protection recommended
Written Works
In written work, there is often the need to sound poetic or literary. As such, you will sometimes see ~오니 in writing. For example:
하늘이 흐리오니 비가 올 것 같습니다
= The sky is cloudy, it looks like it will rain
이 길은 어두우오니 등불을 챙기기 바랍니다
= This road is dark, so please bring a lantern
날이 저물어 가오니 우리도 길을 재촉해야 합니다
= The day is fading, so we must hurry along
태도가 매우 공손하오니 거짓말을 하지 않는 거 같습니다
= Since his attitude is very polite, it seems he isn’t lying
즉각적으로 조치하오니 더 큰 피해는 막을 수 있었습니다
= Since we took immediate action, we were able to prevent further damage
이 편지가 마지막 희망이오니 반드시 전해 주시기를 바랍니다
= This letter is our last hope – I ask you to deliver it no matter what
Public Statements
When the government or businesses make announcements for the general public or clients, the voice should be serious yet still formal. Therefore, it is common to see ~오니. For example:
본 시스템은 정기적으로 점검되오니 일시적인 접속 지연이 발생할 수 있습니다
= As this system is inspected regularly, temporary access delays may occur
관내 발급된 전표는 시스템에 자동 등록되오니 별도의 제출은 필요하지 않습니다
= Statements issued within our jurisdiction are automatically registered in the system, so separate submission is not required
That’s it for this lesson!