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~마저: Even, As Well
~마저 vs ~도 vs ~조차
Vocabulary
Nouns:
강점 = strong point
사적 = private, personal
직물 = fabric
명물 = a famous item from a locale
재주 = talent, skill
양로 = supporting/caring for the elderly
특강 = special lecture, special class
수속 = procedure, formality
입국 = entry into a country
출국 = departure from a country
Verbs:
늦추다 = to make something late, to delay
진군하다 = to march
비롯하다 = to start, to begin
승낙하다 = to agree, to accept
일탈하다 = to deviate, to stray from
Adjectives:
구부정하다 = to be slightly bent
쇠약하다 = to be weak from age or illness
구불구불하다 = to be winding
Adverbs and Other Words:
깊숙이 = deeply, far inside
선뜻 = readily, willingly, gladly
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn a particle that can add a strong emotional feeling to a sentence. This particle is often used when the speaker feels surprise, disappointment, or resignation because something that was expected to remain unaffected has also been affected. In this lesson, you will learn about ~마저. Let’s get started.
~마저: Even, As Well
~마저 is a particle that attaches directly to nouns. At first glance, it looks like it has the same function as ~도 (Lesson 4) or ~조차 (Lesson 181). Below is a simple example:
친구마저 안 도와줘요
= Even my friend won’t help me
The translation of ~마저 is often something like:
… even…
… on top of…
… as well…
However, ~마저 is not always emotionally neutral. The use of ~마저 often indicates that the noun it is attached to was not expected to be included, but is included anyway. In the example above, you might expect that a friend would help. However, the friend is actually included among the people who will not help. The inclusion of “my friend” makes the situation feel worse or more extreme.
Using ~마저 often implies that the noun being included is particularly significant in the situation. In the example above, other people would not help, and even the speaker’s friend would not help.
Here is another example:
그의 강점마저 사라졌어요
= Even his strong point is gone
Here, other things were already lacking, and losing his strong point makes the situation feel even worse. The strong point may have been one of the last things the person could rely on.
~마저 is often used when the speaker feels disappointment, betrayal, or emotional exhaustion about a situation. Because of this, it is common in narrative writing, inner thoughts, and emotionally charged dialogue.
Let’s look at many more examples:
사적인 감정마저 숨겨야 했어요
= I had to hide even my private feelings
쇠약해진 몸에 재주마저 잃은 느낌이었어요
= With my body weakened, it felt like I had even lost my talent
명물로 알려진 직물마저 품질이 떨어졌어요
= Even the fabric known as a local specialty has declined in quality
나른한 오후라 그런지 말할 기운마저 없었어요
= Perhaps because it was a drowsy afternoon, I didn’t even have the energy to speak
양로하던 부모님마저 선뜻 도움을 거절하셨어요
= Even the parents I was caring for readily refused the help
규칙을 지키던 학생들마저 일탈하기 시작했어요
= Even the students who followed the rules started to deviate
길이 구불구불해서 진군하던 부대마저 속도를 늦췄어요
= Because the road was winding, even the advancing troops slowed down
그 사람은 구부정한 자세로 기억마저 깊숙이 묻어 둔 듯했어요
= With that person’s slightly bent posture, he seemed to have buried even his memories deep inside
담당자의 승낙마저 받지 못해서 계획을 진행할 수 없었어요
= We couldn’t proceed with the plan because we couldn’t even get the person in charge’s approval
이 문제는 작은 오해에서 비롯됐지만 신뢰마저 무너뜨렸어요
= This problem began with a small misunderstanding, but even trust collapsed
특강을 준비하던 중에 교실 뿐만 아니라 교재마저 준비되지 않았어요
= While preparing for the special lecture, not only was the classroom unprepared, but even the teaching materials weren’t ready
모든 수속을 마칠 뻔 했는데 입국심사에도 문제가 생기고 서류마저 준비하지 못했어요
= I almost finished all the procedures, but then there was a problem with immigration, and I couldn’t even prepare the documents
~마저 vs ~도 vs ~조차
Comparing ~마저 with ~도 is fairly simple. You learned about ~도 in Lesson 4, and its meaning is much more neutral. Using ~도 simply adds information to a sentence. However, ~마저 often adds emotional weight and can imply that a situation has become worse or more extreme. For example:
그것마저 잃었어요
= I lost even that
그것도 잃었어요
= I lost that too
The first sentence suggests that “that” was significant or perhaps one of the last things the speaker had left. The second sentence simply adds “that” to the things that were lost.
Comparing ~마저 with ~조차 is more subtle. You learned about ~조차 in Lesson 181. When you use ~조차, the speaker often emphasizes that something unexpected, unlikely, or basic has also been included. It can give the feeling that if even this thing is affected, the situation is especially surprising or difficult.
When using ~마저, however, the noun often feels like an additional or final thing that has also been affected. This can give the sentence a feeling of “even this, on top of everything else.”
For example:
희망마저 사라졌어요
= Even hope, on top of everything else, has disappeared
희망조차 없어요
= There isn’t even hope
In the first sentence, the disappearance of hope is presented as an additional loss, possibly after other things have already gone wrong. In the second sentence, ~조차 emphasizes that even something as basic or fundamental as hope does not exist.
The difference can be subtle, and ~마저 and ~조차 can sometimes be used in similar situations. However, ~마저 often carries a stronger feeling of “even this, too” or “on top of everything else.”
That’s it for this lesson!