4 · Particles
Not even, let alone: 조차, 마저, 은커녕
three particles for the worst case
조차 and 마저 mean “even” where things go wrong; 은/는커녕 means “far from …, not even”.
At a glance
- Remember
- Jocha: not even this; majeo: this too, the last one; keonyeong: far from it.
- Form
- 이름조차 몰라요not even, in a negative
- Signal words
- 조차
- 마저
- 은커녕
- 는커녕
- 도
- 까지
- Trap
- Wrong:그 아이는 어려운 한자조차 잘 읽어요.Right:그 아이는 어려운 한자까지 잘 읽어요.
Your turn
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The form
| not even, in a negative | 이름조차 몰라요 |
| the last one too | 휴대폰마저 고장 났어요 |
| far from, after a consonant | 저녁은커녕 |
| far from, after a vowel | 커피는커녕 |
| a neutral even | 디저트까지 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
조차 marks the most basic thing as missing too; the sentence is negative or unwelcome.
너무 피곤해서 말할 힘조차 없어요.I'm so tired I don't even have the strength to talk.
마저 adds the last remaining thing to what was already lost.
비가 오는데 우산마저 잃어버렸어요.It was raining, and on top of that I lost my umbrella.
은/는커녕 names the bigger thing that did not happen; the smaller one follows with 도.
칭찬은커녕 인사도 안 했어요.Far from praising me, he didn't even say hello.
For a neutral or happy “even”, use 까지.
친구가 선물까지 사 왔어요.My friend even brought a present.
Example sentences
그 사람 이름조차 기억이 안 나요.I can't even remember his name.
너무 놀라서 소리조차 못 질렀어요.I was so shocked I could not even scream.
마지막 버스마저 놓쳤어요.I even missed the last bus.
가장 친한 친구마저 제 말을 안 믿었어요.Even my best friend didn't believe me.
여행은커녕 주말에 쉴 시간도 없어요.I don't even have time to rest at weekends, let alone go travelling.
돈을 모으기는커녕 빚만 늘었어요.Far from saving money, I have only got deeper into debt.
7 more example sentences
그 소식은 가족조차 몰랐어요.Not even the family knew the news.
요즘은 잠조차 잘 못 자요.These days I can't even sleep properly.
막내마저 유학을 떠나서 집이 조용해요.Now even the youngest has gone to study abroad, so the house is quiet.
하나 남은 희망마저 사라졌어요.The last hope there was has gone too.
고맙다는 말은커녕 쳐다보지도 않았어요.Far from thanking me, he did not even look at me.
비는커녕 구름 한 점도 없어요.Far from rain, there is not a single cloud.
그런 생각은 상상조차 못 했어요.I could not even imagine such a thing.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Reading difficult characters is something to be proud of, and 조차 belongs to sentences where something is missing or goes wrong. A positive “even” takes 까지.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
조차 means “even”, and it expects disappointment: the most basic thing is missing too. 너무 바빠서 밥 먹을 시간조차 없어요, “I'm so busy I don't even have time to eat”. It stands almost always in a negative sentence or one that describes something unwelcome, and it attaches straight to the noun, whatever its last sound: 이름조차, 물조차.
마저 also means “even”, but it adds the last thing that was left: everything else was already gone, and now this too. 지갑을 잃어버렸는데 휴대폰마저 고장 났어요, “I lost my wallet, and on top of that my phone broke”. It often closes a list of misfortunes, and it can also stand in a positive sentence: 막내마저 결혼했어요, “now even the youngest has married”.
은커녕 after a consonant and 는커녕 after a vowel mean “far from …”, “let alone …”. The bigger thing comes first, then the smaller thing that did not happen either, usually with 도: 저녁은커녕 점심도 못 먹었어요, “I haven't had lunch, let alone dinner”. Literally: far from dinner — not even lunch.
For a neutral or happy “even”, Korean uses 까지: 디저트까지 먹었어요, “we even had dessert”. 조차 there would sound as if dessert had been a disaster. The three particles in this topic are a little formal and emphatic; in casual speech 도 often does the same work.
A closer look
조차 or 마저?
Both can often be swapped in a negative sentence, but the picture is different. 조차 looks at the bottom of a scale: the least you would expect is not there. 마저 looks at the end of a row: one after another, and finally this one too.
물조차 없어요 says that there is not even water, the most basic thing. 물마저 떨어졌어요 says that everything else had run out, and now the water has as well.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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은/는커녕 follows an ending instead of a noun (-기는커녕, -는 것은커녕)
the verb takes -기 first: 쉬기는커녕, “far from resting”.
주말에 쉬기는커녕 더 바빴어요.Far from resting at the weekend, I was even busier.
A particle needs a noun to attach to, and -기 turns the verb into one.
Worth knowing (1)
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Spelling: always onto the noun
All three are particles, so they are written onto the word before them with no space: 시간조차, 너마저, 밥은커녕. Only the noun before them is separated from what comes earlier.
바빠서 물 마실 시간조차 없었어요.I was so busy I did not even have time to drink water.
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