Korean This Vs That Word Differences #3

Korean This vs That Word Differences #3

속에 vs 안에

Both of these mean ‘inside’, as in, one object inside another. However 안에 is normally used to talk about things that are inside objects that can be opened, such as a box, a jar, a drawer etc (e.g. 고양이는 상자 안에 있어요 - The cat is inside the box), whereas 속에 is used to talk about things that are inside objects that cannot be opened, such as the heart, the stomach, the mind (e.g. 내 마음 속에 저장! - You are saved in my heart). As you can tell, usually the things you would use 속에 for are not often physical objects being inside something.

방법 vs 방식

Both of these mean ‘way’ or ‘method’, like in the phrase ‘There is a right way and a wrong way’. 방법 is the more commonly used word and refers to a way/method that takes you from beginning to end of something, such as ‘Do you know the way to use this?’ (이것을 사용하는 방법을 알아요?) or ‘Do you know the best way/method to get to the library?’ (도서관에 가는 가장 좋은 방법을 알아요?). On the other hand 방식 is used more for talking about things that persist and don’t normally end, such as ‘A way of thinking’ (사고방식) or ‘A way of living’ (생활 방식) or ‘A method of payment’ (지불 방식) or ‘That’s just our way of doing things!’ (그건 그냥 우리 방식이야!) There are more ways to say ‘way’ or ‘method’ but these are the one’s you might commonly see

거부하다 vs 거절하다

These are really similar but just vary in strength/degree. Both mean rejection or refusal. 거절 means refusal/rejection in the sense of ‘not accepting something’ (e.g. 나는 너의 거절을 거절한다 - I refuse your refusal) but 거부 means strongly reject/repel (e,g, 내 몸이 약을 거부하고 있어요 - my body is rejecting the medicine). If you used 거부 to refuse someone, it is a pretty huge refusal and means you’re probably not going to change your mind about it.

달걀 vs 계란

There are lots of words like this where the meaning of the word is exactly the same, but the only difference is whether one is Sino-Korean and the other Native Korean. 달걀 is the native Korean word for egg, whereas 계란 (which is commonly taught first) is the Sino-Korean word for egg. It’s okay to use either and actually both are used interchangeably, however its more common these days for people to opt for the native Korean word, therefore 달걀 is worth knowing.

아무튼 vs 어쨌든 vs 어차피

All of these mean ‘anyway’ and these aren’t the only ways to express ‘anyway’ either, however you will hear these rather a lot and there are slightly different uses for each of these. 아무튼 is heard a lot when changing topic or conversation (e.g. 아무튼, 내일 뭐해? - Anyway, what are you doing tomorrow?). However, it can also be used to say ‘in any case’ or ‘whatever the result’ (e.g. 내일 비가 올지도 몰라. 아무튼 우리는 아직 갈 거야 - It might rain tomorrow. Anyway [in any case], we’re still going). 아무튼 is quite a casual term and is sometimes regarded as slang, therefore if you are using it to express ‘in any case’ to someone that you are not close with, you might want to use 어쨌든 instead.

어쨌든 means ‘either way’, ‘anyway’, ‘in any case’, ‘anyhow’. When it is used, it comes across in quite a neutral way, which is why it is often thought of as ‘either way’ - it comes across as you striking the middle ground between views, therefore it is quite a relaxed way of saying ‘anyway’ (e.g. 어쨌든, 너는 결정 할 수 있어 - Anyway, you can decide, or 어쨌든, 그것은 아직 멋있네요! - Anyway [either way], it’s still cool!).

Finally, 어차피 is derived from Hanja and has a slightly different meaning - it is used to express that something is going to happen eventually, such as 어차피 일어날 일이에요 - ‘It’s going to happen anyway’. Further examples = 어차피 잃어버릴 거예요 - ‘You’re going to lose it anyway’, 어차피 살 거예요 - ‘I’m going to buy it anyway’.