-는가
-neun-ga
(question) — is it...?
A moderately addressee-lowering sentence-final ending used to ask a question about a present fact, or for the speaker to wonder or muse to themselves.
Form
- Attaches to
- Verb, Adjective, 이다, Auxiliary
- Other shapes
- -ㄴ가 · -은가
Meanings
- 1
(formal, moderately addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending referring to a question about a fact of the present.
(예사 낮춤으로) 현재의 사실에 대한 물음을 나타내는 종결 어미.
- 2
A sentence-final ending used when the speaker is asking himself/herself or assuming something.
말하는 사람이 스스로에게 묻거나 추측할 때 쓰는 종결 어미.
※ 주로 ‘-는가 하다’, ‘-는가 싶다’, ‘-는가 보다’로 쓴다.
Examples
요즘도 많이 바쁜가?
Are you still very busy these days?
자네는 어디가 아픈가?
Where does it hurt?
회사를 그만둔다는 것이 사실인가?
Is it true that you're quitting the company?
여보게, 새로 시작한 일이 힘든가? 음. 생각처럼 쉽지는 않네.
Hey, is the new work hard? Hmm, it's not as easy as I thought.
민준이가 요즘 연락이 뜸한 걸 보니 많이 바쁜가 보네.
Seeing how Minjun rarely gets in touch these days, he must be really busy.
난 네가 시험이 끝났다고 하길래 이제 좀 한가한가 했지.
Since you said your exams were over, I figured you'd be a bit free now.
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘-는가’ mean?
2. Which form means “(question) — is it...?”?