명기하다

When you use the word 명기하다, you are talking about the act of putting something down in writing with absolute clarity. It is not just about writing; it is about ensuring that a specific detail is captured so that it cannot be misinterpreted later.

Think of it as the opposite of being vague. If you are signing a contract, the lawyer will 명기하다 the exact date of payment to avoid any confusion. It is a very precise verb often used in professional, legal, or administrative settings to establish facts.

The word 명기하다 is a Sino-Korean compound. It is composed of 명 (明), meaning 'bright' or 'clear', and 기 (記), meaning 'to record' or 'to write'.

Historically, this reflects the Confucian emphasis on clear record-keeping in administrative and scholarly traditions. By combining these characters, the word literally means 'to record clearly.' It has been a standard term in Korean legal and bureaucratic language for centuries, evolving from ancient administrative practices into the modern professional term we use today.

You will mostly encounter 명기하다 in formal documents like contracts, statutes, or official guidelines. It is rarely used in casual conversation because it sounds quite rigid and professional.

Common collocations include 계약서에 명기하다 (to state in a contract) or 조항에 명기하다 (to state in a clause). If you are writing a formal report or a legal letter, this is the perfect verb to use to show that you are being thorough and precise about the information you are presenting.

While 명기하다 itself is a formal verb rather than an idiom, it is often part of set expressions:

• 조항을 명기하다: To explicitly state a clause.
• 조건을 명기하다: To explicitly state conditions.
• 이름을 명기하다: To explicitly record a name.
• 금액을 명기하다: To explicitly state an amount.
• 날짜를 명기하다: To explicitly state a date.

명기하다 is a regular verb. It follows the standard Korean verb conjugation rules. In the present tense, it becomes 명기합니다 (formal) or 명기해요 (polite).

Pronunciation-wise, pay attention to the double consonant 'ㄲ' sound in the second syllable. The 'g' sound should be crisp and sharp. It rhymes loosely with other Sino-Korean verbs ending in '하다', like 등기하다 (to register) or 표기하다 (to mark/indicate).