When you want to say "because" or "since" in Korean, you can use ~으니까/니까. This conjunction attaches to the end of a verb or adjective stem. If the stem ends in a consonant, you use ~으니까. For example, 먹다 (to eat) becomes 먹으니까.
If the stem ends in a vowel, you use ~니까. For example, 가다 (to go) becomes 가니까. This is a really common way to explain the reason for something happening. You'll hear and use this a lot!
You use ~으니까/니까 to say "because" or "since" in Korean. This ending attaches to verbs and adjectives to show the reason for something. If the stem ends with a vowel or 'ㄹ', you use ~니까. If it ends with a consonant (not 'ㄹ'), you use ~으니까.
For example, if you want to say "Because it's raining, I'll stay home," you would use this pattern. Remember, the action or result always comes after the reason.
The Korean conjunction ~으니까/니까 (eunikka/nikka) is used to express a reason or cause for a following action or state. The choice between ~으니까 and ~니까 depends on whether the verb stem ends in a consonant or a vowel. If the verb stem ends in a consonant, you attach ~으니까. For example, 먹다 (meokda) becomes 먹으니까 (meogeunikka) – “because I eat.”
If the verb stem ends in a vowel or with the consonant 'ㄹ' (e.g., 살다 – salda), you attach ~니까. For instance, 가다 (gada) becomes 가니까 (ganikka) – “because I go.” Similarly, 살다 (salda) becomes 사니까 (sanikka) – “because I live.”
This conjunction is versatile and can be used in various contexts to link a cause with its effect, making it a fundamental part of expressing causality in Korean. It's often interchangeable with ~아서/어서 in many situations, though ~으니까/니까 tends to sound slightly more direct and is commonly used when giving a command, making a suggestion, or asking a question.
~으니까/니까 en 30 secondes
- Use for 'because' or 'since'.
- Attaches to verbs and adjectives.
- Often used with suggestions or commands.
How Formal Is It?
"바쁘시니까 다음에 이야기하겠습니다. (Since you are busy, I will talk to you later.)"
"비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요. (Because it's raining, please take an umbrella.)"
"피곤하니까 일찍 잘래. (I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep early.)"
"배고프니까 밥 먹자! (I'm hungry, so let's eat!)"
"졸리니까 커피 한 잔 때려야겠어. (I'm sleepy, so I gotta slam a coffee.)"
Niveau de difficulté
Short and phonetic.
Straightforward application based on final consonant/vowel.
Common and easy to pronounce.
Frequently heard in daily conversation.
Quoi apprendre ensuite
Prérequis
Apprends ensuite
Avancé
Exemples par niveau
날씨가 좋으니까 오늘 소풍 갈까요?
The weather is good, so shall we go on a picnic today?
Used when the reason or cause is a fact or something commonly known.
배가 고프니까 밥 먹으러 가요.
I'm hungry, so let's go eat.
Often used with suggestions or commands.
길이 미끄러우니까 조심해서 걸으세요.
The road is slippery, so walk carefully.
Used to give a warning or advice based on a current situation.
시간이 없으니까 빨리 서둘러야 해요.
There's no time, so we need to hurry.
Indicates a reason for a necessary action.
너무 늦었으니까 내일 이야기해요.
It's too late, so let's talk tomorrow.
Can be used to suggest postponing an action.
피곤하니까 일찍 자고 싶어요.
I'm tired, so I want to sleep early.
Expresses a desire or feeling based on a reason.
비가 오니까 우산 가져가는 게 좋겠어요.
It's raining, so it would be good to take an umbrella.
Suggests a good idea or action due to a present condition.
바쁘시니까 제가 대신 할게요.
Since you're busy, I'll do it instead.
Used when taking action on behalf of someone else due to their situation.
Comment l'utiliser
~으니까/니까 is attached to the stem of a verb or adjective. You use 으니까 after a consonant and 니까 after a vowel or when the stem ends with 'ㄹ' (which drops the 'ㄹ' and adds '니까'). It can also be used with '이다' (to be) as '이으니까/니까'. This conjunction is used to state a reason or cause for the following clause. It implies that the speaker is giving a somewhat objective or factual reason. It's often used when suggesting or asking someone to do something, as the reason provided with ~으니까/니까 gives context for the suggestion or question.
A common mistake is confusing ~으니까/니까 with ~아/어서. While both express 'because/since', ~으니까/니까 can be used with imperative (command) or propositive (let's) sentences, whereas ~아/어서 cannot. For example, you can say '날씨가 추우니까 창문을 닫으세요' (Because the weather is cold, please close the window), but not '날씨가 추워서 창문을 닫으세요'. Another mistake is using ~으니까/니까 with past tense directly attached to the verb stem. Instead, you would conjugate the verb to past tense first, and then add 으니까/니까, although it's more natural to use other expressions for past reasons like ~았/었기 때문에.
Teste-toi 36 questions
저는 피곤___ 일찍 잤어요. (I went to bed early because I was tired.)
The '~으니까' conjunction is used to indicate a reason or cause for the following action. Since being tired is the reason for going to bed early, '으니까' is the correct choice. '해서' is also a reason but '피곤하다' is an adjective, so '으니까' is more natural. '하지만' means 'but' and '그리고' means 'and'.
날씨가 좋___ 우리는 공원에 갔어요. (Since the weather was good, we went to the park.)
'~으니까' is used here to show that the good weather was the reason for going to the park. While '~아서/어서' also indicates reason, '~으니까' is often used when the reason is a preceding fact or condition that leads to the following action. '면' means 'if' and '지만' means 'but'.
배가 고프___ 밥을 먹고 싶어요. (Because I'm hungry, I want to eat rice.)
'~니까' is attached to the verb stem to express the reason for wanting to eat. '배가 고프다' (to be hungry) is the reason. '고' means 'and', '라도' means 'at least' or 'even if', and '거나' means 'or'.
비가 오___ 우산을 가져가세요. (Since it's raining, take an umbrella.)
The conjunction '~니까' indicates that the rain is the reason why one should take an umbrella. It provides a direct cause for the recommendation. '면' means 'if', '지만' means 'but', and '고' means 'and'.
저는 한국어를 배우___ 한국 드라마를 많이 봐요. (Because I'm learning Korean, I watch a lot of Korean dramas.)
Here, '~으니까' clearly states the reason for watching many Korean dramas: learning Korean. '려고' means 'in order to', '지만' means 'but', and '거나' means 'or'.
돈이 없___ 쇼핑을 할 수 없어요. (Since I don't have money, I can't shop.)
The lack of money ('돈이 없다') is the direct reason for not being able to shop. Therefore, '~으니까' is the appropriate conjunction to link these two clauses. '지만' means 'but', '거나' means 'or', and '면' means 'if'.
The speaker is giving advice due to rain.
The speaker wants to sleep early.
The speaker is suggesting eating something.
Read this aloud:
오늘 할 일이 많으니까 빨리 시작해야 해요.
Focus: 많으니까
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
날씨가 좋으니까 밖에 나가서 산책할까요?
Focus: 좋으니까
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
시험 기간이니까 공부에 집중해야 합니다.
Focus: 기간이니까
Tu as dit :
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You missed your friend's birthday party. Write a message explaining why you couldn't come, using '~으니까/니까'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
친구야, 생일 파티에 못 가서 정말 미안해. 주말에 중요한 시험이 있어서 공부해야 했으니까 다음번에 꼭 만날 수 있으면 좋겠어. 생일 진심으로 축하해!
You want to suggest a new meeting time because the original time doesn't work for you. Write a short email using '~으니까/니까' to explain and suggest a new time.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
안녕하세요. 다음 주 회의 시간 관련해서 연락드립니다. 제가 그날 다른 중요한 일정이 있어서 참석하기 어려울 것 같으니까 혹시 수요일 오후나 목요일 오전으로 변경 가능할까요?
Describe why you like your favorite season, using '~으니까/니까' at least twice.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
저는 가을을 가장 좋아합니다. 날씨가 시원하고 쾌적하니까 야외 활동하기 정말 좋고요, 또 단풍이 아름다우니까 산책하는 것도 즐겁습니다.
화자는 왜 어제 밤에 잠을 잘 못 잤습니까?
Read this passage:
저는 어제 밤에 잠을 잘 못 잤습니다. 옆집에서 늦게까지 파티를 했으니까 너무 시끄러웠어요. 그래서 오늘 아침에 많이 피곤합니다. 커피를 마셔야겠어요.
화자는 왜 어제 밤에 잠을 잘 못 잤습니까?
지문에 '옆집에서 늦게까지 파티를 했으니까 너무 시끄러웠어요'라고 명시되어 있습니다.
지문에 '옆집에서 늦게까지 파티를 했으니까 너무 시끄러웠어요'라고 명시되어 있습니다.
모든 팀원들이 이 프로젝트에 적극적으로 참여해야 하는 이유는 무엇입니까?
Read this passage:
우리 회사는 새로운 프로젝트를 시작할 예정입니다. 이 프로젝트는 아주 중요하니까 모든 팀원들이 적극적으로 참여해야 합니다. 성공적인 결과를 위해 최선을 다합시다.
모든 팀원들이 이 프로젝트에 적극적으로 참여해야 하는 이유는 무엇입니까?
지문에 '이 프로젝트는 아주 중요하니까 모든 팀원들이 적극적으로 참여해야 합니다'라고 나와 있습니다.
지문에 '이 프로젝트는 아주 중요하니까 모든 팀원들이 적극적으로 참여해야 합니다'라고 나와 있습니다.
화자는 왜 이번 주말 여행이 즐거울 것이라고 생각합니까?
Read this passage:
이번 주말에 친구들과 여행을 가기로 했어요. 날씨가 좋다고 하니까 아마 즐거운 시간이 될 거예요. 사진도 많이 찍고 맛있는 음식도 먹을 계획입니다.
화자는 왜 이번 주말 여행이 즐거울 것이라고 생각합니까?
지문에 '날씨가 좋다고 하니까 아마 즐거운 시간이 될 거예요'라고 설명되어 있습니다.
지문에 '날씨가 좋다고 하니까 아마 즐거운 시간이 될 거예요'라고 설명되어 있습니다.
저는 배가 고프____, 밥을 먹고 싶어요.
The stem '고프다' ends in a vowel, so '니까' is attached. However, '고프다' is irregular and drops 'ㅡ' before a vowel ending, becoming '고프'. So '고프니까' is the correct form.
날씨가 춥____, 옷을 따뜻하게 입으세요.
The verb '춥다' (to be cold) is a 'ㅂ' irregular verb. When 'ㅂ' is followed by a vowel ending, it changes to '우'. Therefore, '춥다' + '으니까' becomes '추우니까'.
피곤____, 일찍 자야겠어요.
The adjective '피곤하다' (to be tired) ends in a vowel, so '니까' is attached. The correct form is '피곤하니까'.
지금 바쁘____, 나중에 다시 전화해 주세요.
The adjective '바쁘다' (to be busy) ends in a vowel. Therefore, '니까' is attached directly. The correct form is '바쁘니까'.
이 식당은 음식이 맛있____, 항상 사람이 많아요.
The adjective '맛있다' (to be delicious) ends in a consonant. Therefore, '으니까' is attached. The correct form is '맛있으니까'.
시험이 어렵____, 더 열심히 공부해야 해요.
The adjective '어렵다' (to be difficult) is a 'ㅂ' irregular verb. When 'ㅂ' is followed by a vowel ending, it changes to '우'. Therefore, '어렵다' + '으니까' becomes '어려우니까'.
The weather is really nice, so shall we go for a picnic?
The traffic jam is severe, so it would be good to use the subway.
We don't have much time, so we need to hurry.
Read this aloud:
배가 고프니까 밥 먹으러 가자.
Focus: 고프니까
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
숙제가 많으니까 오늘 밤에 일찍 자야겠어요.
Focus: 많으니까
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
비가 오니까 우산 가져가는 게 좋겠어요.
Focus: 오니까
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
The conjunction '으니까' connects '너무 많이 먹다' (to eat too much) with '배가 부르다' (to be full), indicating the reason for being full.
'비가 오다' (it rains) is the reason to '우산을 가져가다' (to take an umbrella), linked by '으니까'.
'한국어를 공부하다' (to study Korean) is the cause for '한국 문화에 대해 더 잘 이해하게 되다' (to come to understand Korean culture better), connected by '으니까'.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Use ~으니까/니까 to give a reason or cause for something, especially when suggesting or commanding something.
- Use for 'because' or 'since'.
- Attaches to verbs and adjectives.
- Often used with suggestions or commands.
Exemple
비가 오니까 우산을 챙겨 가세요.
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