Meaning
To use time inefficiently or unproductively.
Cultural Background
The 'Pali-pali' culture makes wasting time feel like a social sin. Efficiency is highly valued in schools and workplaces. A trend called 'God-saeng' (God + Life) encourages living every minute productively to avoid '허비'. Traditional values emphasize that time is a limited resource given by heaven, and wasting it shows a lack of self-respect. In Korean branches of global companies, 'time waste' is often discussed in terms of 'opportunity cost' (기회비용).
Use with -느라
Always pair it with the '-느라' ending to sound like a natural speaker when explaining your procrastination.
Don't be too harsh
Using this phrase toward a superior (like a boss) can be very risky as it implies they are being inefficient.
Meaning
To use time inefficiently or unproductively.
Use with -느라
Always pair it with the '-느라' ending to sound like a natural speaker when explaining your procrastination.
Don't be too harsh
Using this phrase toward a superior (like a boss) can be very risky as it implies they are being inefficient.
The 'God-saeng' context
Use this phrase when talking about self-improvement to show you value your time highly.
Pali-pali
Remember that in Korea, 'time is money' is taken very seriously; '허비' is a strong word.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '허비하다'.
어제는 게임을 하느라 시간을 너무 많이 ________.
The sentence starts with '어제' (yesterday), so the past tense '허비했어요' is required.
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Select the natural sentence:
'허비하다' is negative. You wouldn't use it for family time, exercise, or feeling good.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 왜 아직도 시작 안 했어? B: 미안, 유튜브 보느라 ________________.
Watching YouTube instead of starting work is a classic example of wasting time.
Match the situation to the correct phrase.
You spent 2 hours in a traffic jam.
Being stuck in traffic is an unproductive and involuntary waste of time.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
허비 vs 낭비
Practice Bank
4 exercises어제는 게임을 하느라 시간을 너무 많이 ________.
The sentence starts with '어제' (yesterday), so the past tense '허비했어요' is required.
Select the natural sentence:
'허비하다' is negative. You wouldn't use it for family time, exercise, or feeling good.
A: 왜 아직도 시작 안 했어? B: 미안, 유튜브 보느라 ________________.
Watching YouTube instead of starting work is a classic example of wasting time.
You spent 2 hours in a traffic jam.
Being stuck in traffic is an unproductive and involuntary waste of time.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
14 questionsNo, it's perfectly fine for friends, though '시간 버리다' is a bit more casual.
Yes, but '낭비하다' is much more common for money.
'허비' is 'empty spending' (useless), '낭비' is 'wave spending' (extravagant).
No, you can't 'waste a person'. You waste time *on* a person.
Yes, '시간 허비' (time waste) is used frequently.
내 시간 허비하게 하지 마세요 (Formal) or 내 시간 뺏지 마 (Casual).
It can sound frustrated, but it's not inherently an 'angry' word.
Yes, '전력을 허비하다' is used in technical contexts.
시간을 아끼다 (to save time) or 시간을 잘 활용하다 (to use time well).
Constantly! Especially in office dramas or breakup scenes.
Yes, it sounds like you are intentionally being rebellious or lazy.
'허송세월' is much more dramatic and usually refers to years of life.
Yes, '허비되다'. Example: '많은 시간이 허비되었다.'
Yes, it's a core intermediate word for discussing daily life and work.
Related Phrases
시간을 낭비하다
synonymTo waste time
시간을 때우다
similarTo kill time
시간을 아끼다
contrastTo save time
허송세월하다
specialized formTo idle away years
빈둥거리다
builds onTo loaf around
