💬 Say It Right #5 — Discourse Markers
💬 Say It Right #5 — Discourse Markers (담화표현)
✅ Updated
%20(1).jpg "Say It Right #5 — Korean Discourse Markers and Fillers")
Do your Korean sentences sound correct but a little robotic? Native speakers constantly use small words like 하긴, 그러고 보니, 아무래도, 어쩐지, 아니, 있잖아, 그니까 to agree, change topics, and buy thinking time. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use these discourse markers and filler words so your Korean feels smooth and connected.
🎯 Learning Goal
- Learn the meaning and nuance of key discourse markers: 하긴, 그러고 보니, 아무래도, 어쩐지.
- Use natural fillers like 아니, 있잖아, 봐봐, 그니까 in friendly conversations.
- Add flow and rhythm to your speech for daily life and TOPIK speaking.
- 문법은 맞는데 어색한 한국어가 아니라, 진짜 한국인처럼 말하는 담화표현을 익힙니다.
📚 Table of Contents
- Key Vocabulary: Core Discourse Markers
- Useful Expressions with Fillers & Markers
- Practice Dialogue: Sounding Less Robotic
- Quick Check Quiz
- Teacher’s Tips: When to Use / Avoid
- Say What? — “하긴” vs “맞아”
- Did You Know? — Why Koreans Use So Many Fillers
- It’s Your Turn — Rewrite Your Sentences
📝 Key Vocabulary: Core Discourse Markers
These words don’t carry big dictionary meaning, but they change the tone and connection in your Korean.
-
하긴
hagin
Soft agreement: “Yeah, true,” “Actually, you’re right.” Often used before agreeing or adding a comment.
예) 하긴, 요즘 물가가 너무 올랐어.
Hagin, yojeum mulga-ga neomu ollasseo.
→ Yeah, true, prices have gone up a lot these days. -
그러고 보니
geureogo boni
“Now that I think about it / Now that you mention it.” Used when something suddenly comes to your mind.
예) 그러고 보니 우리 한 달 넘게 못 만났네.
Geureogo boni uri han dal neomge mot mannanne.
→ Now that I think about it, we haven’t seen each other for over a month. -
아무래도
amuraedo
“I have a feeling that… / It seems like… (but I’m not 100% sure).” Softens your guess or opinion.
예) 아무래도 오늘 회의가 길어질 것 같아.
Amuraedo oneul hoeui-ga gireojil geot gata.
→ I have a feeling today’s meeting will be long. -
어쩐지
eojjeonji
“No wonder / That explains it.” Used after you understand the reason for something.
예) 어쩐지 오늘 조용하더라.
Eojjeonji oneul joyonghadeora.
→ No wonder it was quiet today.
🇰🇷 Korean summary:
하긴(부드러운 동의), 그러고 보니(새롭게 떠오른 생각), 아무래도(불확실한 추측), 어쩐지(이유를 알고 나서 “그래서 그랬구나”)를 표현할 때 쓰는 담화표현입니다.
💬 Useful Expressions with Fillers & Markers
Now add some very common fillers. These don’t change the sentence meaning, but make your Korean sound more like everyday speech.
-
아니, 그게 아니라…
ani, geuge anira…
No, I mean… / That’s not what I mean… -
있잖아, 어제 말이야…
ittjana, eoje mariya…
You know, about yesterday… -
봐봐, 이렇게 하면 돼.
bwabwa, ireoke hamyeon dwae.
Look, you just do it like this. -
그니까, 내 말은…
geunikka, nae mareun…
So, what I mean is…
💡 Think of these as Korean versions of “You know,” “Like,” “I mean,” “Look.” 한국어 문장을 만들 때, 이런 말을 적당히 섞으면 리듬과 친근함이 생깁니다.
🙋 Practice Dialogue: Sounding Less Robotic
Dialogue 1 — Agreeing softly with 하긴
A:
요즘 물가가 너무 올라서 살기 힘들어.
yojeum mulga-ga neomu ollaseo salgi himdeureo.
Prices have gone up so much lately, it’s hard to live.
B (robotic):
맞아. 비싸.
maja. bisa.
Yeah. It’s expensive.
B (natural):
하긴, 진짜 뭐만 사도 만 원이 훌쩍 넘더라.
hagin, jinjja mwoman sado man won-i huljjeok neomdeora.
Yeah, true. These days almost anything you buy goes over 10,000 won.
Dialogue 2 — Using fillers to tell a story
A:
주말에 뭐 했어?
jumare mwo haesseo?
What did you do on the weekend?
B (robotic):
친구를 만났어. 카페에 갔어. 공부도 했어.
chingu-reul mannasseo. kape-e gasseo. gongbu-do haesseo.
I met a friend. I went to a café. I also studied.
B (natural):
아니, 있잖아, 토요일에 친구를 오랜만에 만났거든.
그러고 보니 거기 카페 되게 좋더라. 공부하기에도 괜찮았어.
ani, ittjana, toyoil-e chingureul oraenman-e mannasseogeodeun.
geureogo boni geogi kape doege jotdeora. gongbu-hagiedo gwaenchanasseo.
Well, you know, I met a friend on Saturday after a long time.
Now that I think about it, that café was really nice. It was good for studying too.
📝 Quick Check Quiz
Choose the best discourse marker or filler.
-
You suddenly remember something after your friend says a keyword.
Start your sentence with:
(a) 하긴 (b) 그러고 보니 (c) 아무래도 - You want to make a soft guess: “I think it might rain.” Which word fits best? _____ 비 올 것 같아.
- You finally discover why your office was so quiet today. Start your sentence with: _____ 오늘 조용하더라.
- You want to say “So, what I mean is…” in Korean. Which filler do you choose?
- You want to say “You know, yesterday…” to open a story. Which filler do you start with?
Show Answers
- (b) 그러고 보니
- 아무래도 비 올 것 같아.
- 어쩐지 오늘 조용하더라.
- 그니까, 내 말은…
- 있잖아, 어제 말이야…
👩🏫 Teacher’s Tips: When to Use / Avoid
-
Use them actively in casual speech.
With friends, classmates, or friendly co-workers, fillers like “아니, 있잖아, 그니까” make you sound more relaxed and natural. -
Avoid them in formal writing.
Essays, reports, and official emails should not include these fillers. 🇰🇷 보고서·에세이에는 담화표현 대신 정확한 접속부사를 쓰는 것이 좋습니다. -
Don’t overuse.
One or two fillers per sentence are enough. If every word is “아니… 있잖아… 그니까…”, it sounds messy. -
Shadow native speakers.
Watch a drama or variety show for 5 minutes and pause every time you hear “하긴, 그러고 보니, 아무래도, 어쩐지, 아니, 있잖아.” Try repeating the full sentence with the same rhythm.
💡 댓글에 본인 문장을 써 주시면, 담화표현을 섞어서 더 자연스러운 버전으로 같이 고쳐볼 수 있어요.
🌀 Say What? — “하긴” vs “맞아”
맞아 (maja) simply means “You’re right.” It’s neutral agreement. 하긴 (hagin) adds a feeling of “When I think about it, you have a point.”
Robot version:
A: 요즘 한국어 공부하기 힘들어.
B: 맞아.
Natural version:
A: 요즘 한국어 공부하기 힘들어.
B: 하긴, 일도 하고 공부까지 하면 진짜 힘들지.
🇰🇷 Tip: 하긴은 상대방 말에 어느 정도 공감하면서 “다시 생각해보니 그러네”라는 뉘앙스를 줄 때 정말 자주 쓰는 표현입니다.
📌 Did You Know? — Why Koreans Use So Many Fillers
In many Korean conversations, people speak indirectly and try to keep the atmosphere soft. Fillers like “아니, 있잖아, 그니까, 어쩐지” help to:
- Buy thinking time before giving an opinion.
- Show emotional reaction (“Oh, that explains it!” → 어쩐지).
- Make the tone less direct and more friendly.
🇰🇷 한국어 화자는 ‘예, 아니오’만 말하기보다 반응·공감·리액션을 자주 보여 줍니다. 담화표현과 filler를 적절히 섞으면, 상대방이 “대화가 잘 통한다”는 느낌을 받기 쉬워요.
📝 It’s Your Turn — Rewrite Your Sentences
- Take 3 “robotic” sentences you often use in Korean (for example: 오늘 바빴어. 피곤해. 내일 일 많아.) and rewrite them using at least one discourse marker each (하긴, 그러고 보니, 아무래도, 어쩐지).
- Record yourself telling a short story about your day. Then record a second version adding fillers like “아니, 있잖아, 그니까, 봐봐.” Compare the rhythm.
- Leave one sentence in the comments that you want to sound more natural. Try your own version first, then see how a teacher or native speaker might adjust it.
Want personalized feedback on your Korean speaking style? Bring your own sentences and we’ll add discourse markers and fillers step by step so you sound more natural in real conversations and in TOPIK speaking.
If this lesson helped you, please bookmark it, share it with a friend who also studies Korean, or leave a comment using today’s expressions. Your questions can inspire the next Say It Right episode!
Tags: Korean discourse markers, Korean filler words, natural Korean conversation, TOPIK speaking practice, 한국어 담화표현, 한국어 말버릇, 자연스러운 한국어 회화, parler coréen naturellement, conversación natural en coreano
