Lesson 5
In this lesson, we are going to take a look at how to use the word 만큼 to say things like, “He is as tall as I am” and, “You can take as much as you want” in Korean.
만큼 can be used both as a particle and as a noun. When it is used after other nouns, pronouns, and prepositions, it works as a particle; write it right after the previous word without a space. When it is used after a verb, it must be modified to work as a noun. Either way, the basic meaning is the same.
만큼 represents the meaning of “as much as” or “to the point of” doing or being something.
Examples
1.
저만큼
= 저 + 만큼
= as much as me
= as much as I
* This one depends on the intonation and could even mean “as much as that”.
2.
이만큼
= 이(것) + 만큼
= as much as this
= this much
3.
놀랄 만큼
= 놀라다 + 만큼
= to the point of one being surprised
= surprisingly
* This one is written a bit differently as there is a space between 놀랄 and 만큼. This is because 만큼 is being used as a noun here.
4.
원하는 만큼
= 원하다 + 만큼
= as much as one wants
* You will notice that in 놀랄 above, the verb was modified with -ㄹ, whereas in 원하는 here, the verb was modified with -는. This is because 놀랄 is in the future tense and 원하는 is in the present tense.
5.
한국에서만큼
= 한국에서 + 만큼
= as much as in Korea
As you can see from the examples above, 만큼 (or -만큼) can be used after various types of words to mean “as much as”. However, when 만큼 is used after 얼마, which usually means “how much”, 얼마만큼 still has the same meaning of “how much (of something)” or “how much in quantity”. In this case, 얼마만큼 can be interchangeable with 얼마나.
Sample Sentences
주연 씨는 경화 씨만큼 키가 커요.
= Jooyeon is as tall as Kyung-hwa.
원하는 만큼 다 가져가세요.
= Take as much as you want.
필요한 만큼 가져가세요.
= Take as much as you need.
먹을 만큼만 가져가세요.
= Take just the amount that you will eat.
필요한 만큼만 가져가세요.
= Take just the amount that you need.
한국에서만큼 자주 안 만나요.
= We do not meet as often as in Korea.
얼마만큼 필요해요?
= How much (of it) do you need?
How to Say “as much as I would like to...” in Korean
In this case, you cannot use 만큼 to say things like, “As much as I want to go, I cannot.” Instead, you need to say 정말 -고 싶지만 which literally means “I really want to, but...”.
Ex)
As much as I would like to stay, I must go home.
= 정말 더 있고 싶지만, 집에 가야 돼요.
As much as I would like to go/come, I am too busy.
= 정말 가고 싶지만, 너무 바빠요.