Lesson 6
In Level 6 Lesson 12, we introduced how to say, “What do you mean?” or “What does that mean?” In this lesson, we will take a look at how to respond to these questions and form sentences to say “It means...” in Korean. The keyword you need to remember for this lesson is 뜻, the Korean word for “meaning”.
뜻이에요. = It is (...) meaning.
Using “뜻이에요” alone is not enough. You need to include more information about what kind of meaning there is.
Verb stem + -(ㄴ/는)다는 + 뜻이에요. = It means...
Ex)
사람이 많다는 뜻이에요. = It means that there are a lot of people.
다 나았다는 뜻이에요. = It means that you have completely healed.
Conjugation
Noun + -(이)라는
Present tense:
Descriptive verb + -다는
Action verb + -ㄴ/는다는
Past tense:
Action/Descriptive verb + -았/었/였다는
Future tense:
Action/Descriptive verb + -(으)ㄹ 거라는
뜻이에요 and 말이에요
Just like with the expressions for, “What do you mean?”, 뜻 (= meaning) and 말 (= speech/ language) are interchangeable with each other. 말이에요, however, has a stronger focus on the intended meaning of the speaker rather than the definition of the expression itself.
좋다는 뜻이에요. = It means that it is good.
좋다는 말이에요. = I am saying that it is good.
Sample Sentences
A: ‘완료’가 무슨 뜻이에요? = What does 완료 mean?
B: 끝났다는 뜻이에요. = It means that (something) has been finished.
A: ‘휴업*’이 무슨 뜻이에요? = What does 휴업 mean?
B: 일을 안 한다는 뜻이에요. = It means that you do not work.
* 휴업 = to not provide service (When a restaurant is closed, you might see this on the door.)
** 휴가 = to not work / vacation
빨간불이 켜지면, 고장 났다는 뜻이에요.
= If the red light turns on, it means it is broken.
안 가고 싶다는 말이에요?
= Are you saying that you do not want to go?
그러면, 못 한다는 뜻이에요?
= Then, does it mean that they cannot do it?