-기는커녕
far from it; let alone
Denies the bigger claim and then denies a smaller one too. The second clause has to fall short as well — that double denial is the whole structure.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -기는커녕 to a verb stem, or 은/는커녕 to a noun: 밥은커녕, 돈은커녕. It is written as one word — 커녕 never stands alone.
The shape is fixed: the first item is the greater thing, the second is a lesser one, and both fail. 쉬기는커녕 밥도 못 먹었어요 — forget resting, I couldn’t even eat.
Because of that, the second clause almost always contains 도 and a negative. If the second thing did happen, the construction collapses.
The tone is one of complaint or correction, and it often answers an assumption someone has just made.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | -기는커녕 | 쉬다 → 쉬기는커녕 |
| Noun, consonant | 은커녕 | 밥은커녕 |
| Noun, vowel | 는커녕 | 커피는커녕 |
| Second clause | 도 + negative | 물도 못 마셨어요 |
| Second item | lesser than the first | 쉬기 → 밥 → 물 |
| Spelling | 커녕, one word | never 는 커녕 |
In use
쉬기는커녕 밥도 못 먹었어요.
Forget resting — I couldn’t even eat.
칭찬은커녕 오히려 혼났어요.
Far from being praised, I got told off.
돈을 벌기는커녕 손해만 봤어요.
Far from making money, I only lost some.
여행은커녕 주말에 나가지도 못했어요.
A trip? I couldn’t even get out at the weekend.
직접 만들기는커녕 사 먹을 시간도 없었어요.
Making it myself was out of the question — I didn’t even have time to buy food.
도움은커녕 방해만 됐어요.
Far from helping, I only got in the way.
Compared with
조차
조차 marks a single extreme case; -기는커녕 sets up two levels and knocks both down. They often appear in the same sentence.
물조차 못 마셨어요. / 쉬기는커녕 물조차 못 마셨어요.
-지만
-지만 states a contrast neutrally; -기는커녕 rejects the first idea outright before offering the reality.
쉬고 싶었지만 못 쉬었어요. (I wanted to rest but couldn’t) / 쉬기는커녕 밥도 못 먹었어요. (rest? I couldn’t even eat)
-기는 하지만
One concedes, the other refuses. -기는 하지만 grants the point; -기는커녕 denies it flatly.
쉬기는 했지만 짧았어요. (I did rest, briefly) / 쉬기는커녕 못 먹었어요. (no rest at all)
Watch out
쉬기는커녕 밥은 먹었어요.
쉬기는커녕 밥도 못 먹었어요.
Both items have to fail. If the second one happened, the construction contradicts itself.
밥은커녕 쉬지도 못했어요.
쉬기는커녕 밥도 못 먹었어요.
The first item is the greater claim and the second the lesser. Reversing them makes the escalation nonsensical.
칭찬은 커녕 혼났어요.
칭찬은커녕 혼났어요.
커녕 attaches directly and is written without a space.
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