verb/adj+지 않다 & 안+verb/adj: A Formal Guide to Korean Negation

Meta description: verb/adj+지 않다 & 안+verb/adj describes the two principal ways to express negation in Korean. This guide defines form and register, explains scope and placement, contrasts polite vs. plain endings, warns about double negatives, and provides original examples and practice for English-speaking learners.

Definition and scope

Korean uses two productive patterns for sentential negation: the analytic predicate 지 않다 attached after a verb or adjective stem, and the adverbial pre-verbal particle 안 placed before the conjugated predicate. Both patterns negate propositional content. Writers select between them according to register, emphasis, readability, and ease of stacking with other morphemes. This article outlines forms, contrasts, and frequent errors in a formal style. Examples are original and presented with standard polite endings such as ~습니다/~했습니다 for consistency.

Form: the analytic predicate 지 않다

Construction and conjugation

Attach 지 않다 to the verb or adjective stem, then conjugate 않다 for tense and politeness. The lexical stem remains uninflected for tense.

• 읽다 → 읽지 않습니다. — It is not read.
• 변화하다 → 변화하지 않았습니다. — It did not change.
• 중요하다 → 중요하지 않습니다. — It is not important.

The pattern scales cleanly with formal endings and is preferred in reports, manuals, and notices where a neutral written tone is required.

Aspect and adverbs

Adverbs such as 전혀, 거의, 별로 precede the negated predicate for measured emphasis.

• 거의 지연되지 않았습니다. — It was hardly delayed.
• 전혀 필요하지 않습니다. — It is not needed at all.

Form: the adverbial particle 안

Placement and rhythm

안 precedes the conjugated predicate and produces compact negation that reads naturally in speech and in concise user-facing text.

• 안 받습니다. — We do not accept (it).
• 오늘은 안 늦었습니다. — We were not late today.

Because 안 is an adverb, it precedes auxiliary chains unless scope requires a different placement (see below).

Spacing and orthography

안 is written as a separate word before the predicate. The spelling distinguishes it from the bound morpheme -지 않-, which attaches to the stem.

Scope and auxiliary chains

Negating the main action vs. the attempt

In chains such as “try to V” (V-아/어 보다), placement changes the meaning.

• 안 가 보았습니다. — I tried (something) and did not go. (negation on 가다)
• 가 보지 않았습니다. — I did not try going. (negation on the trial)

With progressive and ability

For ongoing aspect or ability, select the locus carefully.

• 공사를 진행하지 않습니다. — We do not conduct construction (decision-level negation).
• 작동이 안 됩니다. — It does not work (ability/availability negation; common in service notices).

Register and style selection

Formal documents and policies

지 않다 reads more formal and is frequently used with nouns in -하지 않다 patterns for clarity.

• 허용하지 않습니다. — It is not permitted.
• 변경하지 않았습니다. — It was not modified.

User-facing guidance and dialogs

안 supports concise statements in banners, alerts, and FAQs.

• 안 열립니다. — It does not open.
• 안 필요합니다 → 필요하지 않습니다. — Prefer the analytic form with adjectives like 필요하다 in formal text.

Politeness, tense, and voice

Polite present and past

• 예약을 받지 않습니다. — We do not take reservations.
• 예약을 받지 않았습니다. — We did not take reservations.

Imperatives and prohibitives

Imperative negation normally uses ~지 마세요/~지 말다, which differs from descriptive negation. However, descriptive negation remains valid for policy tone.

• 반입하지 마십시오. — Please do not bring (prohibitive).
• 반입하지 않습니다. — We do not allow bringing (policy description).

Contrast: 못 vs. 안 vs. 지 않다

Inability vs. refusal/absence

못 signals inability or external impediment; 안/지 않다 expresses simple negation or choice.

• 오늘은 일찍 못 갑니다. — I cannot leave early (constraint).
• 오늘은 일찍 안 갑니다. — I am not leaving early (decision).

In formal writing, both can appear, but the semantic difference should match the evidence the text presents.

Common error catalog and fixes

Overusing 안 with adjectives that prefer 지 않다

Error: 안 중요합니다. Fix: 중요하지 않습니다. Many adjectives read more natural in the analytic pattern in formal prose.

Double negatives and unintended affirmation

Error: 허용하지 않는 것은 아닙니다. (too convoluted for policy text) Fix: 허용합니다 / 허용하지 않습니다. Choose a single clear polarity unless the nuance is required.

Scope mistakes in auxiliary chains

Error: 안 시도했습니다 (literal “did not try” but awkward). Fix: 시도하지 않았습니다. Use the analytic predicate with Sino-Korean verbs for stable tone.

Register mixing in one sentence

Error: 접수 안 해요. 제출하지 않으십시오. (mixed casual + formal) Fix: 접수하지 않습니다. 제출하지 마십시오.

Distribution with frequency and degree adverbs

Placement with 거의/자주/전혀

• 거의 사용하지 않습니다. — It is used scarcely.
• 전혀 발생하지 않았습니다. — It did not occur at all.
• 자주 안 늦습니다 → 자주 늦지 않습니다. — Prefer the analytic form to avoid rhythm clash.

Syntax notes: nominalizations and modifiers

Attributive negation

Use the adnominal form of 않다 to modify nouns.

• 필요하지 않은 항목을 삭제했습니다. — Items that are not necessary were deleted.
• 정상적이지 않은 동작을 기록했습니다. — Behavior that is not normal was recorded.

Nominalized clauses

With 것 nominalizations, the negation remains inside the clause.

• 완료하지 않은 것이 있습니다. — There is an item that has not been completed.

Minimal pairs for meaning control

Pairs (decision vs. constraint vs. absence)

• 연장하지 않았습니다. — We chose not to extend.
• 연장할 수 없었습니다. — We could not extend (constraint).
• 연장이 안 됩니다. — Extension does not work / is unavailable.

Production practice (original)

Task 1: Translate to Korean using 지 않다

1. It is not compatible with the old version. → 이전 버전과 호환되지 않습니다.
2. The committee did not approve the change. → 위원회가 변경을 승인하지 않았습니다.
3. This notice is not related to payment. → 본 공지는 결제와 관련이 없습니다.

Task 2: Rewrite with 안 for concise UI strings

1. 연결되지 않습니다 → 안 연결됩니다.
2. 저장하지 않았습니다 → 안 저장했습니다. (UI pop-up tone)

Task 3: Fix scope

1. 안 확인해 보았습니다 → 확인해 보지 않았습니다. (negation on the trial)
2. 안 사용할 수 있습니다 → 사용할 수 없습니다. (use 못/불가 for ability)

Conclusion

Negation in Korean is expressed productively with 지 않다 and 안. Formal documents and systematic reports generally favor the analytic predicate for clarity and ease of modification, while concise user-facing text often uses the adverb 안. Careful control of scope, register, and auxiliary chains prevents unintended meanings. Consistent selection across a page improves readability and supports accurate translation into other languages.