Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Grammar Supplement · Curriculum gap

-을 리 만무하다

-을 리 만무하다: Utterly No Chance — Impossibility Stressed

Bound noun 리 「008」 + 만무하다 「001」: absolutely no reason / chance — impossibility stressed.

Before this, make sure you know: -을 / -ㄹ (modifier) , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Prospective + 리 만무하다	-(으)ㄹ 리 만무하다	그럴 리 만무하다 / 알 리 만무하다
With subject 가	-(으)ㄹ 리가 만무하다	올 리가 만무하다

-을 리 만무하다 stresses absolute impossibility — utterly no chance….

우리말샘 리 「008」 + 만무하다 「001」. Heavier than plain 리 없다.

Why this is hard

Learners meet 리 없다 early and treat 만무하다 as decoration. The dictionary packages 리 만무하다 as absolutely none. Soft chat rarely needs it; strong rebuttal does.

What it does

You crush the possibility flat.

그럴 리 만무합니다.
그가 배신할 리 만무해요.
지금 도착할 리가 만무하죠.
내가 속일 리 만무합니다.

Forms

Prospective adnominal + 리(가) 만무하다.

그렇다 → 그럴 리 만무하다
알다 → 알 리 만무하다
오다 → 올 리가 만무하다

When not to use it

Do not use it for mild doubt.

Do not confuse distance-unit 리 with this bound noun.

Do not use it where soft 설마 is enough and clearer.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-을 턱이 없다	Also denies grounds — slightly different noun seat.
-을 법하다	Prediction — opposite mood.

Ask: am I stressing absolute no-chance? If yes, -을 리 만무하다. If lighter denial, 리 없다 / 턱이 없다 may do.

Do not confuse it with

-을 턱이 없다

no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다)

-을 법하다

likely to… — a reasonable prediction

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:

-는 셈이다 amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다) -을 지경이다 to the point of… — an extreme state or plight (-을 지경이다) -기 십상이다 almost certain to… — nine times out of ten (-기 십상이다) -는 둥 마는 둥 half-doing it — barely, half-heartedly (-는 둥 마는 둥) -던 차에 just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에) 으로 말미암아 owing to… — formal written cause (으로 말미암아) -는답시고 under the pretext of… — claiming to, often critically (-는답시고) -는가 하면 and then again… — stacking contrasting cases (-는가 하면) -을 겸 while also… — doing it for that purpose too (-을 겸) -게끔 so that… — purpose with a firm push (-게끔) -을 턱이 없다 no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다) -을 성싶다 seems likely to… — a soft forecast (-을 성싶다) -을지언정 even if… — conceding then holding the other line (-을지언정) -기 그지없다 endlessly… — extreme degree with no bound (-기 그지없다) -기 이를 데 없다 beyond words… — so much there is no way to say it (-기 이를 데 없다) -다 못해 unable to go on… — past the limit, then the sequel (-다 못해) -는 셈치고 pretending / counting it as… — provisional assumption (-는 셈치고) -는다 뿐이지 only that… — limiting the claim to just that (-는다 뿐이지) -는다손 치더라도 even granting that… — strong concession then pushback (-는다손 치더라도) -어 주십사 please do… for me — earnest old-style request (-어 주십사) -겠거니 thinking it would… — assumption that guides the next act (-겠거니) -으랴 -으랴 what with A and B… — piling pressures or tasks (-으랴 -으랴) -으려던 참이다 was just about to… — intention interrupted at the brink (-으려던 참이다) -는다기보다는 rather than saying… — reframing the label (-는다기보다는) -은 끝에 after all that… — only at the end of the ordeal (-은 끝에) -은 바 있다 have (once)… — formal experience on record (-은 바 있다) -건 간에 whether A or B… — it does not matter which (-건 간에)

Words used above

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리ribound noun — reason / grounds

만무하다manmuhadato be absolutely nonexistent

-을 리 만무하다-eul ri manmuhadautterly no chance that…

절대로jeoldaeroabsolutely

불가능bulganeungimpossibility

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. You are told your most punctual colleague simply did not turn up. You think that cannot have happened. Which line says so?

2. Which line uses the 가 variant the forms table lists?

3. You want to deny that anyone had grounds to think it, rather than deny that it happened. Which neighbour does that?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 리 「008」: after -을 with 있다/없다 — reason. 만무하다 「001」: often in 리 만무하다 — absolutely none.

Vs 리 없다?

리 없다 is already strong. 만무하다 adds absolute colour.

Tone?

Formal / emphatic denial — speeches, writing, strong rebuttal.

Café soft?

설마 / 리 없어요. Keep 만무하다 for maximum absolute denial.