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

-을 턱이 없다

-을 턱이 없다: No Reason Whatsoever — Flat Denial

Bound noun 턱 「005」 with 없다 after -을: no proper reason or logic whatsoever (also ironic with 있다).

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

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Prospective + 턱이 없다	-(으)ㄹ 턱이 없다	알 턱이 없다 / 올 턱이 없다
Ironic with 있다	-(으)ㄹ 턱이 있다	알 턱이 있냐

-을 턱이 없다 flatly denies any proper grounds — no reason whatsoever….

우리말샘 턱 「005」. Not the chin noun. Not a soft maybe not.

Why this is hard

English no way maps to several Korean seats (리, 턱, 법). -을 턱이 없다 targets grounds / logic. Learners paste it as mild uncertainty and miss the absolute colour.

What it does

You reject the idea that there could be a proper reason.

내가 그걸 알 턱이 없어요.
지금 올 턱이 없어요.
그럴 턱이 없죠.
내가 속일 턱이 있냐?

The last line shows the ironic 있다 reading.

Forms

Prospective adnominal + 턱이 없다.

알다 → 알 턱이 없다
오다 → 올 턱이 없다
그렇다 → 그럴 턱이 없다

When not to use it

Do not use it for soft hedging.

Do not confuse chin 턱 with this bound noun.

Do not swap it blindly for prediction -을 법하다.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-을 리 만무하다	Heavier impossibility package (separate slot).
-을 법하다	Reasonable prediction — opposite mood.

Ask: am I denying that any proper reason exists? If yes, -을 턱이 없다. If forecasting likelihood, use another seat.

Do not confuse it with

-을 리 만무하다

utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다)

-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 리 만무하다 utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다) -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

Tap the speaker to hear it read aloud by your browser.

턱teokbound noun — proper reason / grounds

-을 턱이 없다-eul teogi eopdano reason whatsoever to…

까닭kkadakreason

이치ichilogic

리rireason — neighbour 리

Quick check

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

1. A colleague blames you for not warning them about the schedule change. Nobody told you either. Which line says you had no way of knowing?

2. Someone keeps insisting you must have been told. You are tired of it and push back, not really asking anything. Which line fits?

3. A famously late friend is supposed to be arriving first tomorrow. You think the event itself is impossible. Which line says that?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 턱 「005」: after -을, often with 없다 — proper reason or logic. Also ironic with 있다.

Chin 턱?

Different life (「001」). This slot is the bound-noun reason seat.

Tone?

Strong denial — often annoyed or absolute.

Café soft?

모를 거예요 / 알 리가 없어요. Keep 턱 for the flat grounds denial.