-으나
-으나: Written ‘But’ — Measured Contrast
But / although — a connective that marks contrast, more written and measured than everyday -지만.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem with batchim (except ㄹ) | -으나 | 먹다 → 먹으나 / 많다 → 많으나 |
| Vowel stem, ㄹ stem, 이다, after -으시- | -나 | 가다 → 가나 / 살다 → 사나 / 학생이나 |
| After past or -겠- | -었으나 / -겠으나 | 갔으나 / 하겠으나 |
-으나 means but / although — the written, steadier contrast.
If -지만 is the blunt everyday but, -으나 is the same job in a quieter register. You will meet it in essays, newsy prose, and textbook explanations long before it feels natural in a café chat.
우리말샘: -으나 (after batchim stems, and after -었- / -겠-) and -나 (after vowel stems, ㄹ stems, 이다, -으시-) mark that the following clause differs from the first.
Forms
| Environment | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Batchim (not ㄹ) | -으나 | 먹으나, 좋으나, 많으나 |
| Vowel / ㄹ / 이다 / -으시- | -나 | 가나, 사나, 학생이나, 하시나 |
| Past / -겠- | -었으나 / -겠으나 | 갔으나, 하겠으나 |
노력하나 결과가 바로 오지 않아요.
계획은 크나 시작은 작아요.
힘들었으나 포기하지 않았어요.ㄹ drops before this -나, the same habit you know from other -(으)-type endings: 살다 → 사나.
Register, not a new meaning
| Feel | Typical home | |
|---|---|---|
| -지만 | Everyday contrast | Speech, messages |
| -으나 | Measured contrast | Writing, formal explanation |
| -는데① | Soft background | Conversation setup |
비싸지만 샀어요. fine in speech
비싸나 품질이 좋아요. more written feelDo not sprinkle -으나 into every spoken but — it will sound like you swallowed a textbook. Do recognise it on the page so contrast does not look like a mystery ending.
Not the question -나
Korean has several -나 shapes. This lesson is only the contrast connective.
Question endings like 괜찮나? are a different tool. If the sentence is asking, you are not looking at this page’s -으나/-나.
Plans and effort talk
Sejong’s unit title leans on effort and goals — exactly the kind of measured prose where -으나 appears:
목표는 높으나 오늘은 하나만 해요.
결혼 계획은 있으나 날짜는 아직이에요.Ask: am I writing a clear contrast in a careful voice? If yes, -으나 is available. If you are just chatting, stay with -지만.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 열심히 노력해야 목표를 이룰 수 있어요 (You can achieve your goal if you work hard.) — Intermediate Korean 1, Unit 3, on the theme of plans and wishes. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. What is the contrast form of 먹다?
2. When is -으나 a better fit than -지만?
3. Which -나 is *not* this lesson?
Common questions
Is -으나 just fancy -지만?
Close in meaning, different register. Prefer jiman in conversation. Reach for -으나 in essays, notices, and careful writing.
How is this different from -는데?
neunde1 often softens into background. -으나 (like -지만) puts the contrast itself on stage.
Do I need -으나 for TOPIK writing?
Useful to recognise and to use sparingly. Overusing it in a casual diary sounds stiff; underusing it in formal prose is fine if -지만 is clear.
What about 그러나?
그러나 is a sentence adverb (‘however’), not this connective glued to a stem. Related feel, different slot.