-기 이를 데 없다
-기 이를 데 없다: Beyond Words — No Way to Say It
Fixed extreme package after -기: so complete there is no further way to put it into words.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Descriptive -기 + 이를 데 없다 | -기 이를 데 없다 | 답답하기 이를 데 없다 / 부끄럽기 이를 데 없다 |
| With -기가 | -기가 이를 데 없다 | 힘들기가 이를 데 없다 |
-기 이를 데 없다 maxes degree past words — beyond saying.
Fixed extreme after -기. Not mild 아주.
Why this is hard
-기 그지없다, -기 짝이 없다, and this slot look interchangeable. Learners pick one colour and paste. -기 이를 데 없다 leans nothing left to put into words.
What it does
You push a feeling past ordinary description.
답답하기 이를 데 없어요.
부끄럽기 이를 데 없어요.
힘들기 이를 데 없어요.
안타깝기 이를 데 없어요.Forms
답답하다 → 답답하기 이를 데 없다
부끄럽다 → 부끄럽기 이를 데 없다
힘들다 → 힘들기 이를 데 없다When not to use it
Do not use it as soft very.
Do not drop -기.
Do not force cheerful praise by default — tone is often heavy.
Neighbours — and why they differ
| Form | Why it is not this slot |
|---|---|
| -기 그지없다 | No end / no bound. |
| -기 짝이 없다 | No peer. |
Ask: am I saying there is no way left to put it into words? If yes, -기 이를 데 없다.
Do not confuse it with
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:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. A formal apology describes shame as beyond words. Which sentence uses the fixed extreme package correctly?
2. Which choice keeps the required -기 seat after 힘들다?
3. Which line specifically suggests that ordinary words cannot capture the frustration, rather than merely saying it has no bound?
Common questions
Dictionary?
Fixed idiom after -기: the degree is so full that there is no further place to put words.
Tone?
Heavy emotion — frustration, shame, hardship.
Vs -기 짝이 없다?
-기 짝이 없다 leans ‘no peer’. 이를 데 없다 leans ‘beyond expression’.
Café soft?
너무 / 정말. Keep 이를 데 없다 when speechlessness is the point.