-지① (connective): But / Whereas — Contrasting Two Facts

-지① (this page) is a connective: it sets two opposing facts against each other.

Vs textbook beginner -지요: -지/-지요 seeks agreement (“right?”). This slot is contrast (“A, whereas B”). Same Hangul — 우리말샘 「027」 connective ≠ 「028」 ending. Merging the pages is how learners keep hearing “right?” in every -지.

Why this is hard

One spelling, three classroom jobs: agreement ending, negation frame (-지 않다), and this contrast connective. Beginners meet -지요 first, so every later -지 gets misread as soft confirmation.

-지만 already covers everyday “but.” This -지 is shorter and often sharper — more pairing than polite essay contrast. Rhythm and the second clause matter; a lone -지 without a clear opposite feels unfinished.

What it does

You put A and B on opposite sides of one line of thought.

싸지 비싸요.
좋지 않지 나빠져요.
가지 말지 그냥 가요.
학생이지 선생은 아니에요.

Spoken pairing is the cue. Do not treat every -지 as “right?”

Forms

Stem + -지, then a contrasting clause. -었지 / -겠지 appear when tense or guess sits before the contrast.

When not to use it

Do not read this slot as beginner “right?” That is -지요.

Do not merge it with -지 않다. Negation’s -지 is a different dictionary sense; the contrast connective does not equal “not.”

Do not replace every -지만 with bare -지 in careful writing. Everyday essays often want -지만; this -지 likes tight spoken or stylized pairs.

Do not drop the second half. 싸지… needs the opposing fact, or listeners hunt for the missing side.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Ask: am I pairing two opposing facts with a short connective -지? If yes, this page. If you only want “right?”, use -지요. If you want ordinary but, prefer -지만.