-는 탓에
-는 탓에: Because of a Fault or Bad Result
A causal construction formed by adnominal modifiers (-은/-는) + noun 탓 (meaning 'fault / blame / flaw / defect') + locative 에. It identifies a culpable cause, deficiency, or mistake that directly generated a negative, disappointing, or distressing outcome. It cannot be used with positive outcomes.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing or habitual culpable action (Verbs) | V + -는 탓에 | 늦잠을 자는 탓에 / 말을 함부로 하는 탓에 |
| Completed mistake or past event (Verbs) | V + -(으)ㄴ 탓에 | 실수한 탓에 / 깜빡 잊은 탓에 / 늦게 출발한 탓에 |
| Inherent blameworthy qualities or bad weather (Adjectives) | A + -(으)ㄴ 탓에 | 날씨가 궂은 탓에 / 방이 좁은 탓에 / 성격이 급한 탓에 |
| Noun + 탓에 (Direct nominal blame) | N 탓에 | 비 탓에 / 내 탓에 / 폭설 탓에 |
The Logic of Culpability: Assigning Blame with -는 탓에
In human psychology, when things go wrong, we look for the culprit. Was it bad weather, personal laziness, or an oversight? Korean reserves -는 탓에 specifically for assigning culpability to a flaw that generated a bad outcome:
“초동 대처가 미흡했던 탓에 사태가 걷잡을 수 없이 커졌습니다.”
(Due to the blameworthy inadequacy of initial response measures, the situation grew uncontrollably severe.)
Under the National Institute of Korean Language (우리말샘):
탓 [명사]: (주로 ‘-은/는 탓에/탓으로’ 구성으로 쓰여) 주로 부정적인 현상이 생겨난 까닭이나 원인.
1. The Polarized Ecosystem of Korean Causality
[Positive Outcome: Gratitude] ──→ -는 덕분에 ("선생님 덕분에 합격했어요!")
[Neutral Cause: General Logic] ──→ -아서 / -기 때문에 ("비가 와서 길이 젖었어요.")
[Sudden External Incident] ──→ -는 바람에 ("타이어가 터지는 바람에 늦었어요.")
[Culpable Flaw / Defect] ──→ -는 탓에 ("늦잠을 잔 탓에 지각했어요.")2. High-Frequency Situational Formulas
- 자기반성과 자책 (Self-Accountability):
제가 꼼꼼하게 검토하지 못한 탓에 회사에 큰 손해를 끼쳤습니다.
- 신체 및 환경적 요인 (Environmental Deficits):
극심한 스트레스와 수면 부족 탓에 만성 피로에 시달리고 있습니다.
- 사회적 비판 (Systemic Critique):
안전 불감증 탓에 대형 사고가 끊이지 않고 발생합니다.
3. Economic and Sociopolitical Critiques
In editorial analyses, -는 탓에 assigns clear structural culpability for modern societal struggles:
- “부동산 가격이 폭등한 탓에 청년층의 결혼과 출산율이 유례없이 하락했습니다.” (Because real estate prices skyrocketed, marriage and birth rates among young adults fell to unprecedented lows).
- By deploying 탓에, the editorial directs explicit blame toward runaway property inflation.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 한국 예절에 대하여 조언해 주세요 (Please give me advice on Korean etiquette) — Intermediate Korean 1, Unit 19, on the theme of Human relations and etiquette. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. You stared at your smartphone screen in the pitch dark for hours every night, causing your eyesight to deteriorate severely. How do you describe this consequence while acknowledging your own fault?
2. Why would a sentence like '*선생님이 잘 가르쳐 주신 탓에 시험에 합격했어요' sound jarring and offensive to a Korean listener?
3. What is the positive, grateful antonym of -는 탓에 used when celebrating a happy outcome brought about by someone's help?
4. How does -는 탓에 differ from -는 바람에?
Common questions
Can I blame myself using 탓에?
Yes! '내 탓에' ('because of my fault') or '내가 부족한 탓에' ('due to my own shortcomings') is widely used to express sincere personal remorse and accountability.
What does the Korean idiom '남 탓하지 마라' mean?
It is a foundational moral proverb meaning 'Do not blame others for your own shortcomings; look within yourself before pointing fingers'.
Can 탓에 take descriptive adjectives?
Yes! Adjectives regularly combine with -(으)ㄴ 탓에 when an inherent condition is the culprit: '날씨가 추운 탓에 감기 환자가 급증했다' (Due to the cold weather, flu patients surged).
What spacing is required?
Always put a space before 탓: '늦은 V 탓에', '바쁜 V 탓에', '욕심을 부린 V 탓에'.