Advanced Korean Idioms II: -기 짝이 없다, -어 치우다, and 이라고는
Three emphatic idiom patterns for near-native Korean: -기 짝이 없다 maxes out an adjective (부끄럽기 짝이 없다 — utterly shameful), -아/어 치우다 dispatches an action and clears it away (남은 일을 해치웠다 — I knocked out the rest), and N이라고는 stresses that something is missing to the last scrap (인정이라고는 없다 — not a shred of compassion).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Grade 6 idioms run on intensity. -기 짝이 없다 pushes an adjective to its limit (그런 실수를 하다니 부끄럽기 짝이 없다 — to make such a mistake is utterly shameful), -아/어 치우다 dispatches an action decisively and clears it away (남은 일을 다 해치웠다 — I knocked out the rest of the work and was done with it), and N이라고는 stresses that something is missing to the last scrap (인정이라고는 없는 사람 — a person without a shred of compassion). These three are the machinery of emphatic, idiomatic Korean.
You first met four-character idioms back in grade 5’s 사자성어 lesson; grade 6 deepens the idiom thread into the emphatic patterns native speakers reach for when plain words feel too flat. Start with ten words for talking about feelings and human character.
Ten words for strong feelings and sharp judgments
Beyond compare: -기 짝이 없다
Attach -기 짝이 없다 to a descriptive adjective (through the nominalizer -기) to push it to its absolute limit — “there is no match for how X this is.” It is emphatic and formal, the written-register cousin of 너무 or 정말.
합격 소식에 기쁘기 짝이 없다 = I could not be happier at the news that I passed 그런 실수를 하다니 부끄럽기 짝이 없다 = to make such a mistake is utterly shameful 혼자 남겨진 그는 외롭기 짝이 없었다 = left behind alone, he was lonely beyond compare 결과가 안타깝기 짝이 없다 = the outcome could not be more regrettable
It bonds with adjectives — feelings and states — not action verbs, and it signals real intensity, so a Korean reader feels the emphasis land. Save it for the moment that truly deserves it.
Polish it off: -아/어 치우다
Add -아/어 치우다 to an action verb to say you finished it decisively and cleared it out of the way. The leftover food, the backlog, the unwanted furniture — 치우다 (“clear away”) lends its meaning to the whole act.
남은 음식을 다 먹어 치웠다 = I polished off all the leftover food 귀찮은 일은 빨리 해치우자 = let’s just knock out the annoying task and be done 안 입는 옷을 싹 팔아 치웠다 = I sold off every piece of clothing I don’t wear 미뤄 둔 보고서를 하루 만에 써치웠다 = I dashed off the report I’d put off, in a single day
The tone is brisk, sometimes a touch ruthless — you are getting rid of something. That “off my plate” feeling is exactly why 치우다 attaches here rather than the neutral completion of -아/어 버리다.
Not a scrap of: N이라고는
Use N이라고는 (after a consonant) or N라고는 (after a vowel) to single out a noun and stress that, as for that, there is none at all. It almost always pairs with a negative or a minimizer.
그 사람은 인정이라고는 없다 = that person hasn’t a scrap of compassion 지갑에 돈이라고는 한 푼도 없었다 = there wasn’t a single penny in the wallet 내가 아는 것이라고는 그 이름뿐이다 = the only thing I know is that name 그에게 취미라고는 잠자는 것밖에 없다 = the only hobby he has is sleeping
The 이라고는/라고는 split follows the final sound (인정이라고는 vs. 취미라고는). The effect is emphatic and often exasperated — you are underlining a total absence.
An idiom-rich vignette
Here is the formal, expressive register in action — a short character sketch that leans on all three patterns:
그는 인정이라고는 없는 사람이었다. 어려운 부탁을 매몰차게 거절해 치우고도 미안한 기색 하나 없으니, 곁에서 보는 사람이 다 민망하기 짝이 없었다. 그러면서도 제 잇속이라면 한 푼도 놓치는 법이 없었다.
He was a man without a scrap of compassion. He would coldly turn down a hard request and be done with it, without the faintest flicker of regret — it was excruciating for anyone watching from the side. And yet when it came to his own gain, he never let a single penny slip.
Venting after a bad meeting
The same forms, now in a chat between two coworkers blowing off steam:
Notice how 인정이라고는 and 미련이라고는 underline a total absence, 잘라 치우더라 and 접어 치웠어 dispatch an action for good, and 답답하기 짝이 없겠다 maxes out the feeling. That stacking of emphasis is the texture of idiomatic Korean.
FAQ
What does -기 짝이 없다 mean, and what can it attach to? -기 짝이 없다 is an emphatic adjective intensifier meaning ‘utterly / beyond compare / could not be more —.’ It attaches to a descriptive adjective through the nominalizer -기: 기쁘기 짝이 없다 = couldn’t be happier, 부끄럽기 짝이 없다 = utterly ashamed, 안타깝기 짝이 없다 = could not be more regrettable. Literally it says ‘there is no match (짝) for how X this is.’ Two cautions: it pairs with adjectives (states and feelings), not action verbs — you say 한심하기 짝이 없다 (utterly pathetic), never a plain verb form — and it lives in formal, written, or emphatic spoken register, so save it for real intensity rather than an everyday ‘very.’
How is -어 치우다 different from just doing the action? -아/어 치우다 is an auxiliary verb that adds two flavors to a main verb: decisive completion and clearing-away. 먹다 is ‘eat’; 먹어 치우다 is ‘polish it off, leaving nothing.’ 팔다 is ‘sell’; 팔아 치우다 is ‘sell off and be rid of it.’ 하다 is ‘do’; 해치우다 is ‘knock it out and be done with it.’ The nuance is finishing something — often a chore, a nuisance, or leftovers — so that it is gone and off your plate. Because it carries that ‘get rid of it’ tone, it can sound brisk or even a little ruthless, which is exactly why it surfaces when someone dispatches an unwanted task or an awkward situation.
When do I use N이라고는? N이라고는 singles out a noun to say that, as for that thing, there is none at all (or only a trivial amount). It almost always teams up with a negative or a minimizer: 인정이라고는 없다 = hasn’t a scrap of compassion, 돈이라고는 한 푼도 없다 = not a single penny, 아는 것이라고는 이름뿐이다 = the only thing I know is the name. Use 이라고는 after a consonant (인정이라고는) and 라고는 after a vowel (취미라고는). The effect is emphatic and often exasperated — you are stressing how completely something is missing — so it belongs to the same expressive, slightly literary register as the two idiom patterns in this lesson.
Next: satirical proverbs — 깨나, 이라고2. Previous: folk songs & old tales — 을랑, -거들랑, -으려도. Full path: curriculum hub.