지만: Saying 'But' in Korean (Plus 그런데 and 근데)
지만 attaches to a verb or adjective stem to say 'but' inside one sentence — 비싸지만 맛있어요, "it's expensive but delicious." To start a *new* sentence with 'but', Korean switches words entirely: 하지만 in writing, 그런데 in neutral speech, and its clipped cousin 근데 everywhere else. 근데 also means "by the way," which is why subtitles translate it five different ways depending on the scene.
English has one "but." Korean has four, and they're not interchangeable — using 하지만 where a drama character would say 근데 is the grammatical equivalent of answering a text with "however." Technically correct. Deeply weird. Here's how to actually sort them.
지만: the but that lives inside the sentence
When "but" connects two clauses in a single breath — "it's pricey but good" — Korean glues 지만 straight onto the verb or adjective stem. No new sentence, no subject repeated, just stem + 지만 + the rest. It works on any tense, because 지만 attaches after the tense marker, not instead of it.
비싸지만 맛있어요.
bi-ssa-ji-man ma-si-sseo-yo.
It's expensive, but it's delicious.
present adjective stem + 지만
어제 갔지만 문이 닫혀 있었어요.
eo-je gat-ji-man mun-i da-chyeo i-sseo-sseo-yo.
I went yesterday, but the door was closed.
past tense 갔 + 지만 — the past marker comes first
바쁘지만 갈게요.
ba-ppeu-ji-man gal-ge-yo.
I'm busy, but I'll go.
casual promise — very common in texts
저는 학생이지만 일도 해요.
jeo-neun hak-saeng-i-ji-man il-do hae-yo.
I'm a student, but I also work.
noun + 이지만, since 이다 needs its own stem
One quirk worth knowing: 지만 can also mean "although" without any real contrast, just a heads-up before the main point — 죄송하지만, 시간 있으세요? ("Sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute?"). That's a fixed politeness formula, not actual disagreement, and it's everywhere in customer service Korean.
하지만, 그런데, 근데: starting a sentence with but
지만 can't start a sentence — it needs something to attach to. For a fresh sentence, Korean swaps in a standalone word, and which one you pick says a lot about the room you're in.
| Word | Register | Where you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|
| 하지만 | Formal / written | Essays, news anchors, textbook dialogues — reads a little stiff out loud |
| 그런데 | Neutral, spoken or written | Safe everywhere — coworkers, teachers, polite strangers |
| 근데 | Casual, spoken | Friends, texts, group chats — the one people actually say |
This is the part textbooks quietly skip: 하지만 is what you write, not what fluent speakers say. Open any real conversation, drama subtitle, or KakaoTalk thread and 근데 shows up constantly; 하지만 barely shows up at all outside of essays and news segments. If your speaking sounds like you're narrating a documentary, this is usually why — swap the 하지만 reflex for 근데 and you'll instantly sound less like a textbook.
그런데's double life: contrast or just... hey
Here's the twist that makes subtitles inconsistent: 그런데 (and 근데) doesn't only mean "but." It also means "by the way," "so," "anyway," or just a conversational throat-clear before you change subjects. Same word, opposite job — sometimes it flags contrast, sometimes it just flags a new thought is coming.
그런데 이거 봤어?
geu-reon-de i-geo bwa-sseo?
By the way, did you see this?
topic-shift — no contrast at all
맛있어요. 그런데 좀 비싸요.
ma-si-sseo-yo. geu-reon-de jom bi-ssa-yo.
It's tasty. But it's a little pricey.
true contrast between two facts
This is exactly why fan-subbed dramas translate 근데 as "but," "anyway," "so," "oh," and "by the way" within the same episode — none of them are wrong, because 근데's real function is closer to "here comes something" than to a strict logical connector. Once you stop hunting for one fixed English meaning, 근데 gets much easier to use.
근데 + opinion: Korea's polite pushback formula
Direct disagreement — "no, you're wrong" — lands harder in Korean than in English, especially across an age gap. 근데 is the workaround: drop it in front of an opinion and it softens the whole sentence into a gentle nudge instead of a correction. It's less "but" and more "so, hear me out."
나 오늘 연습 안 갈래.
na o-neul yeon-seup an gal-lae.
I don't want to go to practice today.
근데... 다음 주가 데뷔 쇼케이스잖아.
geun-de... da-eum ju-ga de-bwi syo-ke-i-seu-jan-a.
But... next week's the debut showcase, though.
알아. 근데 진짜 피곤해.
a-ra. geun-de jin-jja pi-gon-hae.
I know. But I'm really tired.
그럼 오늘은 일찍 자. 근데 내일은 진짜 가야 돼.
geu-reom o-neu-reun il-jjik ja. geun-de nae-i-reun jin-jja ga-ya dwae.
Then sleep early tonight. But tomorrow you really have to go.
지만 vs 는데: the mix-up worth clearing up
Learners often confuse 지만 with 는데, and the overlap is real — both can translate as "but." The difference is commitment: 지만 flags a clear, standalone contrast ("good, but expensive"), while 는데 sets up background info the next clause reacts to, and often carries no contrast at all ("it's raining, so bring an umbrella"). If you can swap in "even though" and the sentence still makes sense, 지만 is usually the safer pick.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 지만, 하지만, and 그런데?
지만 attaches directly to a verb or adjective stem to link two clauses in one sentence. 하지만 and 그런데 are standalone words that start a new sentence with 'but' — 하지만 is formal and written, 그런데 is neutral and works in speech or writing.
Is 근데 just a shortened 그런데?
Yes — 근데 is the casual, spoken contraction of 그런데. They mean the same things (contrast, topic-shift, conversational filler), but 근데 sounds relaxed and belongs with friends or texting, while 그런데 is safer with strangers, coworkers, or in writing.
Can 그런데 mean something other than 'but'?
Constantly. 그런데 and 근데 are also used to change subjects ("by the way"), soften an opinion, or just buy a beat before speaking — closer to "so, anyway" than a strict logical 'but'. Context, not the dictionary, decides which job it's doing.
Is it rude to use 근데 with people I just met?
It's not rude, just casual — pair it with 요-ending politeness (근데... 이거 얼마예요?) and it's completely fine with strangers in day-to-day situations. For genuinely formal contexts — interviews, emails, elders you don't know well — 그런데 is the safer default.
How does 지만 attach to 이다 (to be)?
이다 becomes 이지만 after a consonant and 지만 after a vowel-ending noun: 학생이지만 ("is a student, but"), 친구지만 ("is a friend, but"). It follows the same 이/가-style sound rule as most Korean particles and endings.