모르다

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 모ᄅᆞ〮다〮 (Yale: mwòló-tá), very likely originally a contraction equivalent to modern 못 (mot, “cannot”) + 알다 (alda, “to know”), with intervocalic lenition of */t/ to [ɾ] during the transition from Old to Middle Korean. Compare Old Korean 毛冬 (*mwotol, “cannot”).

The original adverb resurfaces in the long negation 알지 못하다 (al-ji mothada, “to not know”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈmo̞(ː)ɾɯda̠]

  • Audio:

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• Phonetic hangul: [모(ː)르다]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

모르다 • (moreuda) (infinitive 몰라, sequential 모르니)

1. (transitive) to not know, to be ignorant of

   Antonym: 알다 (alda, “to know”)

   나는 걔 이름을 몰라.

   Na-neun gyae ireum-eul molla.

   I don't know his name.

   우리 어디 가고 있는지 모르겠어.

   Uri eodi gago inneunji moreugesseo.

   I'm not sure where we're going.

   길을 몰라서 그러는기가? 내 여기 살아봐서 아는디 저쪽에 만화 가게가 있다.

   Gireul mollaseo geureoneun'giga? nae yeogi sarabwaseo aneundi jeojjoge manhwa gagega itda.

   Is why you do that you don't know the location? Since I live here, the comic bookstore is over there.

2. (after -는지, -던지, -을지, often with -도) to be possibly so

   아직 살아 있을지도 모른다.

   Ajik sara is-seulji-do moreunda.

   Perhaps he is still alive.

3. (after -는지, -던지, -을지) Used with 얼마나, 어찌, etc., for emphasis.

   얼마나 추운지 몰라.

   Eolmana chuunji molla.

   It's so cold.

   (literally, “I don't know how cold it is.”)

   어찌 슬펐는지 몰라.

   Eojji seulpeonneunji molla.

   I was so sad.

   (literally, “I don't know how sad I was.”)

4. (after -어도, -면) to not care

   죽어도 난 몰라.

   Jug-eodo nan molla.

   I don't care if you die.

   (literally, “I don't know even if you die.”)