-에도 불구하고
Despite, In Spite of
Means 'despite' or 'in spite of' a noun. It highlights a contrast between an expected outcome and what actually happened.
How It Works
-에도 불구하고 is a formal and emphatic way to say 'despite' or 'in spite of'. It attaches directly to a noun.
Structure: Noun + 에도 불구하고
This pattern is used to show that the situation described by the noun is a clear obstacle or contrary condition to the action in the following clause, but the action happens anyway. It carries a stronger sense of overcoming something than a simple conjunction like -지만 (but).
While it attaches to nouns, it's very common to use it with verbs or adjectives that have been turned into nouns using nominalizers like -(으)ㅁ or -기. This allows you to express concepts like 'despite being busy' or 'despite it being difficult'.
- 바쁘다 (to be busy) → 바쁨 (busyness) → 바쁨에도 불구하고 (despite being busy)
- 어렵다 (to be difficult) → 어려움 (difficulty) → 어려움에도 불구하고 (despite the difficulty)
This makes it a very versatile pattern for expressing contrast in more formal writing and speech.
Examples (4)
- 나쁜 날씨에도 불구하고 우리는 등산을 갔어요.
Despite the bad weather, we went hiking.
Word by Word: bad weather-in spite of we hiking went.
- 주위의 반대에도 불구하고 그들은 결혼했어요.
They got married in spite of the opposition from those around them.
Word by Word: surroundings' opposition-in spite of they got married.
- 몸이 아픔에도 불구하고 그는 시험을 보러 갔어요.
Despite being sick, he went to take the exam.
Word by Word: body being sick-in spite of he exam to see went.
Here,
아픔is the noun form of the verb아프다(to be sick), created using the -(으)ㅁ nominalizer. - 수많은 실패에도 불구하고 그는 포기하지 않았습니다.
In spite of numerous failures, he did not give up.
Word by Word: numerous failures-in spite of he did not give up.
Common Mistakes
Attaching it directly to a verb or adjective stem.
Not Quite피곤하다에도 불구하고 일을 계속했어요.Better피곤함에도 불구하고 일을 계속했어요.-에도 불구하고must attach to a noun. To use it with an adjective like피곤하다(to be tired), you must first change it into its noun form,피곤함(tiredness), using the -(으)ㅁ nominalizer.
Related Patterns
- -지만But
Both express contrast.
-지만is a general 'but' that connects two clauses.-에도 불구하고is stronger and more specific, meaning 'despite' a noun, and often implies overcoming an obstacle. It is also generally more formal than-지만. - -ㄴ/는데Background Info, But
-ㄴ/는데can show contrast, similar to 'but'. A more direct comparison is with-는데도, which means 'even though' and attaches to verb/adjective stems. For example,비가 오는데도 갔어요(It was raining, but I went anyway) is similar in meaning to비에도 불구하고 갔어요(I went despite the rain). The key difference is that-에도 불구하고attaches to nouns. - -더라도Even if, Although
Both express a concession. However,
-더라도means 'even if' and introduces a hypothetical situation (e.g.,비가 오더라도 갈 거예요- Even if it rains, I will go).-에도 불구하고refers to an actual, existing situation (e.g.,비에도 불구하고 갔어요- Despite the rain, I went). - -음/ㅁNominalizing Ending
This is a nominalizing ending that turns verbs and adjectives into nouns. It is frequently used with
-에도 불구하고to create phrases like바쁨에도 불구하고(despite being busy) or아픔에도 불구하고(despite being in pain), making the pattern much more versatile.