-지?
Right?
Attach -지? to the end of a sentence to check something you expect might be true and ask for the listener's agreement, like saying '..., right?' in English.
How It Works
-지? is a very common ending in spoken Korean. It softens the tone and makes a statement sound like a gentle confirmation question rather than a direct assertion or an open question that asks for brand-new information. It's attached directly to verb and adjective stems.
How to Use:
- Verbs/Adjectives: Attach -지? directly to the stem.
- 가다 (to go) → 가지?
- 춥다 (to be cold) → 춥지?
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹지? - Nouns (with 이다):
- Noun ending in a consonant + -이지?
- 학생 (student) → 학생이지?
- Noun ending in a vowel + -지?
- 의사 (doctor) → 의사지? - Past Tense: Add -았/었- before -지?.
- 하다 (to do) → 했지? (did it, right?)
- 보다 (to see) → 봤지? (saw it, right?)
For a more polite form, you can add -요 to make -지요?. This is common in everyday polite conversation.
- 춥지요? (It's cold, right?)
- 학생이지요? (You're a student, right?)
Examples (6)
- 오늘 날씨가 춥지?
The weather is cold today, right?
Word by Word: Today weather is cold, right?
- 이 영화 재미있지?
This movie is fun, isn't it?
Word by Word: This movie is fun, right?
- 저 사람이 한국 사람이지?
That person is Korean, right?
Word by Word: That person is a Korean person, right?
For nouns ending in a consonant like 사람 (person), use -이지?.
- 저 사람은 의사지?
That person is a doctor, right?
Word by Word: That person is a doctor, right?
For nouns ending in a vowel like 의사 (doctor), -지? is attached directly to the noun.
- 여기가 우리 집이지?
This is our house, right?
Word by Word: Here is our house, right?
For nouns ending in a consonant like 집 (house), use -이지?.
- 어제 숙제 다 했지?
You finished all your homework yesterday, right?
Word by Word: Yesterday homework all did, right?
Common Mistakes
Using -지? to ask a stranger for brand-new information, like an open 'what' or 'where' question.
Different MeaningA: (To a stranger) 이름이 뭐지?BetterA: (To a stranger) 이름이 뭐예요?-지? checks something you already have in mind and expect the listener to agree with. It is fine for a yes/no check even when you are unsure of the answer — 3번 버스가 여기서 출발하지요? ('Bus 3 leaves from here, right?') is perfectly natural. But to ask a stranger for brand-new information, like an open 'what' or 'where' question, use a plain ending such as -아/어요? or -ㅂ/습니까?. Said to a stranger, 이름이 뭐지? sounds like you are muttering to yourself, trying to remember their name.
Incorrectly attaching -지? to nouns ending in a consonant.
Not Quite이거 책지?Better이거 책이지?When attaching to a noun that ends in a consonant, you must use -이지?, not just -지?.
Learn This First
To use this confirmation ending, you need to understand verb conjugation.
Related Patterns
- Question formation
-지? is one way of forming questions in Korean, specifically for confirmation. This contrasts with other question forms like -아/어요? or -ㅂ/습니까? which are used to ask for unknown information.
- -잖아You Know, ... Right?
Both -지? and -잖아 are used for information the speaker assumes the listener knows. However, -지? seeks confirmation ('..., right?'), while -잖아 states a fact as a reminder ('You know...').
- -나?Do You...? Is It...?
While -지? seeks confirmation from someone else, -나? is a question ending that often expresses personal wonder or a question to oneself ('I wonder if...').
- -요Politeness Marker
The politeness marker -요 can be added to -지? to form -지요?, making the confirmation question more polite and suitable for a wider range of social situations.