부인하다
bu'inhada[ˈpu(ː)inɦa̠da̠]
To disavow in Korean is 부인하다 (bu'inhada).
부인하다 means to strongly and solemnly refuse to own or acknowledge. To deny responsibility for, approbation of and the like. While it is used to disavow a connection, it is also the standard word used to deny a fact or an allegation.
Meaning: to strongly and solemnly refuse to own or acknowledge, to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like (verb)
Which one should you use?
부인하다 is used to disavow connections or responsibilities, but it is also the standard term for denying a fact or an allegation. A close synonym is 부정하다, which is often used in more formal or legal contexts to mean 'to deny' or 'to negate'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 부인하다 is 부인했다. For polite or formal situations, the present tense is 부인합니다.
How do you pronounce it?
bu'inhada
Did you know?
- The noun part of 부인하다, which is 부인, shares the exact same spelling and pronunciation as the Korean word for 'wife'.
- While 부인하다 is a strong denial, Koreans often avoid using it in casual social settings to prevent sounding overly confrontational. Instead, they might use softer, more indirect phrasing to disagree.
- The Hanja characters used in 부인 are 否 (no) and 認 (recognize). Together they literally form the concept of 'not recognizing' a fact or relationship.
Examples in context
- 부인합니다.(I) Disavow. / (I) Deny.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 부인하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 부인하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
