What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun 돈 (money) and the informal conjugation of the verb 주다 (to give).
Which one should you use?
While 돈 줘 is a direct command, adding 좀 to create 돈 좀 주세요 makes the request sound more natural, friendly and less demanding. In contrast, 돈 내놔 is a much more aggressive and confrontational way to demand money, often used in slang or heated situations.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite approach, you can use 돈 주세요, which is suitable for speaking to strangers or people older than you. If you want to be straightforward and polite, 돈을 주세요 is a standard option. To make a request sound softer and more polite, use 돈 좀 주세요, which adds a sense of "a little" to the request.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the casual phrase 돈 줘, the object marker 을 is often omitted in spoken Korean. The full grammatical form would be 돈을 줘.
How do you pronounce it?
don jwo
Did you know?
- While 돈 means 'money', it is also the name of a traditional unit of weight for gold and silver, equal to approximately 3.75 grams.
- One theory suggests that 돈 might be related to the Chinese characters for 'knife' and 'silver', referencing the ancient practice of using knife-shaped metal as currency.
- The verb 주다 (to give) changes entirely to 드리다 when the person receiving the money is of higher social status, turning a request into a humble offering.
Examples in context
- 나한테 돈 좀 줄래?Can you please give me the money?
- 부탁드립니다. 돈을 주실 수 있을까요?Could you kindly give me some money?
- 돈 줘.don jwo.Give me money.
- 빨리 돈 줘.ppalli don jwo.Give me the money quickly.
- 내 돈 줘!nae don jwo!Give me my money!
Example conversation
Two siblings are arguing over a lost allowance.
- 민지 Min-ji민준, 내 돈 줘.Minjun, nae don jwo.Minjun, give me my money.
- 민준 Min-jun지금은 못 줘.jigeum-eun mot jwo.I can't give it to you right now.
- 민지 Min-ji아까 말한 대로 빨리 돈 줘.akka malhan daero ppalli don jwo.Give me the money quickly, like you said earlier.
- 민준 Min-jun알았어, 나중에 줄게.arasseo, najunge julge.Okay, I'll give it to you later.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 돈, CC BY-SA 4.0.
