운이 없다
uni eopda
In Korean, "I am unlucky" is expressed as 운이 없다 (uni eopda).
The phrase is used to state that one has bad luck or is not fortunate. It is the direct antonym of 운이 좋다, which means "to be lucky".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 운 (luck), the subject marker 이 and 없다 (to not exist or to not have), literally translating to "luck is not there".
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form 운이 없다 changes depending on the social context and tense. For polite conversation, you use the ending -어요 to get 운이 없어요. To express that you were unlucky in the past, you can use the past tense forms 운이 없었다 (informal) or 운이 없었어요 (polite).
How do you pronounce it?
uni eopda
Did you know?
- While 운이 없다 describes a general lack of luck, Koreans use 재수가 없다 for a more visceral sense of bad luck. In certain contexts, this second phrase can also be used as a slang insult to call someone obnoxious.
- The word 운 ('luck') is a loanword from the Chinese character 運, which originally referred to the movement of celestial bodies or the 'rotation' of fate.
- The word 없다 ('to not exist') is cognate with the word 읏다 used in the Jeju dialect.
Examples in context
- 저는 운이 없어요. 산을 오르던 도중에 비가 오기 시작했어요.I am unlucky. It started raining while I was climbing the mountain.
- 난 운이 없어. 시험을 잘 준비했는데, 문제가 어려워서 못 풀었어.I am unlucky. I prepared well for the exam, but the questions were difficult, so I couldn't solve them.
- 너무 운이 없어서 복권을 산 건데도 상금을 받지 못했어.I am so unlucky that even though I bought a lottery ticket, I didn't win any prize.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Minji are talking about a missed bus.
- 지훈 Ji-hun방금 버스가 떠났어. 나 진짜 운이 없다.banggeum beoseuga tteonasseo. na jinja uni eopda.The bus just left. I am really unlucky.
- 민지 Min-ji너무 속상해하지 마, 지훈 씨.neomu soksang-hae-haji ma, Jihun ssi.Don't be too upset, Jihoon.
- 지훈 Ji-hun다음 버스는 언제 오지?da-eum beoseuneun eonje oji?When does the next bus come?
- 민지 Min-ji금방 올 거야. 조금만 기다리자.geumbang ol geoya. jogeum-man gidarija.It will come soon. Let's wait a little.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 없다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
