TOPIK I Grammar · Ch.6 Honorifics & Sentence Endings 05

TOPIK I Grammar · Ch.6 Honorifics & Sentence Endings 05

'-지요 / -나요' - "Right?" and Softer Questions

Last piece of the endings chapter: two ways of asking that carry a feeling of their own. One seeks agreement - English does it with tag questions. The other softens a question so that it never sounds pushy.

Key point -지요 (spoken 죠) = "..., right?" - confirming what you both should know: 오늘 금요일이지요? -나요 = a gentle, curious question: 시간이 있나요? Verbs take 나요; adjectives take -(으)ㄴ가요, nouns 인가요.

How to use it

English adds a short tag at the end - "It's Friday, isn't it?" - reversing the verb, matching the tense, adding a pronoun. Korean does the same thing with just two syllables: 금요일이지요? The condition is the same as for English tags: you already believe the answer and want the other person to agree. In speech it shrinks to 죠, one of the most-heard sounds in Korean conversation.

나요 changes the tone of the question, not its meaning. 시간이 있어요? asks directly; 시간이 있나요? asks the same thing in a gentler way, closer to "I was wondering..." - softer, lighter, and good with strangers and staff. Its shape depends on the word type: action verbs and past tenses take 나요 (가나요, 먹었나요), adjectives take -(으)ㄴ가요 (바쁜가요, 작은가요), and nouns take 인가요 (학생인가요).

At a glance

Sentence	Form	English feel
오늘 금요일이지요?	지요	it's Friday, right?
김치가 맵지요?	지요	kimchi's spicy, isn't it?
이 버스가 시청에 가나요?	나요	does this bus go to City Hall?
어제 잘 잤나요?	나요	did you sleep well?
요즘 많이 바쁜가요?	ㄴ가요	have you been busy? (adjective)
저분이 선생님인가요?	인가요	is that person the teacher? (noun)

Examples

이 식당 유명하지요? 저도 와 봤어요. This restaurant is famous, isn't it? I've been here too. - checking something you both already know.

실례합니다, 화장실이 어디에 있나요? Excuse me, where is the restroom? - The soft form to use with strangers.

두 분은 처음 만난 사이인가요? Are the two of you meeting for the first time? - A noun question in its softest form.

Common mistakes

❌ 사장님은 지금 바쁘나요? → ⭕ 바쁘신가요? / 바쁜가요? 바쁘다 is an adjective, and adjectives pair with -(으)ㄴ가요, not 나요. The verb/adjective difference decides the shape here - the same sorting skill you practiced with 군요.

❌ (To a stranger, with no idea of the answer) 이 지하철이 강남에 가지요? → ⭕ 강남에 가나요? 지요 shows that you already believe the answer. If you actually have no idea, it pressures a stranger to confirm your guess. When you truly don't know, 나요 asks with an open mind. Match the ending to your certainty, not just your politeness.

Quick check

Fill each blank with -지요, -나요, or -(으)ㄴ가요.
1. (Eating together) 이 김치 좀 맵(      )? 저만 매운가요?
2. 저 기차가 부산까지 가(      )? 처음 타 봐요.
3. (Looking at a business card) 회사가 서울에 있(      )?

Show answers

1. 지요 (you share the experience and ask for agreement)   2. 나요 (a real question you do not know the answer to; verb → 나요)   3. 나요 (있다/없다 take 나요 like verbs)

💡 Study tip - Listen for 죠 this week. In any Korean drama or interview, count how often sentences end in 죠 - you'll lose count within minutes. Then borrow the habit: end one opinion a day with 지요? to a language partner. Asking for agreement keeps Korean small talk going, and this ending is the most common way to do it.