아/어 가지고 (a/eo gajigo) means "and then, because (casual)".
Casual spoken Korean for "and then, with it" or "because": 사 가지고 왔어요 (sa gajigo wasseoyo), "I bought it and brought it".
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- Same choice as 아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 after other vowels, 해 for 하다.
- Mostly spoken. In careful writing, 아/어서 is the usual choice.
Build it
When to use it
Doing something, then using the result
You do the first thing and carry it into the next.
Giving a reason
A casual "because", often for things that went wrong.
Watch out
Like 아/어서, it never takes 았/었. The last verb carries the tense.
In context
6 examples- 1
엄마가 반찬을 만들어 가지고 오셨어요.
Eommaga banchaneul mandeureo gajigo osyeosseoyo.
My mom made some side dishes and brought them over.
- 2
길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요.
Giri makyeo gajigo neujeosseoyo.
The traffic was bad, so I was late.
- 3
너무 매워 가지고 못 먹었어요.
Neomu maewo gajigo mot meogeosseoyo.
It was too spicy, so I couldn't eat it.
- 4
돈을 모아 가지고 노트북을 샀어요.
Doneul moa gajigo noteubugeul sasseoyo.
I saved up and bought a laptop.
- 5
집에서 커피를 타 가지고 나왔어요.
Jibeseo keopireul ta gajigo nawasseoyo.
I made coffee at home and took it with me.
- 6
어제 너무 바빠 가지고 연락을 못 했어요.
Eoje neomu bappa gajigo yeollageul mot haesseoyo.
I was so busy yesterday that I couldn't get in touch.
Practice
6 questions먹다 + 아/어 가지고
Where 가지고 comes from
가지다 gajida means "to have" or "to hold". So 사 가지고 sa gajigo is literally "buy, and holding it…". That's why the first use is about doing something and then carrying the result into the next action: you buy the bread and then bring it, you save the money and then spend it.
In fast speech 가지고 often shrinks to 갖고 gatgo: 사 갖고 왔어요 sa gatgo wasseoyo, "I bought it and brought it".
아/어 가지고 or 아/어서?
They do the same two jobs, and in most sentences you can swap one for the other. 아/어서 works anywhere, from a chat with friends to a news report. 아/어 가지고 is mostly a spoken form, so you'll hear it all the time in conversation and dramas but see it much less in careful writing.
As with 아/어서, a reason with 가지고 usually isn't followed by a request or a suggestion. For "it's raining, so take an umbrella", use (으)니까: 비가 오니까 우산 가져가세요 biga onikka usan gajyeogaseyo.
가지고 after a noun is something else
With a noun and 을/를 in front, 가지고 has its own meaning, "with" or "about": 이 문제를 가지고 싸웠어요 i munjereul gajigo ssawosseoyo, "we argued about this problem". That isn't the pattern on this page, which always follows a verb or adjective.
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 아 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
