Means "or" between two nouns, or "… or something" on a single noun.
밥이나 먹자.
babina meokja.
Let's just grab something to eat.
커피나 차를 마셔요.
keopina chareul masyeoyo.
Drink coffee or tea.
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- 이나 ina after a consonant, 나 na after a vowel.
Build it
When to use it
A or B
Between two nouns, it means "or".
Or something
On one noun, a casual "or something".
As many as
After a number, it shows surprise at a big amount.
Any at all
With a question word, it means "any".
Watch out
After a consonant, add 이 i: 이나 ina.
Between verbs, use 거나 geona. This one doesn't go on verbs.
In context
8 examples- 1
밥이나 먹자.
Babina meokja.
Let's just grab something to eat.
- 2
커피나 차를 마셔요.
Keopina chareul masyeoyo.
Drink coffee or tea.
- 3
주말에 영화나 볼까요?
Jumare yeonghwana bolkkayo?
Want to watch a movie or something this weekend?
- 4
버스나 지하철로 오세요.
Beoseuna jihacheollo oseyo.
Come by bus or subway.
- 5
어제 열 시간이나 잤어.
Eoje yeol siganina jasseo.
I slept a whole ten hours yesterday.
- 6
심심하면 책이나 읽어.
Simsimhamyeon chaegina ilgeo.
If you're bored, read a book or something.
- 7
이 노래는 누구나 알아요.
I noraeneun nuguna arayo.
Everyone knows this song.
- 8
토요일이나 일요일에 시간 있어요?
Toyoirina iryoire sigan isseoyo?
Are you free on Saturday or Sunday?
Practice
8 questions책 + (이)나
(이)나 vs (이)라도
Both can mean "or something", but they feel different. (이)나 is relaxed: any old plan will do. (이)라도 (i)rado is a fallback: the real plan fell through, so this is the next best thing.
- 커피나 마실까요? keopina masilkkayo "Shall we have coffee or something?" No big deal either way.
- 커피라도 마실까요? keopirado masilkkayo "Shall we at least have coffee?" Something else didn't work out.
The (이)나 vs (이)라도 comparison has more pairs side by side.
When "or something" sounds bossy
On a suggestion, (이)나 sounds easygoing. On a command, it can sound like "stop wasting time and just do this":
- 숙제나 해. sukjena hae "Just go do your homework." A parent who's run out of patience.
So with friends it's friendly, but be careful using it to tell someone what to do.
Too many vs too few
After a number, (이)나 says "that's more than I expected". If you want the opposite, "only that little", use 밖에 with a negative verb:
- 세 시간이나 기다렸어요. se siganina gidaryeosseoyo "I waited a whole three hours."
- 세 시간밖에 못 잤어요. se siganbakke mot jasseoyo "I only got three hours of sleep."
Compare with similar particles
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 이나 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
