-잖아 is a casual ending that means "as you know," "you know that," or "isn't it." It's used to remind someone of information they already know or should know, often with a slightly reproachful or "obvious" tone.
Structure
Verb/Adjective stem + -잖아(요)
Formation: Contraction of -지 않아
- Full form: -지 않아 (doesn't/isn't)
- Contracted: -잖아 (you know/as you know)
Meaning: Despite the negative origin, it affirms the positive (rhetorical negative)
Basic Forms
Present Tense
With verbs and adjectives:
- 알잖아 (you know it)
- 있잖아 (you know there is)
- 좋잖아 (it's good, you know)
- 맛있잖아 (it's delicious, you know)
- 예쁘잖아 (it's pretty, you know)
Pattern: Stem + -잖아
Past Tense: -았/었잖아
Reminding about past:
- 갔잖아 (you know I/they went)
- 했잖아 (you know I/they did)
- 말했잖아 (you know I said)
- 봤잖아 (you know I/you saw)
Examples:
- 내가 말했잖아! (I told you, didn't I!)
- 어제 갔잖아 (You know we went yesterday)
With 이다/아니다
Copula forms:
- 학생이잖아 (you know I'm/they're a student)
- 친구잖아 (you know we're/they're friends)
- 아니잖아 (you know it's not)
Politeness Levels
Casual: -잖아
Informal speech:
- 알잖아 (you know)
- 있잖아 (you know there is)
- 좋잖아 (it's good, you know)
Usage: Close friends, family, people younger than you
Polite: -잖아요
Adding -요 for politeness:
- 알잖아요 (you know - polite)
- 있잖아요 (you know there is - polite)
- 좋잖아요 (it's good, you know - polite)
Usage: Acquaintances, colleagues, polite casual contexts
Note: Still conversational, not for very formal settings
Main Functions
1. Reminding of Known Information
"You already know this":
- 내일 시험이잖아 (You know there's an exam tomorrow)
- 비싸잖아 (You know it's expensive)
- 거기 멀잖아 (You know it's far)
Tone: Assuming shared knowledge
2. Expressing "Isn't it Obvious?"
Stating the obvious:
- 당연하잖아 (It's obvious, isn't it)
- 맞잖아 (It's right, you know)
- 좋잖아 (It's good, isn't it)
Tone: Slightly impatient or matter-of-fact
3. Reproaching
"I told you so" / "Don't you remember?":
- 내가 말했잖아! (I told you!)
- 알잖아! (You know that!)
- 봤잖아! (You saw it!)
Tone: Frustrated, reproachful
4. Starting Topics
Getting attention with shared knowledge:
- 있잖아... (You know... / There's something...)
- 그거 있잖아 (You know that thing...)
Tone: Conversational, topic introduction
Common Patterns
내가/제가 말했잖아(요)
"I told you":
- 내가 말했잖아! (I told you! - casual)
- 제가 말했잖아요 (I told you - polite)
Usage: When prediction came true or reminder needed
알잖아(요)
"You know":
- 알잖아 (You know - casual)
- 아시잖아요 (You know - polite/honorific)
Usage: Most common -잖아 expression
있잖아(요)
Topic starter:
- 있잖아, 내가 어제... (You know, yesterday I...)
- 있잖아요, 그거... (You know, that thing...)
Usage: Getting someone's attention to start topic
-잖아, 그래서...
"You know, so...":
- 비싸잖아, 그래서 안 샀어 (You know it's expensive, so I didn't buy it)
- 멀잖아, 그래서 택시 타자 (You know it's far, so let's take a taxi)
Expressing Frustration
Repeating Information
When tired of explaining:
- 안 된다고 했잖아! (I said no!)
- 모른다고 했잖아! (I said I don't know!)
- 바쁘다고 했잖아! (I said I'm busy!)
Tone: Exasperated, frustrated
Impatience
Stating obvious facts:
- 당연하잖아! (It's obvious!)
- 그럴 줄 알았잖아 (I knew that would happen)
Casual Conversation Starter
Getting Attention
있잖아 as conversation opener:
- 있잖아, 나 어제 말이야... (You know, yesterday I...)
- 있잖아요, 제 생각엔... (You know, I think...)
Function: Softer than direct topic introduction
Referring to Shared Experience
Common ground:
- 우리 어제 갔잖아 (You know we went yesterday)
- 같이 봤잖아 (You know we saw it together)
Comparison with Similar Forms
-잖아 vs -지 않아
-지 않아 (doesn't/isn't - literal negative):
- 안 좋지 않아? (Isn't it not good? = Isn't it good?)
- Literal question
- Less common
-잖아 (you know/as you know):
- 좋잖아 (It's good, you know)
- Assumes agreement
- Very common
-잖아 vs -네
-네 (realization):
- 좋네 (Oh, it's good! - discovering)
- New information for speaker
- Neutral tone
-잖아 (reminder):
- 좋잖아 (It's good, you know - obvious)
- Known information
- Can be impatient
-잖아 vs -거든
-거든 (because/you see):
- 바쁘거든 (Because I'm busy, you see)
- Explaining reason
- Defensive
-잖아 (as you know):
- 바쁘잖아 (You know I'm busy)
- Reminding
- Assumes knowledge
Tone Variations
Neutral Reminder
Matter-of-fact:
- 내일 회의잖아요 (You know there's a meeting tomorrow)
- 거기 맛있잖아요 (You know it's delicious there)
Frustrated Reminder
Impatient:
- 말했잖아! (I told you!)
- 알잖아! (You know that!)
Gentle Reminder
Soft tone:
- 우리 약속 있잖아 (You know we have plans)
- 조심해야 하잖아 (You know you need to be careful)
Usage Contexts
Among Friends
Very common:
- Casual reminders
- Shared experiences
- Inside jokes
- Common knowledge
Not Appropriate For
Avoid in:
- Formal situations
- With superiors
- First meetings
- Official contexts
- Written formal communication
Special Expression: 그거 있잖아
"You know that thing"
Referring to something:
- 그거 있잖아, 어제 본 거 (You know that thing we saw yesterday)
- 그 사람 있잖아 (You know that person)
Function: Assumes listener knows what you're referring to
Negative Forms
안/못 + -잖아
Negative reminders:
- 안 되잖아 (You know it doesn't work)
- 못 가잖아 (You know I/you can't go)
- 없잖아 (You know there isn't)
Examples:
- 오늘 안 되잖아 (You know today doesn't work)
- 여기 없잖아 (You know it's not here)
Question Context
Rhetorical Questions
Not really asking:
- 좋잖아? (It's good, isn't it?)
- 알잖아? (You know, right?)
- 맞잖아? (It's right, isn't it?)
Function: Seeking confirmation of shared knowledge
Regional Usage
Standard Korean
Widely used across Korea:
- Universal understanding
- Very common in Seoul dialect
- Part of standard casual speech
Age Considerations
Younger Speakers
More frequent usage:
- Very common among youth
- Used liberally in casual talk
Older Speakers
Less frequent:
- May use less often
- Prefer other forms
- Context-dependent
With Honorifics
-(으)시잖아요
Honorific version:
- 아시잖아요 (You know - honorific)
- 계시잖아요 (You know they're here - honorific)
Usage: Polite to elders while still casual
Note: Still somewhat casual, so use carefully
Common Collocations
너도 알잖아
"You know too":
- 너도 알잖아 (You know it too)
- Emphasizing mutual knowledge
당연하잖아
"It's obvious":
- 당연하잖아 (It's obvious, you know)
- Common response to questions
그렇잖아
"That's right" / "You know":
- 그렇잖아 (That's right, you know)
- Confirming shared understanding
Summary Table
| Form | Usage | Example | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| -잖아 | Casual reminder | 알잖아 | Casual |
| -잖아요 | Polite reminder | 알잖아요 | Polite |
| -았/었잖아 | Past reminder | 말했잖아 | Frustrated |
| 있잖아 | Topic starter | 있잖아, 나... | Conversational |
| -지 잖아? | Rhetorical question | 좋잖아? | Confirmatory |
Key Points
Use -잖아 when:
- Reminding of known info
- Stating obvious facts
- Expressing mild frustration
- Starting casual topics
- Among friends/peers
Avoid -잖아 when:
- In formal settings
- With superiors
- First interactions
- Official communication
Remember:
- Conversational only
- Assumes shared knowledge
- Can sound impatient
- Very common in speech
- Not for formal writing