Lesson 11 · N밖에 + Negative (Only / Nothing but)
Hyeju’s Beginner Korean Grammar Class · Lesson 11
N밖에 + Negative
“Only” / “Nothing but”
Say that you have only one thing, or less than you expected.
Do You Remember 만?
Both can express “only.” Today, reuse 없어요 from Lesson 02 and compare 밖에 with 만 from Lesson 09.
Today’s Grammar
N밖에 means “except for N” or “nothing but N.” Combine it with a negative expression. 우유밖에 없어요 means there is no other thing besides milk—not that there is no milk.
It often emphasizes that the amount or choice is limited, sometimes less than expected. It does not always express disappointment.
Part 1 · Attach 밖에 Directly
| Noun | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 우유 | 우유밖에 없어요. | I have only milk. |
| 책 | 책밖에 없어요. | I have only books. |
| 한 개 | 한 개밖에 없어요. | There is only one. |
The form does not change after a consonant or vowel. Write 우유밖에 and 책밖에 together. In this pattern, 밖에 replaces 이/가: use 우유밖에, not 우유가밖에.
Hyeju’s Note · Read It Aloud
밖에 is pronounced [바께]; romanization: bakke. Example romanizations below are reading aids.
Part 2 · Use Words You Know
The noun before 밖에 is what remains. Context tells you who has it or where it is.
Part 3 · 만 and 밖에
| With 만 | With 밖에 |
|---|---|
| 사과만 있어요. | 사과밖에 없어요. |
| 물만 마셔요. | 물밖에 안 마셔요. |
만 can go with a positive expression. In this beginner 밖에 pattern, keep the negative expression.
Preview · 안 + Verb
안 마셔요 means “do not drink.” But 물밖에 안 마셔요 means “I drink only water”: I do not drink anything except water. Lesson 15 explains 안 and 못 in detail. For now, practice 밖에 없어요.
Mini Dialogue
A냉장고에 뭐가 있어요?
What is in the fridge?
B우유밖에 없어요.
There is only milk.
A계란도 있어요?
Are there eggs too?
B아니요. 계란은 없어요.
No. There are no eggs.
Compare with similar grammar
LESSON 9
만
아침에는 물만 마셔요.만 is a neutral “only” and works with positive verbs. 밖에 needs a negative and sounds like “not enough”.
Review Lesson 9 →LESSON 10
Number + counter + 밖에
사람이 두 명밖에 안 왔어요.밖에 often follows a number and counter: “only two people came”.
Review Lesson 10 →LESSON 85
-(으)ㄹ 수밖에 없어요
버스가 없어요. 걸어갈 수밖에 없어요.The same 밖에 idea with a verb: “there’s no choice but to…”.
Look ahead: Lesson 85 →| Pattern | Verb | Feeling | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 만 | Positive or negative | Neutral “only” | 한 명만 왔어요 |
| 밖에 | Negative only | “Only … and not enough” | 한 명밖에 안 왔어요 |
| 도 + negative | Negative | “Not even one” | 한 명도 안 왔어요 |
Common mistakes
우유밖에 있어요. → 우유밖에 없어요.
책 밖에 없어요. → 책밖에 없어요.
The separate location word 밖 means “outside,” as in 집 밖에 있어요 (“I am outside the house”). It is different from the particle 밖에 in today’s lesson.
밖에 must be followed by a negative.
Add 안 to make it negative. (Or say 물만 마셔요.)
밖에 attaches with no space.
밖에 replaces 이/가. Don’t stack them.
Mini practice · six questions
All sentences below are new. Try each one before opening the answer.
- Fill in the blank식탁 위에 빵___ 없어요. 다른 건 하나도 없어요.
Check answer
식탁 위에 빵밖에 없어요.
Nothing else is there, and the verb is negative: 빵밖에 없어요.
- Fill in the blank저는 하루에 다섯 시간___ 안 자요.
Check answer
저는 하루에 다섯 시간밖에 안 자요.
Number + 밖에 + 안: “I only sleep five hours a day.”
- Choose the correct form지갑에 돈이 (만 원만 / 만 원밖에) 없어요.
Check answer
만 원밖에
The verb is negative (없어요) and the feeling is “not enough”, so use 밖에.
- Choose the correct form저는 아침에 커피(만 / 밖에) 마셔요.
Check answer
만
The verb is positive (마셔요), so 밖에 can’t be used. Use 만.
- Find and fix the mistake이 가게에서는 현금밖에 받아요.
Check answer
이 가게에서는 현금밖에 안 받아요.
밖에 needs a negative: 안 받아요. (현금만 받아요 is also correct.)
- Say it in KoreanI only have one Korean friend.
Check answer
한국 친구가 한 명밖에 없어요.
한 명 + 밖에 + 없어요.
Today’s Key Point
Remember This Pair
N만 있어요 ↔ N밖에 없어요.
Attach 밖에 directly to the noun and keep the negative expression.
Only milk is present: 우유밖에 없어요.
Quantity: 한 개밖에, 두 개밖에, 만 원밖에.
M.A. in Korean Language Education · Certified Korean language teacher
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