How to Say "The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean | -지만 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean is "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." (tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo.). It uses the -지만 grammar pattern (But/However (-지만)). Level: A2.

Master the Korean expression "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." (The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking). It showcases the -지만 pattern, which you will encounter constantly in Korean dramas, books, and conversations.

Category: 감정

What does "The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." translates to "The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking." in English. Korean expresses "the rabbit is tired, but keeps walking" as "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요.". The sentence structure may feel backwards compared to English, but once you get used to verb-final order, Korean starts to feel surprisingly logical.

Pronunciation guide: tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo.

Grammar Point: But/However (-지만)

The connective -지만 joins two contrasting clauses, similar to 'but' or 'however' in English. It attaches directly to the verb/adjective stem. This sentence also uses -아/어요.

Verb stem + 지만. For example: 작지만 (small but…), 춥지만 (cold but…).

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 토끼는 (tokkineun) • 피곤하지만, (pigonhajiman,) • 끝까지 (kkeutkkaji) • 걸어요 (geoleoyo)

Try covering the verb and guessing the sentence meaning from context. Then reveal it — this builds your Korean reading intuition.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

The Korean version flows naturally because it follows the golden rule of Korean word order: time/place first, then subject, then object, and finally the verb.

Cultural Insight

한국 동화 속 동물들은 대부분 사람처럼 말하고 생각해요. 이런 의인화는 동물을 통해 인간의 모습을 비추는 거울 역할을 합니다.

Examples

토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요. — tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo. — The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking.

토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요? — tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo? — Does the rabbit is tired, but keeps walking?

토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 안 걸어요. — tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji an geoleoyo. — The rabbit is not tired, but keeps walking.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 작은지만 → Correct: 작지만. Do not add the modifier ending -은/-는 before -지만. Attach -지만 directly to the stem.

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Quiz

How do you say "The rabbit is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요.". tokkineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo.

Fill in the blank: 토끼는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 ___

The correct ending is "걸어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.