자신있다 vs 자신없다: Two Sides of Confidence

자신있다 (ja-sin-iss-da, jasinissda) · 자신없다 (ja-sin-eop-da, jasineopda)

자신있다 expresses positive confidence, while 자신없다 expresses lack of confidence.

Comparison of Korean phrases 자신있다 and 자신없다 expressing confidence and lack thereof

Word-by-word breakdown

One lane per word — no nested boxes, just the gist.

자신있다(ja-sin-iss-da, jasinissda)

Used when feeling confident and capable about something

When to use

Job interview prep, Presentation confidence, Sports game confidence, Expecting exam success

The nuance

자신있다 indicates a positive mental state, used when you believe you can do something well.

자신없다(ja-sin-eop-da, jasineopda)

Used when feeling uncertain or lacking ability about something

When to use

Job interview anxiety, Presentation worry, Sports game fear, Exam failure worry

The nuance

자신없다 indicates a negative mental state, used when you feel you might not do well at something.

Real-world examples

  • 내일 면접에 자신있어요.

    nae-il myeon-jeop-e ja-sin-iss-eo-yo., nae il myeon jeop e ja sin iss eo yo.

    Expresses positive confidence about the interview, natural and correct.

  • 내일 면접에 자신없어요.

    nae-il myeon-jeop-e ja-sin-eop-eo-yo., nae il myeon jeop e ja sin eop eo yo.

    Expresses lack of confidence about the interview, natural and correct.

  • 나는 발표를 자신없다.

    na-neun bal-pyo-reul ja-sin-eop-da., na neun bal pyo reul ja sin eop da.

    Incorrect subject-predicate connection; should be '나는 발표에 자신없다' because 자신없다 is an adjective that needs a particle.

  • 그는 시험에 자신있다.

    geu-neun si-heom-e ja-sin-iss-da., geu neun si heom e ja sin iss da.

    Correctly expresses confidence about the exam.

  • 그녀는 운동 경기에 자신없어요.

    geu-nyeo-neun un-dong gyeong-gi-e ja-sin-eop-eo-yo., geu nyeo neun un dong gyeong gi e ja sin eop eo yo.

    Correctly expresses lack of confidence in sports game.

  • 나는 자신없다 내일 발표.

    na-neun ja-sin-eop-da nae-il bal-pyo., na neun ja sin eop da nae il bal pyo.

    Word order is incorrect; should be '나는 내일 발표에 자신없다'.

  • 우리는 프로젝트에 자신있다.

    u-ri-neun peu-ro-jek-teu-e ja-sin-iss-da., u ri neun peu ro jek teu e ja sin iss da.

    Natural sentence expressing confidence about a project.

  • 저는 시험에 자신없다.

    jeo-neun si-heom-e ja-sin-eop-da., jeo neun si heom e ja sin eop da.

    Natural sentence expressing lack of confidence about an exam.

Quick quiz

  1. Which sentence correctly uses '자신있다'?

    다음 중 '자신있다'를 올바르게 쓴 문장은?(da-eumjung'ja-sin-iss-da'reulol-ba-reu-gesseunmun-jang-eun?, daeumjung'jasinissda'reulolbareugesseunmunjangeun?)
  2. When should you use '자신없다'?

    '자신없다'를 써야 하는 상황은?('ja-sin-eop-da'reulsseo-yaha-neunsang-hwang-eun?, 'jasineopda'reulsseoyahaneunsanghwangeun?)
  3. Which sentence is incorrect?

    다음 중 틀린 문장은?(da-eumjungteul-rinmun-jang-eun?, daeumjungteulrinmunjangeun?)

More comparisons to explore

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