아까 (a-kka, akka)
아까 (akka) is an adverb indicating the recent past in Korean. It's commonly used in daily conversations to express a short time interval naturally.
Core meaning and shades learners miss.
아까 means a short time ago from the present moment; the recent past.
Nuances
When to use
Everyday conversation, Business meeting, Chatting with friends
In context
아까 functions as a time adverb indicating when an action or event occurred, typically used in spoken Korean for a natural, casual tone.
아까 뭐 했어요?
a-kka mwo haess-eo-yo?, a kka mwo haess eo yo?
아까 correctly indicates recent past, making this sentence natural and correct.
아까는 어제 만났어요.
a-kka-neun eo-je man-nass-eo-yo., a kka neun eo je man nass eo yo.
아까 refers to very recent past, so pairing it with 'yesterday' (distant past) is unnatural.
아까 전화했는데 못 받았어요.
a-kka jeon-hwa-haess-neun-de mos bat-ass-eo-yo., a kka jeon hwa haess neun de mos bat ass eo yo.
아까 indicates a recent event, so this sentence is natural.
아까부터 기다리고 있어요.
a-kka-bu-teo gi-da-ri-go iss-eo-yo., a kka bu teo gi da ri go iss eo yo.
아까부터 appropriately expresses continuous action starting from a recent time.
Which is the best meaning of 아까?
Which sentence uses 아까 correctly?
