Level 4

거꾸로

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Meaning and Usage

The adverb '거꾸로' means 'upside down' or 'in reverse order/direction.' It is commonly used to describe something physically inverted or to suggest thinking or doing something in the opposite way.

Common Contexts

  • Physical orientation: describing objects or people that are flipped or hanging upside down.
  • Figurative use: encouraging a reversed perspective or approach to a problem.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 거꾸로 걸리다: to be hung upside down
  • 거꾸로 생각하다: to think in reverse or from a different perspective
  • 거꾸로 매달리다: to hang upside down

Usage Notes

'거꾸로' is neutral in formality and can be used in both spoken and written Korean. It often appears with verbs related to positioning or thinking. Learners sometimes confuse '거꾸로' with '뒤집어' (also meaning 'upside down'), but '거꾸로' emphasizes the reversed direction or order more broadly, including abstract uses.

Using '거꾸로' correctly helps express not only physical inversion but also creative or alternative thinking in conversation.

Example Sentences

그 그림은 거꾸로 걸려 있어요.

Geu geurimeun geokkuro geollyeo isseoyo.

That picture is hanging upside down.

거꾸로 생각해 보면 다른 해결책이 보일 수도 있어요.

Geokkuro saenggakhae bomyeon dareun haegyeolchagi boil sudo isseoyo.

If you think about it in reverse, you might see a different solution.

아이들이 거꾸로 매달려 놀고 있어요.

Aideuri geokkuro maedallyeo nolgo isseoyo.

The children are playing hanging upside down.