Level 4

망하다

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Meaning and Usage

The verb '망하다' primarily means 'to go to ruin' or 'to fail.' It is commonly used in everyday Korean to describe situations where something ends badly, such as a business going bankrupt, an exam being failed, or a plan falling apart.

Common Contexts

  • Business or financial failure: '회사가 망하다' (the company goes bankrupt).
  • Personal failure or mistakes: '시험을 망치다' (to mess up an exam).
  • General disappointment or failure: '영화가 망하다' (the movie flopped).

Collocations and Patterns

  • '망하다' + noun (e.g., 시험, 사업, 영화): to indicate failure related to that noun.
  • '망치다' is a related verb often used with '시험' or '기회' to mean 'to ruin' or 'to spoil.'
  • '망하다' can be used in casual speech and is somewhat informal; avoid in very formal contexts.

Nuances and Tips

When using '망하다,' speakers often imply a total or significant failure rather than a minor setback. It can express regret or frustration. Be careful not to confuse '망하다' with milder verbs like '실패하다' which also means 'to fail' but is more neutral and formal.

Common Mistake

Learners sometimes confuse '망하다' with '망치다.' Remember, '망하다' is intransitive (something fails), while '망치다' is transitive (someone ruins something). For example, '시험을 망치다' means 'to mess up the exam,' but '시험이 망하다' means 'the exam is failed.'

Example Sentences

그 회사는 경영 실패로 결국 망했다.

Geu hoesa neun gyeongyeong silpae ro gyeolguk manghaetda.

That company eventually went bankrupt due to management failure.

시험을 망쳐서 다시 공부해야 한다.

Siheom eul mangchyeoseo dasi gongbuhaeya handa.

I messed up the exam, so I have to study again.

그 영화는 기대에 못 미쳐서 망했다고 평가받았다.

Geu yeonghwa neun gidae e mot michyeoseo manghaetdago pyeonggabatda.

That movie was considered a failure because it did not meet expectations.