-(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 to verbs, adjectives and nouns.
• Know why the result is usually a duty, a decision or "nothing can be done".
• Avoid using it for mild, everyday reasons.
• Choose between -(으)ㄴ/는 이상, -기 때문에 and -(으)므로.

Prerequisites: the reason pattern -기 때문에 and the past tense -았/었-. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 means "now that" or "since", and the situation is treated as settled.
• The word before 이상 is a modifier: 는 for a present verb, (으)ㄴ for a past verb or adjective, 인 for a noun.
• 이상 is a separate word. Write it with a space.
• The result is often "must do", "cannot help it" or "I will do it".
• It is firm. It does not suit small reasons like being tired.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Grammar Mean?

-(으)ㄴ/는 이상 means "now that" or "since". A connective ending is a word or ending that joins one clause to the next. This pattern joins a fixed fact to what follows from it. The speaker says: "This is how things are now. So this is what has to happen."

The core idea is a situation that cannot be undone. A promise has been made. Things have come to a certain point. You are a student, an adult or a member of a team. Because that fact is fixed, a duty, a limit or a decision follows.

The word 이상 (以上) literally means "above" or "this far". In this pattern it carries the idea "this being so". You do not need to remember that history. Learn -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 as a set pattern.

Here are two glossed examples.

In both sentences the result is a duty or an "I have no choice" idea. That is typical. The pattern shows that the first clause is not open to debate.

The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄴ/는 이상?

Put a modifier in front of 이상. A modifier is a verb or adjective changed so that it describes a noun. Here the noun is 이상. Take the stem, which is the dictionary form without 다, and add the modifier ending.

Two sound facts help you read these. First, the final ㄴ of the modifier links to the vowel of 이상 in connected speech, so 약속한 이상 sounds like [약쏘카니상]. Revised Romanization (RR) is a spelling system that writes sounds in Latin letters; RR writes each spaced word separately, so it shows yaksokan isang. Second, ㄱ and ㅎ meet in 약속한 and 노력하지, and they blend into an aspirated ㅋ: [약쏘칸], [노려카지]. RR writes this aspiration, so it shows yaksokan and noryeokaji.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

Vowel stems take 는 in the present and ㄴ in the past: 가다 gives 가는 이상 and 간 이상. The past of 약속하다 is 약속한, and the present is 약속하는. For 되다, the past modifier is 된, as in 이렇게 된 이상.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

Consonant stems take 는 in the present and 은 in the past: 먹다 gives 먹는 이상 and 먹은 이상. The past modifier of 맡다 is 맡은, so 그 일을 맡은 이상 means "now that you have taken on that job".

Adjectives follow the same shape as past verbs: 필요하다 gives 필요한 이상, and 많다 gives 많은 이상.

Irregular Stems and Nouns

The ㄹ stems drop ㄹ before ㄴ: 살다 gives 사는 이상, and 알다 gives 아는 이상. The ㅂ stems change to 우 before the modifier ending: 돕다 gives 도운 이상 in the past. Other irregular stems follow the usual modifier rules.

For nouns, use 이다, which means "to be". A noun takes 인 whether it ends in a vowel or a consonant: 학생인 이상 and 어른인 이상. The negative is 아닌 이상: 학생이 아닌 이상 means "since you are not a student".

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요

Say "Since you promised, you have to keep it." Follow five steps.

1. Pick the first clause. "You promised" uses the verb 약속하다, "to promise".
2. Make the past modifier. Remove 다 to get the stem 약속하. Add ㄴ to get 약속한.
3. Add the separate word. 약속한 이상 means "since you promised". Leave a space before 이상.
4. Choose the duty. "Keep" is 지키다. To say "have to", use -아/어야 하다. The stem 지키 plus 어야 becomes 지켜야, and the polite ending gives 지켜야 해요.
5. Join the two parts. 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요.

You'll know it worked when the first clause ends in 이상 with nothing attached, and the polite ending 요 appears only once, at the end. Try the same steps with "Since I started, I will finish": 시작하다 gives 시작한 이상, and 끝내다 gives 끝낼게요 or 끝내겠어요 as a decision.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -(으)ㄴ/는 이상?

Tense lives in the modifier. The present modifier 는 describes a situation that is true now: 여기에 사는 이상. The past modifier (으)ㄴ describes something that has already been done or has already become true: 시작한 이상, 결정한 이상. Past tense -았/었- is explained in full on its own page, so this page does not repeat it.

The result clause is where the pattern is picky. Because the first clause is a fixed basis, the second clause is usually a duty, a decision or a statement that nothing can be done.

A yes/no question ends with a rise. A wh-question, for example 어떻게 할 거예요, does not end with a sharp rise.

The pattern also allows requests and commands, because a duty can be turned into a request: 약속하신 이상 지켜 주세요 ("Since you promised, please keep it"). Honorific -(으)시- goes inside the modifier: 약속하신.

The negative has a special meaning. -지 않는 이상 usually means "unless": 노력하지 않는 이상 성공할 수 없어요 means "Unless you try, you cannot succeed." It still keeps the idea of a fixed condition, and the result is negative or a limit.

The result is rarely a plain past event. A sentence like 약속한 이상 지켰어요 sounds unfinished. When you want to report what happened, use -기 때문에 or -아/어서 instead.

The next section compares -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 with its neighbours.

How Is -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Different from -기 때문에?

All three patterns below can be translated with "because" or "since", and that is why learners mix them up. The difference is how settled the reason is and what kind of result follows. The same promise is told three ways.

Spoken forms: 약속했기 때문에 지켰어요 is [약쏘캗끼 때무네 지켜써요] (RR yaksokaetgi ttaemune jikyeosseoyo), and 약속했으므로 지켜야 한다 is [약쏘캐쓰므로 지켜야 한다] (RR yaksokaesseumeuro jikyeoya handa).

The key test is the result. If the result is a past event or a feeling, use -기 때문에 or -아/어서. If the result is a duty or an unavoidable outcome, -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 fits. Compare these two.

• 비가 와서 못 갔어요. ("I couldn't go because it rained.") A past fact. Not for 이상.
• 가기로 약속한 이상 비가 와도 가야 해요. ("Since I promised to go, I have to go even if it rains.") A duty. -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 fits.

The pattern -(으)므로 has its own lesson. Here, remember that it is written and formal, and it does not take a command. Neither does -기 때문에, so -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 is the one of the three that can be followed by a request such as 지켜 주세요.

The next section covers set phrases and edge cases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)ㄴ/는 이상

Set Phrases

Some forms of -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 appear again and again in speech. They are worth learning as chunks.

The word 이왕 means "since it is already so". It makes the sense of "no way back" even stronger.

Adding 은/는 for Emphasis

You can add the topic particle after 이상: 약속한 이상은 지켜야 해요. The sentence is correct, and the emphasis moves onto the fact: "As long as you have promised, you must keep it."

The Homograph 이상

Do not mix up this pattern with the noun 이상, which means "or more" after a number. 스무 살 이상만 들어갈 수 있어요 means "Only people aged twenty or older can enter." The adjective 이상하다 ("be strange") is also built on 이상, but it is yet another word. In the pattern you learn here, the word before 이상 is a modifier, never a number.

Written Style

In essays and news, the pattern often appears with the plain style: 책임을 맡은 이상 최선을 다해야 한다. The plain style is the verb form used in writing, ending in -ㄴ/는다 or -다. A formal speech version uses -ㅂ니다: 맡은 이상 최선을 다하겠습니다.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄴ/는 이상?

Learners make six predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often use it for mild reasons. The pattern needs a fixed situation that leads to a duty. Unnatural: 배가 고픈 이상 먹었어요. Right: 배가 고파서 먹었어요. Fix: use -아/어서 for feelings, tiredness and everyday causes.

Learners often attach 이상 to a bare stem. A modifier must come first. Wrong: 약속하 이상 and 약속해요 이상. Right: 약속한 이상. Fix: add 는 or (으)ㄴ before 이상 and never put the polite ending 요 inside.

Learners often forget 인 after a noun. A noun alone before 이상 gives a different word: 학생 이상 means "more than a student". Wrong: 학생 이상 공부해야 해요. Right: 학생인 이상 공부해야 해요. Fix: add 인 after the noun.

Learners often write 이상 without a space. 이상 is a separate word in this pattern. Wrong: 약속한이상. Right: 약속한 이상. Fix: always leave a space.

Learners often put a feeling in the result. The result should be a duty, a limit or a decision. Unnatural: 약속한 이상 기뻐요. Right: 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요. Fix: ask whether the result says "must", "can't" or "will".

Learners often use it for a finished result. The pattern looks ahead. Unnatural: 시작한 이상 끝냈어요 for reporting the past. Right: 시작했기 때문에 끝냈어요. Fix: use -기 때문에 for a reason behind a finished action.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: join the sentences with -(으)ㄴ/는 이상. Write one sentence for each pair.

1. 약속했어요. / 지켜야 해요.
2. 학생이에요. / 공부를 해야 해요.
3. 시작했어요. / 끝까지 해 보세요.
4. 이미 결정했어요. / 되돌릴 수 없어요.

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 약속하 이상 지켜야 해요.
2. 학생 이상 공부를 해야 해요.
3. 배가 고픈 이상 먹었어요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "Now that I have taken the job, I will do my best." and "Since you are an adult, you have to take responsibility."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence with 된 이상, and one with 인 이상.

Answer key

1. (1) 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요. (2) 학생인 이상 공부를 해야 해요. (3) 시작한 이상 끝까지 해 보세요. (4) 이미 결정한 이상 되돌릴 수 없어요.
2. (1) 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요. (2) 학생인 이상 공부를 해야 해요. (3) 배가 고파서 먹었어요.
3. 그 일을 맡은 이상 최선을 다하겠습니다. 어른인 이상 책임을 져야 해요. Other correct versions exist, for example 어른이 된 이상 책임을 져야 해요.
4. Sample answers: 이렇게 된 이상 어쩔 수 없어요. 학생인 이상 규칙을 지켜야 해요. Any pair is correct if the modifier comes first, 이상 is spaced, and the result is a duty or decision.

If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 2 was hard, check whether you skipped the modifier, dropped 인 after the noun, or picked a mild reason. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Grammar?

After -(으)ㄴ/는 이상, learn -(으)ㄴ/는 만큼 for degree and reason, and -는 한 for "as long as". If you have not yet studied the neutral reason pattern, go back to -기 때문에.

For a wider view, the parent page Cause and Reason lists every connector in this group. To plan by level, use Advanced Grammar.

This lesson covers -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 in the polite, casual and formal styles. It does not cover every written variation. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Mean?

-(으)ㄴ/는 이상 means "now that" or "since". It points to a fixed situation that cannot be changed and leads to a duty or a decision. 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요 means "Since you promised, you have to keep it." It is firmer than a plain reason like -아/어서.

How Do I Attach -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 to a Verb or Adjective?

Turn the word into a modifier, then add the separate word 이상. A verb takes 는 in the present (사는 이상) and (으)ㄴ in the past (약속한 이상). An adjective takes (으)ㄴ (필요한 이상). A noun takes 인 (학생인 이상). The word 이상 is always spaced.

Can -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Be Used in the past Tense?

Yes, in two ways. The past modifier (으)ㄴ marks a finished act: 약속한 이상 means "since you have promised". A result clause is rarely a plain past event, because the pattern points forward to a duty or decision. For a finished result, -기 때문에 or -아/어서 is more natural.

Is -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

Both. It is common in speech when people stress that there is no way back, as in 이렇게 된 이상 어쩔 수 없어요. It also appears in essays and news. It sounds firm and slightly formal, so it is less usual for small everyday reasons such as being tired or hungry.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -(으)ㄴ/는 이상?

Using it for a mild or ordinary reason. 배가 고픈 이상 먹었어요 sounds wrong because hunger does not create a duty. Use 배가 고파서 먹었어요 instead. Other frequent mistakes are adding 이상 to a bare stem, forgetting 인 after a noun, and writing 이상 without a space.

What Is the Difference between -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 and -기 때문에?

-기 때문에 simply states a reason and accepts any result, including a past event. -(으)ㄴ/는 이상 treats the reason as settled and links it to a duty, a decision or an unavoidable result. 약속했기 때문에 지켰어요 reports what happened. 약속한 이상 지켜야 해요 says what must happen.

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