Grammar — Entry No. 0170
없어요
eopseoyo · verb
없어요
eopseoyo
[uhp-SUH-yo]
verbbeginner
Meaning
없어요 is the polite present-tense form of 없다, meaning ‘there is not’ or ‘I/we/they don’t have.’ It expresses the absence or non-existence of something and is one of the most essential Korean phrases for daily communication. K-drama fans encounter it constantly whenever a character expresses lack, loss, or longing.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
In BTS’s deeply emotional discography, members use 없어요-form expressions when speaking about missing home or loved ones during tours, making the word carry heavy sentimental weight for fans. The phrase 시간이 없어요 (‘I don’t have time’) is a classic urgency line across hit K-dramas including Crash Landing on You, where stakes are life-or-death and seconds count.
Example Sentences
돈이 없어요.
Doni eopseoyo.
I don’t have money. (The relatable sigh heard in every slice-of-life K-drama, often played for comedy)
시간이 없어요!
Sigani eopseoyo!
I don’t have time! (Delivered urgently in rom-com chase scenes — expect someone to be running)
걱정하지 마세요, 문제없어요.
Geokjeonghaji maseyo, munje eopseoyo.
Don’t worry, there’s no problem. (The calm reassurance idols often give fans at fan meetings)
⚠️ Don’t use eopseoyo when…
Fans often swap 없어요 with 아니요 (aniyo) as a general ‘no,’ but 없어요 specifically means something doesn’t exist or isn’t present — using it to decline an offer sounds odd. Many also mispronounce it as ‘uhbs-uh-yo’ when the ㅂ in 없 is silent before ㅅ, making the correct sound closer to ‘uhp-suh-yo.’
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Crash Landing on You — Se-ri breathlessly tells Jeong-hyeok ‘시간이 없어요’ as they race to escape across the border
- K-Pop: BTS — Spring Day (봄날)
💡 Did You Know? 없어요 and its opposite 있어요 form the entire foundation of Korean existence grammar — master just these two words and you can express ‘have,’ ‘need,’ ‘there is,’ and ‘there isn’t’ across thousands of sentences.
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.