-라

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽la⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [ɾa̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [라]

-라 (-ra)

1. Post-vowel and post-liquid allomorphic form of -으라 (-eura, imperative suffix)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɾa̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [라]

From Middle Korean -라〮 (Yale: -lá), lenited form of -다〮 (Yale: -tá).

It is not clear why lenition only occurred at these specific environments. Vovin speculates that lenition occurred at intervocalic environments except at verbal morpheme boundaries when preceded by a "minimal vowel": ㅡ (Yale: u-) or ㆍ (Yale: o-). Hence lenition occurred after -더- (Yale: -te-), but not after -ᄂᆞ- (Yale: -no-). To explain why only the stem -이- (Yale: -ì-, “to be”, copula) triggers lenition and not the many Class H! verbs, all of whose stems end with a non-minimal vowel, Vovin suggests that all Class H! verbs were originally once closed-syllable stems with nasal or liquid finals.^[1] However, Vovin's arguments remain for the most part speculative.

-라 • (-ra)

1. Alternative form of -다 (-da, declarative suffix), found in the following environments:
   1. Directly after the stem of -이다 (-ida, “to be”, copula), whether present or elided, and its negative 아니다 (anida, “to not be”):
      1. Used in all indirect quotes (either explicit or implicit), before markers such as -고 (-go), -니 (-ni), -면 (-myeon), etc.

         뭐라고? ― mwo-ra-go? ― What did you say?

         쟤가 누구라고? ― jae-ga nugu-ra-go? ― Who did you say he was?

         이게 아니라고? ― ige ani-ra-go? ― This isn't it?

         저게 사람이라니, 뭔 말이야? ― jeoge saram-i-ra-ni, mwon mar-iya? ― That's a person? What do you mean?

         스펀지도 동물이라고 그랬어. ― Seupeonji-do dongmur-i-ra-go geuraesseo. ― They say a sponge is also an animal.

         나는 아니라고 그랬어. ― Na-neun ani-ra-go geuraesseo. ― I said that it wasn't me.

      2. (colloquial) ellipsis of 라고 (-ra-go, alternative form of 다고 (-da-go) for the copulative stems), when not used sentence-finally

         스펀지도 동물이라 그랬어. ― Seupeonji-do dongmur-i-ra geuraesseo. ― They say a sponge is also an animal.

      3. (dated, dialectal or very literary) Used directly after the stem in all environments. This was historically obligatory but is now dated.

         이는 효자가 아니라. ― I-neun hyoja-ga ani-ra. ― This is not a filial son.

         도를 모르거든 사람도 금수라. ― Do-reul moreu-geodeun saram-do geumsu-ra. ― If a man knows not the Way, he too is a beast.

   2. After -더- (-deo-, retrospective suffix), as -더라 (-deora).
   3. Optionally after -으리- (-euri-, prospective suffix), as -으리라 (-eurira).
   4. Used in -느니라 (-neunira).

• Note that 라 (-ra) cannot occur after -었- (-eot-) and -겠- (-get-), because both derive etymologically from 있다 (itda).

  Hence 이라고 (-i-ra-go), but 이었다고 (-i-eot-da-go), 이겠다고 (-i-get-da-go).

-라 • (-ra)

1. ellipsis of -라고 (-rago, post-vowel form of -이라고 (-irago, direct quotation marker))

From Middle Korean -라〮 (Yale: -lá).

-라 • (-ra)

1. because, since; used directly after the stem of -이다 (-ida, “to be”, copula), whether present or elided, and its negative 아니다 (anida, “to not be”). It is the equivalent of the infinitive -어 (-eo) for other stems.

   Synonym: -라서 (-raseo)

   유기농이라 그런지 많이 비싸다. ― Yuginong-i-ra geureonji mani bissada. ― It's very expensive, maybe because it's organic.

2. only used in 아니라 (anira, “but rather”).

• Its interaction with other suffixes, such as -으옵- (-euop-), suggests that the underlying form of this suffix is actually -으라 (-eura). However, this form never actually surfaces because it only occurs after two vowel-final stems.

From Middle Korean -라〮 (Yale: -lá); see the main entry for more.

-라 • (-ra)

1. Post-vowel and post-liquid allomorphic form of -으라 (-eura, imperative suffix)

Compare dialectal -레 (-re) and -리 (-ri).

-라 • (-ra)

1. (Hwanghae, Pyongan, Northern Gangwon) suffix used after words ending with a vowel.

   Synonym: (Standard Korean) -가 (-ga)

   • 2007, 황대화 [hwangdaehwa], 황해도 방언 연구 [hwanghaedo bang'eon yeon'gu, Study of the Hwanghae dialect], (북한) 강원도 이천군 [(bukhan) gang'wondo icheon'gun]: 한국 문화사, →ISBN:

     누구라 없니?

     nugura eom-ni?

     Is someone there?