earticle

영어

This study presents a comparative analysis of the Japanese expression “okage (おかげ)” and the Korean expression “deokbun,” focusing on their forms, meanings, and functions. While previous research has explored “okage” in several papers, no studies have systematically compared “okage” with its Korean “deokbun” in terms of similarity and differences. This paper studies the grammatical and semantic characteristics of both Japanese and Korean expressions, and the key findings are summarized as follows: First, when used in simple sentences, “okage” can only take the de case. The de case can express both “desirable results” and “undesirable results.” Second, when used in complex sentences, “okage” can also take only the de case, and four distinct patterns are observed. Third, when used in simple sentences, “deokbun” can take either the e case or the euiro case. The e case can express both “desirable” and “undesirable results,” whereas the euiro case expresses only “desirable results.” Fourth, when used in complex sentences, “deokbun” can only take the e case, which appears in four distinct patterns. Summarizing the semantic and functional similarities and differences as above, both “okage” and “deokbun” are used in simple and complex sentences, and both exhibit several patterns that express “desirable” and “undesirable results.” However, they differ in the cases they can take. In particular, the Japanese “okagede” corresponds to two distinct Korean forms: “deokbun-e” and “deokbun-euiro”. In conclusion, while “okagede” uses a single form to cover its semantic and functional range, “deokbun-e” and “deokbun-euiro” divide these meanings between two distinct forms.