도대체

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 都大體, from 都 (“all”) + 大體 (“on earth”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [to̞dɛt͡ɕʰe̞] ~ [to̞de̞t͡ɕʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [도대체/도데체]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	dodaeche
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	dodaeche
McCune–Reischauer?	todaech'e
Yale Romanization?	totay.chey

Adverb

도대체 • (dodaeche) (hanja 都大體)

1. on earth; the hell

   Synonym: 대체(大體) (daeche)

   도대체 왜 그러는 거냐? (casual) ― Dodaeche wae geureoneun geonya? ― What on earth is your problem?

2. not at all, unfortunately

   Synonym: 도무지 (domuji)