[UKR-047] The 치다 family


Variants

i) 치다 – counting

우리 가족은 다 합쳐서 4명이에요.
There are four people in my family.


ii) -어치 – ‘worth’

사과 만원어치
10,000 won worth of apples


iii) -치 – ‘extent’

일년치 임대
one-year lease


iv) Particle 치고 – ‘Consider all X’

사람치고 돈 싫어하는 사람이 있냐?
Does anyone not like money?


v) (으)로 치다 – ‘Considered as’

최고로 치다
considered the best


vi) -다고 치다 – ‘Consider X’

네 말이 맞는다고 쳐…
Let’s say you’re right…


vii) -다손 치더라도 – ‘Even if we assume X’

기적적으로 살아난다손 치더라도 정상적인 생활은 어려울 거예요.
Even if she miraculously survives, it will be difficult to live a normal life.


Contents


  1.  Introduction
  2.  i) 치다 – counting
  3.  ii) -어치 – ‘worth’
  4.  iii) -치 – ‘extent’
  5.  iv) Particle 치고 – ‘Consider all X’
    1.  치고는
    2.  치고서
  6.  v) (으)로 치다 – ‘Considered as’
    1.  (으)로 치면
  7.  vi) -M다고 치다 – ‘Consider X’
    1.  -다고 치자
    2.  -다고 치고
    3.  -다고 치면
    4.  -다고 쳐도
  8.  vii) -M다손 치더라도 – ‘Even if we assume X’
  9.  Additional details
  10.  Associated grammar
  11.  See also
  12.  Bibliography
  13.  User examples


Introduction

There are several grammar patterns which come from the verb 치다. The key to understanding these patterns is to relate them back to this verb. The grammar patterns listed here do not have their own GRD page for this reason – they are best understood from the perspective of 치다.



i) 치다 – counting

The verb 치다 is used for counting things.

물건을 치다 (now dated language)
count the objects
우리 가족은 다 합쳐서 4명이에요.
There are four people in my family.

As discussed below, 치다 has since become associated with ‘calculation, ‘value’, ‘consideration’, ‘supposition’, ‘conjecture’ and ‘assumption’.



ii) -어치 – ‘worth’

The suffix -어치 comes from 치다 (counting) and is used to denote an amount of worth.

값어치
monetary value
4원어치
4,000 won worth
사과 만원어치
10,000 won worth of apples
3킬로어치
three kilos of
얼마어치
how much


iii) -치 – ‘extent’

Similar to -어치, the ‘suffix’ -치 is used to denote the amount of extent.

일년치 임대
one-year lease
하루치 선행
good deed for the day
일주일치의 배급량
one week’s rations

Grammarians are uncertain whether this 치 is a suffix or a bound noun. This is why spacing rules are inconsistent.

Consider:

일주일치
one week’s worth suffix
일주일 치
one week’s worth bound noun

There is a similar 치 taken from the hanja 値 meaning ‘value’. The similarity is likely coincidental and unrelated.

최소치
minimum value
기대치
level of expectation
기대치를 높이다
raise the bar


iv) Particle 치고 – ‘Consider all X’

Particle 치고 attaches only to nouns. It derives from the verb 치다 and means: ‘As for X,’ | ‘For every X,’ or ‘Considering X,’.

사람치고 돈 싫어하는 사람이 있냐?
Does anyone not like money?

{Consider(count) all people}, is there anyone who doesn’t like money?

Here the speaker is saying ‘consider all people’ as if they have all been counted and placed into a single set. While ‘counting’ is the origin of 치고, it would be incorrect to assume the particle still carries this meaning. Rather, it is used to make the listener consider X as a set, where the entire group has a certain characteristic. 치고 is usually followed by a strong or rhetoric statement which can be either a compliment or criticism.

외국인치고 발음이 좋네.
Her pronunciation is good for a foreigner.

* Poor pronunciation is a characteristic of foreigners as a whole

요즘 여자치고 너무 보수 적인 것 아냐?
Aren’t you being too conservative for a girl these days?

* Liberality is considered a characteristic of modern girls as a whole

이 학교 학생치고 강건을 모르는 사람이 없다.
There isn’t a student at this school who doesn’t understand health.

* Understanding health is considered a characteristic of students at the school

More examples:

카메라 앞에서 멋있는 척하는 요즘 아이돌치고 걔가 너무 뻔뻔하네.
He’s got quite some nerve to consider today’s Kpop idols as faking in front of the camera.


치고는

Particle 은/는 can be added to 치고 to give the effects of contrast and emphasis. Here the speaker indicates that something is either exceptional or unexpected (compared with the rest of the set).

철수는 농구 선수치고는 키가 작은 편이다.
철수 is short for a basketball player.

* 철수 being short is exceptional (compared with other basketball players)

1학년 어린이치고는 아주 잘 쓴 글이야.
It’s written very well for a child in first grade.

* The speaker is surprised about the child’s ability (compared to other first graders)

강남에 있는 집치고는 집세가 싸요.
This is a cheap apartment for 강남.

* The apartment is exceptionally and unexpectedly cheap (compared with the norm)



치고서

Additional emphasis can be given by adding 서 to 치고.

마누라가 만든 요리치고서 맛없는 게 없다.
There’s nothing (at all) my wife can’t cook well.
남자치고서는 참으로 감수성이 높다고 해야겠어.
I’d have to say that he’s really sensitive for a guy.
1년 배운 것치고서는 한국말을 참 잘 해요.
He speaks really well considering that he’s only studied a one year.


v) (으)로 치다 – ‘Considered as’

The pattern (으)로 치다 means ‘valued as’ or ‘considered as’.

최고로 치다
considered the best

Here particle (으)로 is used to describe order.

(으)로 Example:

첫번째로 먹을 거야.
First, I will eat.

치다 here means ‘considered value’. Notice how this meaning is a progression from ‘counting’.

둘째로 치다
considered as secondary
돈을 제일로 치다
consider money as most important
세계 최고의 와인으로 친다.
Considered the best wine in the world.


(으)로 치면

The conditional connective –(으)면 can be added to 치다 to mean ‘judged by the standard as’ / ‘if we consider it as’. Note that this continues the ‘measurement’ theme.

바둑이는 사람 나이로 치면 21살이에요.
바둑이 is 21 in people years.
Bugger는 우리나라 말로 치면 어느정도 되는 욕 인가요?
What level of swearing would ‘bugger’ be in our language?
지금의 60살은 과거로 치면 40살로 믿고 있다.
I believe the age of 60 these days is what 40 was in the past.
인생을 서울에서 부산까지 기차여행으로 치면 나는 대구쯤에 있을 것 같아.
If you think of life as a train journey from Seoul to Busan, I am at about Daegu.


vi) -다고 치다 – ‘Consider X’

Conjugation


Example Past Present
(processive)
Future
(prospective)
AV (vowel) 하다 했다고 치다 한다고 치다 할 거라고 치다
AV (cons.) 듣다 들었다고 치다 들은다고 치다 들을 거라고 치다
DV (vowel) 빠르다 빨랐다고 치다 빠르다고 치다 빠를 거라고 치다
DV (cons.) 어둡다 어두웠다고 치다 어둡다고 치다 어두울 거라고 치다
Noun (vowel) 남자 남자였다고 치다 남자라고 치다 남자일 거라고 치다
Noun (cons.) 사람 사람이었다고 치다 사람이라고 치다 사람일 거라고 치다

Where:
AV = action verb / processive verb.
DV = descriptive verb / ‘adjective’.
Nouns take the copula (이다) and this becomes a DV.


The pattern -다고 치다 is used to talk about an assumed situation. This situation can be either the speaker’s assumption or a hypothetical case. Here 치다 is distant from ‘counting’ and means ‘consider’, ‘assume’ or ‘suppose’. It is like saying:
– Consider X,
– Assume X,
– Suppose X,

네 말이 맞는다고 쳐…
Let’s say you’re right… (That would mean…)
학생들이 만약에 자식이라고 쳐요.
Think of your students as if they are your children.
A: 나 궁금한 게 있는데… 너가 나 잊어버리기 대 내가 너 잊어버리기 중에 어떤걸 고를거야?
A: I’m curious, between “you forgetting me VS me forgetting you” which would you choose?
B: 아… 이거… 선택하긴 무리지… 뭐야, 한 명 알츠하이머병을 가지고 있는거야?
B: Ah… This… isn’t it impossible to choose?… What? Does one person have Alzheimer’s or something?
A: 흠… 뭐… 그렇다고 치면 되지뭐…
A: Hmm… Well, you can think of it like that.

Here the speaker presents a situation as an assumed fact. The quotative pattern -다고 sets the situation at hand, and 치다 is like saying ‘Let’s assume this’ or ‘I am going to assume this’. This pattern rarely stands alone and typically takes one of several endings and connectives.



-자 ”Let’s”

-다고 치자

니가 버스를 탔다고 치자…
Let’s pretend you’re on a bus…
예를 들어 단어를 찾는다고 치자.
For example, let’s say you’re searching for a word.


-고 Plain connector

-다고 치고

실직을 당한다고 치고 월세는 어떻게 낼거야?
How will we pay the rent if you lose your job?
10명 정도 온다 치고 식사 준비를 해요.
Assume 10 people will come and prepare enough food for this.
지금 한국에 산다고 치고 한국말을 열심히 공부하세요.
Study Korean as if you are living in Korea right now.

This form is very similar to -셈치고 and without a discernible difference.

실직을 당하는 셈치고 월세는 어떻게 낼거야?
How will we pay the rent if you lose your job?
지금 한국에 산다는 셈치고 한국말을 열심히 공부하세요.
Study Korean as if you are living in Korea right now.


-(으)면 Conditional

-다고 치면

아이폰을 안 산다고 치면 갤럭시를 사겠어.
If I don’t buy an iPhone, I will probably buy a Galaxy.
당장 하루에 5천원씩 받는다고 치면 일년이면 180만원 정도의 순수익이 남는다.
If you currently receive 5,000 won each day, that’s a yearly income of over 1.8 million.


-어도 ”Even”

-다고 쳐도

택시를 탄다고 쳐도 늦게 도착할 거야.
Even if we take a taxi, we’ll still be late.
할인을 준다고 쳐도 돈이 부족해.
Even if they give the discount, I’m still short of money.

Note that -다 is a common shortening of -다고.

니가 버스를 탔다 치자…
Let’s pretend you’re on a bus…
할인을 준다 쳐도 돈이 부족해.
Even if they give the discount, I’m still short of money.


vii) -다손 치더라도 – ‘Even if we assume X’

Conjugation


Example Past Present
(processive)
Future
(prospective)
AV (vowel) 하다 했다손 치더라도 한다손 치더라도 할 거라손 치더라도
AV (cons.) 듣다 들었다손 치더라도 들은다손 치더라도 들을 거라손 치더라도
DV (vowel) 빠르다 빨랐다손 치더라도 빠르다손 치더라도 빠를 거라손 치더라도
DV (cons.) 어둡다 어두웠다손 치더라도 어둡다손 치더라도 어두울 거라손 치더라도
Noun (vowel) 남자 남자였다손 치더라도 남자라손 치더라도 남자일 거라손 치더라도
Noun (cons.) 사람 사람이었다손 치더라도 사람이라손 치더라도 사람일 거라손 치더라도

Where:
AV = action verb / processive verb.
DV = descriptive verb / ‘adjective’.
Nouns take the copula (이다) and this becomes a DV.


This pattern is used when the speaker is advising from their own knowledge or experience. It is a combination of the quotative ending -다, which sets the assumption, particle 손 (denoting concession), 치 (marking assumption) and -더라도 (marking experience and concession).

It basically means “Even if we make the assumption X, Y still matters“.

기적적으로 살아난다손 치더라도 정상적인 생활은 어려울 거예요.
Even if she miraculously survives, it will be difficult to live a normal life.

Here the speaker takes the recovery as a possibility but concedes any chance of a normal life will be difficult.

아무리 시간이 없다손 치더라도 밥 먹을 시간쯤이야.
Even if we are short of time, surely, we can find time to eat?
아무리 시험에 자신이 있다손 치더라도 어려운 문제는 꼭 있게 마련이야.
No matter how confident you are in the exam, there are always some difficult questions.
나무를 잘 타는 원숭이라손 치더라도 나무에서 떨어질 때가 있다.
No matter how good at climbing a monkey is, it sometimes falls from a tree.


Additional details

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Associated grammar

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See also

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Bibliography

Affiliate links help support uK.

— Ahn, J., & Sun, E. (2014). Korean Grammar in Use: Advanced. Paju-si: Darakwon.
— Choo, M., & Kwak, H. (2008). Using Korean: A Guide to Contemporary Usage. New York: Cambridge University Press.
— Ihm, H.B., Hong, K.P., & Chang, S.I. (2001). Korean Grammar for International Learners. Seoul: Yonsei University Press.
— King, R., Yeon, J., Kim, C., & Baker, D. (2015). Advanced Korean. Boston: Tuttle Publishing.
— Seo, T. The study of postposition ‘malgo’ and ‘chigo’. (2009). 한국어학, 45, 225–274



User examples
vi) -다고 치다 – ‘Consider X’

Context: A couple is having an argument about a hypothetical situation where the boyfriend has to decide who to save between his girlfriend and his mother.

여친: 자기는 나랑 자기 엄마랑 물에 빠지면 누구부터 구할 거야?
GF: Who would you save first if your mom and I fell in the water?
남친: 너 혼자 물에 빠질 일이 없잖아. 내가 항상… (옆에 있을 건데)
BF: There’s no way you’re going to fall by yourself. I’m always going to… (be by your side)
여친: 아니, 일단 빠졌다 치고.
GF: No, but say I did fall.
{Line at 0:42}
{Screenshot}

 [Submitted by autoditactics]

Context: A strong and stubborn boy was just beaten with a stick. The character is looking at the boy who looks fine but is talking nonsense.

그렇게 맞은 것 치고 괜찮아 보인다 했더니…
I thought he was fine considering he got beaten up…
아니었구만…
But he’s not…
From the 만화: 화산귀환

 [Submitted by 한비니짱짱]


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