3. An vs. Ahn

1. An vs. Ahn 'An' is a contraction of 'ani' (no/not), and 'ahn' is a contraction of 'anihada' (to not do). 'An' is placed before a verb or adjective to negate it. 'Ahn' is used in the form of '-ji an-ta' (not doing). Ex) An meogeo (I don't eat), An ga (I don't go), An joahae (I don't like), Meokji an-ta (not eating), Gaji an-ta (not going), Joahaji an-ta (not liking). 2. 'Ahn' cannot be used alone. 'Ahn' is usually followed by forms like '-da', '-a', '-asseo', etc. Ex) Oneul ahn meogeo X (Today not eat), Meokji an-ta O (not eating), Meokji an-a O (not eating), Meokji an-atda O (did not eat). 3. 'An' is mainly used before, and 'ahn' is mainly used after. Ex) An joahae (I don't like it), Johji an-ta (it's not good), An chupda (it's not cold), Chupji an-ta (it's not cold). 4. An-a vs. An-a 'An-a' is a conjugation of the verb 'an-da' (to hug/hold). 'An-a' is a conjugated form of 'ahn-ta' (not). Ex) Agi-reul an-a jueotda. (I gave the baby a hug.) Na-neun ne-ga silchi an-a. (I don't dislike you.) 5. Conclusion 'An' is mainly used before verbs or adjectives, and 'ahn' is used in the form of '-ji an-ta'. 'Ahn' cannot be used alone, while 'an' can be used independently. 'An' is mainly used before, and 'ahn' is mainly used after. The distinction between 'an-a' (hug) and 'an-a' (not) is a difference in meaning, not spelling.