What do you mean X?

This pattern is used to strongly deny, contradict, or dismiss a statement. It's equivalent to saying "What do you mean X?" or "X? Yeah, right!" followed by the actual truth.

Meaning & Usage

Use -긴 무슨 to express that the reality is the complete opposite of what was just said or implied. It's a direct way to refute a claim.

Formation

This pattern attaches differently to verbs/adjectives and nouns.

Verbs & Adjectives: Attach -긴 무슨 directly to the stem.

잘하다 (to do well) → 잘하긴 무슨

괜찮다 (to be okay) → 괜찮긴 무슨

바쁘다 (to be busy) → 바쁘긴 무슨

Nouns: Attach the topic particle -은/는 and then 무슨.

다이어트 (diet) → 다이어트는 무슨

친구 (friend) → 친구는 무슨

돈 (money) → 돈은 무슨

The pattern is almost always followed by a clause that states the contradictory fact.

잘하긴 무슨, 다 틀렸어. / 괜찮긴 무슨, 엄청 아파. / 다이어트는 무슨, 치킨 시켜.

There are a couple of common variations for this pattern that you'll hear in conversation.

-기는 무슨

This is the full, non-contracted version of the pattern. -긴 무슨 is simply a spoken shortcut for -기는 무슨. They are completely interchangeable and carry the exact same meaning and nuance.

맛있긴 무슨 is the same as 맛있기는 무슨.

성공하긴 무슨 is the same as 성공하기는 무슨.

-기는 개뿔

This is a much stronger, slangy, and potentially vulgar alternative. It translates roughly to "X, my ass!" or "The hell you mean, X?" It's highly informal and can be considered rude or aggressive depending on the context. You should only use it with very close friends who are comfortable with strong language.

사랑은 무슨 (Love? Yeah right.) → 사랑은 개뿔 (Love, my ass.)

맛있기는 무슨, 맛없어. / 성공하기는 무슨, 실패했어요. / 사랑은 무슨, 헤어졌어.