못
mot · TOPIK 1
cannot, unable to
🔨 못 (mot) = mot-possible: put it before a verb and the action cannot happen
못 also means nail in Korean, so the word nails the verb down: 못 가요 = cannot go. Sound hook: mot is the start of not with an m, as in must not. It marks inability from circumstances, unlike 안, which is simply choosing not to.