Nuance Dictionary / Culture & Language
덕분 deok-bun
Grace / thanks to — attributing success to others
What does 덕분 mean?
덕분 (deok-bun) means: Grace / thanks to — attributing success to others.
The act of attributing the credit for one's achievements to others. It is the most powerful word in Korean society to dilute individualistic feelings of accomplishment.
🔊 From the story above
겸손 — Gyeom-son
감사합니다 — gamsahamnida, "thank you"
과찬 — Gwa-chan
아직 멀었어요 — ajik meol-eosseoyo, "I still have a long way to go"
멀었다 — meol-eot-da
덕분 — deok-bun, "thanks to / grace of"
부족하다 — Bujok-hada
손사래 — sonsarae, "waving the hand side to side in refusal"
Other sides of 덕분
◆ modesty_shield — Speakers reach for this in professional and social settings to deflect personal praise and avoid appearing arrogant. It commonly combines with nouns for support, teaching, and parental or spousal guidance, such as 부모님, 선생님, 아내, and 도움. It frequently appears in formal polite statements claiming that an achievement or good standing belongs completely to another person.
In professional and formal interactions, this can read as a conventional display of social grace and proper deference, systematically neutralizing individual pride.
◆ sarcastic_blame — Standard reference materials list this noun exclusively as an expression of gratitude or indebtedness for help, guidance, or favorable circumstances. It pairs naturally with positive contexts such as good health, upbringing, or successful outcomes. The recorded examples show speakers expressing genuine appreciation to family members, teachers, or acquaintances for positive events and assistance.
In casual and intimate relationships, speakers sometimes substitute this positive word for the negative '탓' to mockingly blame someone for a disaster. This inversion turns a statement of gratitude into heavy sarcasm.
In professional and formal interactions, this can read as a conventional display of social grace and proper deference, systematically neutralizing individual pride.
◆ sarcastic_blame — Standard reference materials list this noun exclusively as an expression of gratitude or indebtedness for help, guidance, or favorable circumstances. It pairs naturally with positive contexts such as good health, upbringing, or successful outcomes. The recorded examples show speakers expressing genuine appreciation to family members, teachers, or acquaintances for positive events and assistance.
In casual and intimate relationships, speakers sometimes substitute this positive word for the negative '탓' to mockingly blame someone for a disaster. This inversion turns a statement of gratitude into heavy sarcasm.
🎙️ 덕분은 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [덕뿐]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 선생님 덕분에 대학 생활을 무사히 마칠 수 있었습니다.
seon-saeng-nim deok-bun-e daehak saenghwal-eul musa-hi machil su isseot-seumnida.
Thanks to you, teacher, I was able to finish my university life safely.
💡 Expressing gratitude to an instructor using formal polite speech - 우리 아이들이 밝고 건강하게 자라난 것은 지혜로운 아내 덕분이다.
uri aI-deur-i balkgo geongang-hage jaranan geos-eun ji-hye-roun anae deokbun-ida.
The fact that our children grew up bright and healthy is thanks to my wise wife.
💡 Crediting a spouse for the positive upbringing of children - 덕분에 좋은 구경 했습니다.
deokbun-e joeun gugyeong haet-seumnida.
Thanks to you, I got to see some wonderful sights.
💡 A polite remark acknowledging a pleasant experience made possible by someone else
Related words in Culture & Language
들뜨다 deul-tteu-da기대되다 gi-dae-doe-da두근거리다 du-geun-geo-ri-da벅차다 beok-cha-da답정너 dab-jeong-neo