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Google translate suggests "또는". Pimsleur has, I believe, "나", or something that sounds like "na" at least. Finally, the Drops app on android uses "혹은" (sounds like the name "Hogan" in English). I don't doubt that there could be others after finding three, but what are the different implications of using each of these (and any others)?

2 Answers 2

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You can use 또는 or 혹은 pretty much interchangeably. That is, both can be used as enumeration and conjunction. You can also use 아니면 (often casually shortened as 아님) in the same sense.

  1. 커피 혹은/또는/아니면 차 드시겠어요? (Would you like some coffee or tea?)
  2. 커피가 좋겠습니다. 혹은/또는/아니면 그냥 물도 좋습니다. (I'd like coffee. Or just water, please)

However, -나 is only for enumeration.

  1. 커피나 차 드시겠어요? (Would you like some coffee or tea?)
  2. 커피가 좋겠습니다. *나 그냥 물도 좋습니다.

Note that -나 is actually not an independent word, but an inflective suffix. In the above example, it is used as a marker for a noun (커피+-나). 나 can also be used in conjugating predicates in a similar way but usually in a slightly different form, -거나.

  1. 커피 드시거나 잡지 보시겠어요? (Would you like to drink some coffee or to read magazines?)
  1. 이러 저러 마찬가지네요. (It's the same either this way or another)

Finally, when enumerating, you can use 나 and one of the above words together or mixed, but this has no significant changes in meaning.

  1. 커피 드시거나 아니면 잡지 보시겠어요? (Would you like to drink some coffee or to read magazines?)
  1. 차갑거나 뜨거운 커피 또는 차 드시겠어요? (Would you like some coffee or tea either hot or cold?)
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또는, 혹은 sounds a little formal.

대중교통 또는 자가용

참 또는 거짓

진실 혹은 거짓

, 거나 are informal.

그러거나 말거나.

초코맛이나 딸기맛

Also there are 든가, 든지 as even more casual form of or.

그러든가 말든가. (신경 안 쓴다.)

그러든지 말든지. (신경 안 쓴다.)

뒈지든지 말든지.

초코맛이라든가 딸기맛이라든가

초코맛이든지 딸기맛이든지 다 좋아.

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