Korean Grammar Bank

TURNING ADJECTIVES INTO NOUNS

In English, you can easily turn adjectives into nouns by adding different suffixes, such as ‘y’ (i.e., difficult -> difficulty) and ‘ness’ (i.e., sad -> sadness).

In Korean, every adjective ends with 다, but there are some variations when turning adjectives into nouns.

VERBS ENDING WITH A CONSONANT

If the infinitive of the adjective ends with a consonant, then you simply need to add ‘음’ after removing ‘다’ to turn it into a noun.

Let’s take a look at how this works.

Remove 다 and add 음 instead

PATTERN

Verb + 음

ADJECTIVEMEANINGNOUNMEANING
적다Little 적음 Little in quantity
작다Small 작음 Small in size
많다Many/much 많음 Large in quantity
넓다Wide/spacious 넓음 Spaciousness
View More Examples
adjectivemeaningnounmeaning
좁다Narrow 좁음 Narrowness
높다Tall/high 높음 Tallness
젊다Young 젊음 Youth
늙다Old 늙음 Senior

Practice makes perfect! Check out our Korean Adjectives page to practice turning adjectives into nouns.

CONSONANTS ENDING IN THREE SYLLABLES

We know that in Korean every adjective ends with ‘다’, but for adjectives with three syllables and their infinitives ending with a consonant, it’s a bit different.

Let’s check out the structure and the table below to solidify our understanding.

Remove the final consonant of the syllable before 다 and add 움.

PATTERN

Verb + 움

ADJECTIVEMEANINGNOUNMEANING
어렵다Difficult 어려움 Difficulty
외롭다Lonely 외로움 Loneliness
즐겁다Joyful 즐거움 Joy
차갑다Cold 차가움 Coldness
View More Phrases
adjectivemeaningnounmeaning
뜨겁다Hot 뜨거움 Hotness/heat
무겁다Heavy 무거움 Heaviness
가볍다Light 가벼움 Lightness
아름답다Beautiful 아름다움 Beauty

ADJECTIVES ENDING IN A VOWEL

If the infinitive of the adjectives end with a vowel, we then add ‘ㅁ’ to the ending vowel after removing ‘다’.

Tip! Any adjectives that end with ‘하다’can be turned into nouns simply by removing ‘하다’.

Remove 다 and add ㅁ to the ending vowel

PATTERN

Verb + ㅁ

Let’s take a look at the table below for some examples:

ADJECTIVEMEANINGNOUNMEANING
슬프다Sad 슬픔 Sadness
기쁘다Glad 기쁨 Gladness
행복하다Happy 행복함 Happiness
불행하다Unhappy 불행함 Unhappiness
View More Examples
adjectivemeaningnounmeaning
가난하다Poor 가난함 Poverty
부유하다Rich 부유함 Wealth
아프다Sick 아픔 Sickness
건강하다Healthy 건강함 Health
View Some Sentence Examples
돈의 적음이 삶의 불행함은 아니다The lack of money is not the lack of happiness in life.
건강함(건강)이 제일 우선이다Health is the most important thing.
아픔을 견뎌내고 일어나야 한다You have to get over the sickness and raise yourself up.
우리집에는 늘 행복함(행복)이 가득하다My home is always filled with happiness.

하다 VERBS ENDING WITH A ㅡ SYLLABLE

Just like many other grammar points, there’s always an exception, which is the case for infinitives of the adjectives ending with a syllable that contains the ‘ㅡ’ vowel.

In this case, they can be turned into nouns only by adding ‘ㅁ’ to ‘하’ and not the other way. 

Let’s learn how to that.

PATTERN

하 verb + ㅁ

ADJECTIVEMEANINGNOUNMEANING
깨끗하다Clean 깨끗함 Cleanness
깔끔하다Tidy 깔끔함 Tidiness
상큼하다Fresh 상큼함 Freshness

Let’s see what that looks like in a sentence.

그녀에게는 늘 기분좋은 상큼함이 있다.She possess freshness that always feels good.

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FAQs

How to make adjectives into nouns for consonant endings?

For consonant endings you remove 다 and add 음 instead.

How do I make adjectives into nouns for vowel endings?

For vowel endings you add ‘ㅁ’ to the ending vowel after removing ‘다’.

Are all 하다 ending adjectives the same?

For ‘ㅡ’ ending syllables you remove ‘다 ‘ and add ‘ㅁ’ to ‘하’.

What about adjectives with a ‘하다’ ending with a ‘ㅡ’ syllable?

You remove ‘다 ‘ and add ‘ㅁ’ to ‘하’.

Do all Korean adjectives end in ‘다’?

Yes, their infinitive forms do, but they’re changed into nouns based on the syllable before ‘다’.

Where can I find more free Korean resources?

Our Korean Grammar Bank has some fantastic free resources for you to check out.

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