Korean Grammar Bank

HOW TO CREATE ADVERBS IN KOREAN

As in English, many adverbs in Korean are formed by transferring their adjectives (i.e., quick -> quickly).

In general, this transformation follows a regular rule, but there are a few exceptions to remember. 

USING 게 / 하게 

The most common way of forming adverbs from adjectives in Korean is by adding ‘게/하게’ to the stem of an adjective.

‘하게’ is added to an adjective that has ‘하다’ ending in its infinitive:

PATTERN

Stem of an adjective + 게/하게

Here are some examples: 

AdjectiveAdverb
어렵다 
difficult
어렵게
difficultly
쉽다
easy
쉽게
easily
가볍다
light
가볍게
lightly
무겁다
heavy
무겁게
heavily
예쁘다
beautiful
예쁘게
beautifully
조용하다
quiet
조용하게
quietly
비슷하다
similar
비슷하게
similarly
안전하다 
safe
안전하게
safely
성실하다 
diligent)
성실하게
diligently

USING 하게 / 히

For some adjectives that have ‘하다’ ending, ‘히’ can be added to make their adverbs as well.

In this case, the adverbs with ‘하게/히’ can be used interchangeably. 

PATTERN

Stem of an adjective in ‘하다’ form + 히/하게

Here are some examples: 

AdjectivesAdverbs with -히 Adverbs with -하게 
조용하다
quiet
조용히
quietly
조용하게
quietly
안전하다
safe
안전히
safely
안전하게
safely
성실하다
diligent
성실히
diligently
성실하게
diligently

EXCEPTIONS: 많이 / 빨리

The adjectives ‘많다 (= many / a lot)’ and ‘빠르다 (= quick / fast)’, takes different form of adverbs.

For the adjective ‘빠르다’, the regular transformation using ‘게’ can be also used. 

AdjectivesAdverbs
많다
many / a lot
많이
many / a lot
빠르다
fast / quick
빨리 fast
빠르게 quickly

EXAMPLES OF KOREAN ADVERBS

Here are some more examples about creating adverbs in Korean.

EnglishKorean
She runs quickly 그녀는 빨리 뛴다
The world changes quickly 세상은 빠르게 변한다
I ate too much for lunch 나는 점심에 너무 많이 먹었다
I am living happily 저는 행복하게 살고 있어요
He works diligently 그는 성실하게 일합니다
Everyone stays quiet please 모두들 조용히 하세요

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FAQs

How to use create adverbs in Korean?

The most common way of forming adverbs from adjectives in Korean is by adding ‘게/하게’ to the stem of an adjective.

‘하게’ is added to an adjective that has ‘하다’ ending in its infinitive:

Stem of an adjective + 게/하게

Examples:

어렵다  (difficult) > 어렵게 (difficultly)

쉽다 (easy) > 쉽게 (easily)

예쁘다 (beautiful) > 예쁘게  (beautifully)

For some adjectives that have ‘하다’ ending, ‘히’ can be added to make their adverbs as well.

In this case, the adverbs with ‘하게/히’ can be used interchangeably. 

Stem of an adjective in ‘하다’ form + 히/하게

Examples:

조용하다 (quiet)  > 조용히 (quietly) or 조용하게 (quietly)

안전하다 (safe) > 안전히 (safely) or 안전하게 (safely)

How to say “and” in Korean?

‘하고/고’ is most frequently used form of ‘and’ in Korean.

‘고’ is added after action, while ‘하고’ is added after objects or nouns.

‘하고’ can be used after action, if the action is formed from ‘하다’ verb.

Examples:

You should exercise and eat less candies. 

너는 운동하고 사탕을 덜 먹어야해. 

neoneun undonghago satangeul deol meogeoyahae. 

‘와/과’ is the most formal way of saying ‘and’ in Korean.

The way of using it is equivalent to that of ‘하고/고’, but ‘와/과’ is more formal.

‘와’ is added after a syllable ending with a vowel, and ‘과’ is added after a syllable ending with consonant.

Examples:

I will travel with my friend. 

친구와 여행을 갈 계획입니다. 

chinguwa yeohaengeul gal gyehoegipnida. 

‘그리고’ is the only form of ‘and’ in Korean that can link two sentences.

그리고 can also be used to link nouns.

Examples:

She needs water, food, and a shelter. 

그녀는 물, 음식, 그리고 쉼터가 필요합니다. 

geunyeoneun mul, eumsik, geurigo swimteoga piryohapnida. 

How to say “too” in Korean?

“도” is a Korean particle that can be translated to “also” or “too” in English.

It is used to indicate that something or someone shares a characteristic or behaviour with another thing or person.

To use “도” in a sentence, you need to place it after the subject or object that you want to compare.

For example, “저도 한국어를 공부해요.” (I also study Korean.)

Here, “도” follows the subject “저” (I) to indicate that the speaker also studies Korean.

How to say “because” in Korean?

There are four different families of ‘suffixes’ that mean ‘because’ in Korean:

-서/-아서/-어서/-해서

-으니까/-니까 

-때문에/-기 떄문에

-느라고 

Essentially, all these suffixes can be used to mean ‘because’, but each of them also has some specific domain of use.

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