HOW TO USE KOREAN ADJECTIVES
You will see adverbs in a future lesson, but for now let’s have a look at how to use adjectives in Korean.
This is a lesson you should absolutely bookmark, as you’ll need it all along your studies of the Korean language.
A must-know lesson to create more complex sentences.
INFINITIVE FORM
The infinitive form of Korean adjectives ends with ‘~다.’
The infinitive form for adjectives can be used in sentences with the following structure:
PATTERN
Subject (은/는/이/가) + Infinitive Adjective
수진이는 예쁘다.
Sujin is beautiful.내 동생은 똑똑하다.
My brother is smart.View More Phrases
English | Korean |
---|---|
The scenery is spectacular. | 경치가 멋지다. |
This noodle is delicious. | 이 국수는 맛있다. |
My aunt’s house is big. | 내 이모의 집은 크다. |
ADJECTIVES AS NOUNS DESCRIPTOR
As in English, the adjectives in Korean can be used to directly describe nouns (e.g., a beautiful girl, a busy day).
In this case, the ‘다’ ending from the infinitive form is dropped, and ‘ㄴ’ consonant is added.
As in English, the adjective is placed in front of the noun it is describing.
PATTERN
Adjective without ‘다’ + ‘ㄴ’/는/운 + Noun
- If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with a vowel, you add ‘ㄴ’ to the vowel.
- If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with a consonant, you add ‘는’ after the syllable.
- If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with ‘ㅂ’, then you remove ‘ㅂ’ and add ‘운’ after the syllable.
Examples where ‘ㄴ’ is added:
English | Korean |
---|---|
Beautiful Sujin |
예쁜 수진이
(예쁘다 -> 예쁜) |
Smart brother |
똑똑한 독생
(똑똑하다 -> 똑똑한) |
View More Phrases
English | Korean |
---|---|
Spectacular scenery |
멋진 경치
(멋지다 -> 멋진) |
Big house of my aunt |
이모의 큰 집
(크다 -> 큰) |
Fast train |
빠른 열차
(빠르다 -> 빠른) |
Examples where ‘는’ is added:
English | Korean |
---|---|
Delicious noodle |
맛있는 국수
(맛있다 -> 맛있는) |
Bad tasting dish |
맛없는 요리
(맛없다 -> 맛없는) |
Examples where ‘운’ is added:
English | Korean |
---|---|
Light lunch |
가벼운 점심
(가볍다 -> 가벼운) |
Hot weather |
더운 날씨
(덥다 -> 더운) |
Heavy bag pack |
무거운 책가방
(무겁다 -> 무거운) |
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FAQs
How to use an adjective in Korean?
A Korean adjective can be used in its infinitive form using the following structure:
Subject (은/는/이/가) + Infinitive Adjective
Sujin is beautiful. 수진이는 예쁘다.
My brother is smart. 내 동생은 똑똑하다.
The scenery is spectacular. 경치가 멋지다.
—
The adjectives in Korean can be used to directly describe nouns (e.g., a beautiful girl, a busy day).
In this case, the ‘다’ ending from the infinitive form is dropped, and ‘ㄴ’ consonant is added:
– If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with a vowel, you add ‘ㄴ’ to the vowel.
Beautiful Sujin 예쁜 수진이 (예쁘다 -> 예쁜)
– If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with a consonant, you add ‘는’ after the syllable. Delicious noodle 맛있는 국수 (맛있다 -> 맛있는)
– If the syllable in front of ‘다’ ends with ‘ㅂ’, then you remove ‘ㅂ’ and add ‘운’ after the syllable. Hot weather 더운 날씨 (덥다 -> 더운)
How to use 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)
Is Korean SOV or SVO?
Korean is a SOV language, meaning the basic structure is:
Subject + Object + Verb
Japanese, Mongolian and Turkish are also SOV languages for example.
English is a SVO language: subject + verb + object
What is the Korean negative form?
Expressing ‘not’. For verbs and adjectives. Add ‘안’ or ‘-지 않아요’ in front of them.
Example: 지수는 초콜릿을 좋아하지 않아요.
Expressing ‘cannot’. For verbs only. Add 못’or ‘-지 못해요’ in front of the verb.
Example: 저는 수영을 못 해요.
Expressing ‘do not know’. The word ‘to know’ in Korean is ‘알다’. However, we rarely apply the methods of case 1 and case 2 for this word. Instead, we use the word ‘몰라요’
Example: 나는 그녀의 연락처를 몰라요.
Expressing ‘not have’. When we make a sentence to talk about the absence of something, we would use ‘없어요’.
Example: 공원에 사람들이 거의 없어요.
Check out our free lesson about the Korean negative form here.
Where to get more free Korean lessons?
You can get more free Korean lessons on our Korean Grammar Bank.
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