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RELATIVE QUANTITIES IN KOREAN
Expressing relative quantities in Korean is frequently used in many different contexts.
So it is very useful to know the adverbs that are used for the different degrees of relative quantities (i.e., high, medium, low).
Some adverbs are also used to express relative degrees in frequency and certainty.
HIGH DEGREE
Let’s start this lesson off with relative quantities of high degree.
| 대단히 | Extremely/ very much |
| 아주 | Very much |
| 정말 | Really |
| 진짜* | Really (*Colloquial) |
| 너무* | Very/Too (*often used for negative connotation, but also can be used for positive connotation) |
Here are some examples of these words in context:
진짜 니 친구가 그렇게 말했어?
Did your friend really say that?이 음식은 아주 맛있군요.
This dish is very delicious.View More Phrases
| KOREAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 저희 레스토랑을 방문해 주셔서대단히감사합니다. | Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. |
| 나는정말거기에 간 적이 없어요. | I really have never been there. |
| 이 케이크는너무단 것 같아요. | This cake tastes too sweat (negative connotation) |
| 이 옷은너무멋진데요! | This cloth is too awesome! (positive connotation) |
MEDIUM DEGREE
Medium degree of relative quantities in Korean are as follow:
| 꽤 | Quite |
| 어느정도 | Fairly/somewhat |
NOTE || The word ‘어느정도 (eoneujeongdo)’ is very often accompanied by an article ‘는 (neun)’.
| KOREAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 아빠는 태국 음식을 꽤 좋아합니다. | My father quite likes Thai food. |
| 나도 미국 여행을 어느정도는 하고 싶습니다. | I also somewhat want to travel in the U.S. |
LOW DEGREE
And finally here we have low degree:
| 조금 | A little |
| 약간 | A little |
| 그다지* | Not really/ Not very (*negative) |
| 별로* | Not really/ Not very (*negative) |
| 전혀* | Not at all (*negative) |
Let’s take a look at a few examples:
The word 조금 is very often accompanied by an article 만, which has the meaning of ‘only’.
|
국물은 조금만 주세요.
Please give me only a little bit of soup. |
The word 약간 can be used with either 만 or 은.
|
배가 별로 안고파서 약간만 먹을께.
I am not very hungry so I will eat only a little bit. |
나도 사과하고 싶은 마음이 약간은 있어.
I do have a little bit of intention to apologise. |
When used with 만, it means ‘only a little bit’, and when used with 은, it means ‘a little bit’.
NOTE || Adding 만 emphasises the meaning of ‘a little.’ 약간 can be also be used without any article.
FREQUENCY
Now that all degrees have been covered, let’s check the relative quantities for frequency.
| 항상 | Always |
| 늘 | Always |
| 언제나 | Always |
| 보통 | Usually |
| 가끔 | Sometimes |
| 거의* | Rarely (*negative) |
| 전혀* | Never (*negative) |
| 절대로* | Never (*negative) |
Here are examples of these words in context:
| KOREAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 엄마는 항상 일요일에 교회를 간다. | My mother always goes to church on Sundays. |
| 동생이 늘 보고 싶다. | I miss my brother all the time. |
| 우리집에는 언제나 환영이야. | You are always welcome at our place. |
View More Phrases
| KOREAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 재택근무는 보통 일주일에 2일 정도만 해. | I usually telework twice a week. |
| 가끔은 영화를 보러가. | I sometimes go to see a movie. |
| 그가 원하는 학교에 합격할 가능성은 거의 없어. | The possibility that he will get into the school he wants is rare. |
| 걱정하지마. 전혀 불편하지 않아. | Don’t worry. It’s not uncomfortable at all. |
| 미안해. 그것만은 절대로 해줄 수 없어. | I am sorry. But that’s something that I could never do. |
CERTAINTY
Finally, here are the relative quantities for certainty.
| 확실하게 | Certainly/Surely |
| 예외없이 | Without exception |
| 절대적으로 | Absolutely |
| 아마도 | Probably/Maybe |
In context:
| KOREAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| 이 편지는 확실하게 내일 도착할 것 입니다. | This letter will certainly arrive tomorrow. |
| 그 가게에 가면 예외없이 필요한 물건을 살 수 있습니다. | If you go to that store, you can buy what you need, without exception. |
| 그것은 절대적으로 불가능합니다. | That is absolutely impossible. |
| 나는 아마도 내일 떠날 것 입니다. | I will probably leave tomorrow. |
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FAQs
How to say very in Korean?
Very in Korean is 너무.
How to say absolutely in Korean?
Absolutely in Korean is 절대적으로.
How to say a little in Korean?
A little in Korean is 조금 or 약간.
How to say never in Korean?
Never in Korean is 전혀 or 절대로.
Where to learn more Korean grammar?
You can learn more Korean grammar in our Korean Grammar Bank here.
Can I learn Korean with LTL?
We offer courses abroad in Seoul with both group and individual classes, as well as online on our Flexi Classes platform.
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