50 Essential Adjectives¶
Quick Reference
| Category | Key Adjectives |
|---|---|
| Size | 크다, 작다, 길다, 짧다 |
| Quality | 좋다, 나쁘다, 새것, 낡다 |
| Appearance | 예쁘다, 못생기다, 깨끗하다 |
| Temperature | 덥다, 춥다, 뜨겁다, 차갑다 |
| Emotion | 행복하다, 슬프다, 화나다 |
| Difficulty | 쉽다, 어렵다, 간단하다 |
Size and Dimension¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 크다 | to be big | 커요 | 집이 커요 (The house is big) |
| 작다 | to be small | 작아요 | 방이 작아요 (The room is small) |
| 길다 | to be long | 길어요 | 머리가 길어요 (Hair is long) |
| 짧다 | to be short | 짧아요 | 치마가 짧아요 (The skirt is short) |
| 넓다 | to be wide/spacious | 넓어요 | 거실이 넓어요 (The living room is spacious) |
| 좁다 | to be narrow | 좁아요 | 길이 좁아요 (The road is narrow) |
| 높다 | to be high/tall | 높아요 | 산이 높아요 (The mountain is high) |
| 낮다 | to be low | 낮아요 | 목소리가 낮아요 (The voice is low) |
| 두껍다 | to be thick | 두꺼워요 | 책이 두꺼워요 (The book is thick) |
| 얇다 | to be thin | 얇아요 | 종이가 얇아요 (The paper is thin) |
Usage Examples: - 이 가방이 너무 커요. (This bag is too big.) - 손이 작아요. (My hands are small.) - 이 바지가 너무 길어요. (These pants are too long.) - 아파트가 넓고 좋아요. (The apartment is spacious and nice.)
Quality and Condition¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋다 | to be good | 좋아요 | 날씨가 좋아요 (The weather is good) |
| 나쁘다 | to be bad | 나빠요 | 기분이 나빠요 (I feel bad) |
| 새롭다 | to be new | 새로워요 | 옷이 새로워요 (The clothes are new) |
| 낡다 | to be old/worn | 낡아요 | 신발이 낡았어요 (The shoes are old) |
| 깨끗하다 | to be clean | 깨끗해요 | 방이 깨끗해요 (The room is clean) |
| 더럽다 | to be dirty | 더러워요 | 차가 더러워요 (The car is dirty) |
| 바쁘다 | to be busy | 바빠요 | 요즘 바빠요 (I'm busy these days) |
| 한가하다 | to be free/leisurely | 한가해요 | 오늘은 한가해요 (I'm free today) |
| 편하다 | to be comfortable | 편해요 | 의자가 편해요 (The chair is comfortable) |
| 불편하다 | to be uncomfortable | 불편해요 | 신발이 불편해요 (The shoes are uncomfortable) |
Usage Examples: - 한국어가 좋아요. (Korean is good/I like Korean.) - 새 휴대폰을 샀어요. (I bought a new phone.) - 방을 깨끗하게 청소했어요. (I cleaned the room cleanly.) - 주말에는 한가해요. (I'm free on weekends.)
Appearance and Beauty¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 예쁘다 | to be pretty | 예뻐요 | 꽃이 예뻐요 (The flowers are pretty) |
| 아름답다 | to be beautiful | 아름다워요 | 경치가 아름다워요 (The scenery is beautiful) |
| 못생기다 | to be ugly | 못생겼어요 | - |
| 귀엽다 | to be cute | 귀여워요 | 강아지가 귀여워요 (The puppy is cute) |
| 멋있다 | to be cool/stylish | 멋있어요 | 옷이 멋있어요 (The clothes are cool) |
| 잘생기다 | to be handsome | 잘생겼어요 | 배우가 잘생겼어요 (The actor is handsome) |
Usage Examples: - 정말 예쁜 드레스예요. (It's a really pretty dress.) - 아기가 너무 귀여워요. (The baby is so cute.) - 멋있는 차네요. (That's a cool car.)
Temperature¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 덥다 | to be hot (weather) | 더워요 | 여름은 더워요 (Summer is hot) |
| 춥다 | to be cold (weather) | 추워요 | 겨울은 추워요 (Winter is cold) |
| 뜨겁다 | to be hot (object) | 뜨거워요 | 커피가 뜨거워요 (The coffee is hot) |
| 차갑다 | to be cold (object) | 차가워요 | 물이 차가워요 (The water is cold) |
| 시원하다 | to be cool/refreshing | 시원해요 | 바람이 시원해요 (The wind is cool) |
| 따뜻하다 | to be warm | 따뜻해요 | 방이 따뜻해요 (The room is warm) |
Usage Examples: - 오늘 날씨가 너무 더워요. (Today's weather is too hot.) - 밖이 추워요. 코트를 입으세요. (It's cold outside. Wear a coat.) - 뜨거운 물 조심하세요. (Be careful of hot water.) - 따뜻한 차 한 잔 주세요. (Please give me a cup of warm tea.)
Emotions and Feelings¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 행복하다 | to be happy | 행복해요 | 가족과 함께 있으면 행복해요 (I'm happy when with family) |
| 슬프다 | to be sad | 슬퍼요 | 영화가 슬퍼요 (The movie is sad) |
| 기쁘다 | to be glad | 기뻐요 | 만나서 기뻐요 (I'm glad to meet you) |
| 화나다 | to be angry | 화나요 | 왜 화났어요? (Why are you angry?) |
| 무섭다 | to be scary | 무서워요 | 귀신이 무서워요 (Ghosts are scary) |
| 외롭다 | to be lonely | 외로워요 | 혼자 있으면 외로워요 (I'm lonely when alone) |
| 걱정되다 | to be worried | 걱정돼요 | 시험이 걱정돼요 (I'm worried about the exam) |
| 부끄럽다 | to be shy/embarrassed | 부끄러워요 | 얼굴이 부끄러워요 (I'm embarrassed) |
Usage Examples: - 정말 행복한 하루였어요. (It was a really happy day.) - 친구가 떠나서 슬퍼요. (I'm sad because my friend is leaving.) - 무서운 영화를 봤어요. (I watched a scary movie.)
Difficulty and Ease¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 쉽다 | to be easy | 쉬워요 | 문제가 쉬워요 (The problem is easy) |
| 어렵다 | to be difficult | 어려워요 | 한국어가 어려워요 (Korean is difficult) |
| 간단하다 | to be simple | 간단해요 | 설명이 간단해요 (The explanation is simple) |
| 복잡하다 | to be complicated | 복잡해요 | 길이 복잡해요 (The road is complicated) |
Usage Examples: - 이 문제는 너무 쉬워요. (This problem is too easy.) - 발음이 어려워요. (Pronunciation is difficult.) - 간단한 질문이 있어요. (I have a simple question.)
Speed and Pace¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 빠르다 | to be fast | 빨라요 | 차가 빨라요 (The car is fast) |
| 느리다 | to be slow | 느려요 | 거북이가 느려요 (The turtle is slow) |
| 급하다 | to be urgent | 급해요 | 일이 급해요 (The work is urgent) |
Usage Examples: - 시간이 빨라요. (Time goes fast.) - 천천히 말해 주세요. 너무 빨라요. (Please speak slowly. It's too fast.) - 급한 일이 있어요. (I have urgent business.)
Distance and Proximity¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가깝다 | to be near | 가까워요 | 학교가 가까워요 (School is near) |
| 멀다 | to be far | 멀어요 | 집이 멀어요 (Home is far) |
Usage Examples: - 여기에서 역이 가까워요. (The station is near from here.) - 회사가 멀어서 힘들어요. (It's hard because the company is far.)
Weight and Heaviness¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 무겁다 | to be heavy | 무거워요 | 가방이 무거워요 (The bag is heavy) |
| 가볍다 | to be light | 가벼워요 | 옷이 가벼워요 (The clothes are light) |
Quantity and Degree¶
| Korean | Meaning | Present Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 많다 | to be many/much | 많아요 | 사람이 많아요 (There are many people) |
| 적다 | to be few/little | 적어요 | 시간이 적어요 (There is little time) |
Usage Examples: - 친구가 많아요. (I have many friends.) - 돈이 적어요. (I have little money.)
Important Usage Notes¶
Adjectives as Predicates¶
Korean adjectives function as verbs and don't need a copula: - 날씨가 좋다. (The weather is good.) - NOT 좋이다 - 꽃이 예쁘다. (The flower is pretty.)
Adjectives Modifying Nouns¶
When modifying nouns, adjectives take different forms: - Present: -(으)ㄴ - 큰 집 (big house) - 작은 방 (small room) - 예쁜 꽃 (pretty flower) - 좋은 사람 (good person)
Irregular Adjectives¶
Common irregular patterns: - ㅂ irregular: 춥다 → 추워요, 덥다 → 더워요 - ㄷ irregular: 듣다 → 들어요 - ㅎ irregular: 빨갛다 → 빨개요 - ㅡ irregular: 크다 → 커요, 쓰다 → 써요
Negative Form¶
To make negative: - 안 + adjective: 안 좋아요 (not good) - Adjective + 지 않다: 좋지 않아요 (not good)
Examples: - 안 예뻐요. (It's not pretty.) - 어렵지 않아요. (It's not difficult.)
Practice¶
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How do you say "The weather is good today" in Korean?
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Translate: "My room is small but clean."
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How do you say "Korean is difficult but interesting"?
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Say "This coffee is too hot" in Korean.
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How do you describe someone as "pretty" in Korean?
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Translate: "I'm happy when I'm with friends."
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How do you say "The problem is easy" in Korean?
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Say "The station is near but the company is far" in Korean.
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How do you say "I'm busy these days" in Korean?
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Translate: "Summer is hot and winter is cold."