Adjectives

Category
Basic Grammar
Premium
Keyword #
-λŠ”, ν˜•μš©μ‚¬
Lesson
28

TL;DR πŸ“

  • Adjectives in Korean describe nouns and always end in -λ‹€ in their dictionary form (like μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ "to be pretty")
  • Unlike English, Korean adjectives act like verbs and conjugate based on tense and politeness level
  • To use adjectives in sentences, drop -λ‹€ and add the appropriate ending depending on whether you're describing something now, in the past, or in the future

What are Korean Adjectives? 🎨

Korean adjectives are words that describe nouns, but here's the twist: they behave like verbs! In English, we say "pretty flower," but in Korean, we essentially say "the flower is pretty" even when describing it directly.
All Korean adjectives end in -λ‹€ in their dictionary form:
β†’ μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ = to be pretty
β†’ 크닀 = to be big
β†’ μž‘λ‹€ = to be small
β†’ μ’‹λ‹€ = to be good

How to Use Adjectives in Sentences πŸ’¬

Just like verbs, you need to conjugate adjectives by dropping -λ‹€ and adding endings based on tense and formality.
Present Tense (Polite):
Drop -λ‹€, add -μ–΄μš”/μ•„μš”
β†’ μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ β†’ μ˜ˆλ»μš” (It's pretty)
β†’ 크닀 β†’ μ»€μš” (It's big)
β†’ μ’‹λ‹€ β†’ μ’‹μ•„μš” (It's good)
Past Tense (Polite):
Drop -λ‹€, add -μ—ˆμ–΄μš”/μ•˜μ–΄μš”
β†’ μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ β†’ μ˜ˆλ»€μ–΄μš” (It was pretty)
β†’ 크닀 β†’ μ»Έμ–΄μš” (It was big)
Future Tense (Polite):
Drop -λ‹€, add -을 κ±°μ˜ˆμš”/γ„Ή κ±°μ˜ˆμš”
β†’ μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ β†’ 예쁠 κ±°μ˜ˆμš” (It will be pretty)
β†’ 크닀 β†’ 클 κ±°μ˜ˆμš” (It will be big)

Modifying Nouns Directly 🏷️

When you want to put an adjective directly before a noun (like "pretty flower"), use -γ„΄/은 for present tense:
β†’ 예쁜 꽃 (pretty flower)
β†’ 큰 집 (big house)
β†’ μž‘μ€ κ°€λ°© (small bag)

Common Exceptions & Irregular Adjectives ⚠️

Some adjectives don't follow the standard conjugation patterns:
γ…‚ irregular adjectives:
When the stem ends in γ…‚, it changes to 우 or 였 before vowel endings
β†’ μΆ₯λ‹€ (to be cold) β†’ μΆ”μ›Œμš” (NOT μΆ₯μ–΄μš”)
β†’ 아름닡닀 (to be beautiful) β†’ μ•„λ¦„λ‹€μ›Œμš”
γ„Ή irregular adjectives:
When the stem ends in γ„Ή, the γ„Ή drops before certain endings
β†’ κΈΈλ‹€ (to be long) β†’ κΈΈμ–΄μš” (γ„Ή stays) BUT κΈ΄ (when modifying nouns, γ„Ή drops)
γ…Ž irregular adjectives:
β†’ κ·Έλ ‡λ‹€ (to be so) β†’ κ·Έλž˜μš” (NOT κ·Έλ ‡μ–΄μš”)
β†’ μ–΄λ–»λ‹€ (how) β†’ μ–΄λ•Œμš”
Totally irregular:
β†’ λ‚«λ‹€ (to be better) β†’ λ‚˜μ•„μš”
That's it! Korean adjectives might seem weird at first because they act like verbs, but once you get used to it, it actually makes the language more consistent! πŸŽ‰
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Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks with the correct adjective form.
  • 였늘 날씨가 정말 ___. (good)
Answer
μ’‹μ•„μš”
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  • 이 가방이 λ„ˆλ¬΄ ___. (heavy)
Answer
λ¬΄κ±°μ›Œμš”
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  • κ·Έ μ˜ν™”κ°€ ___? (interesting)
Answer
μž¬λ―Έμžˆμ–΄μš”
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  • 컀피가 ___. (hot)
Answer
λœ¨κ±°μ›Œμš”
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  • 방이 ___ κΉ¨λ—ν•΄μš”. (very)
Answer
μ•„μ£Ό
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  • μ € 건물이 ___. (tall)
Answer
λ†’μ•„μš”
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  • 이 μŒμ‹μ΄ ___. (delicious)
Answer
λ§›μžˆμ–΄μš”
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  • μ‹œν—˜μ΄ λ„ˆλ¬΄ ___. (difficult)
Answer
μ–΄λ €μ›Œμš”
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  • μ˜€λΉ κ°€ ___. (handsome)
Answer
μž˜μƒκ²Όμ–΄μš”
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  • 강아지가 정말 ___. (cute)
Answer
κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš”
날씨 - weather
κ°€λ°© - bag
무겁닀 - to be heavy
μ˜ν™” - movie
μž¬λ―Έμžˆλ‹€ - to be interesting
λœ¨κ²λ‹€ - to be hot
λ°© - room
κΉ¨λ—ν•˜λ‹€ - to be clean
건물 - building
λ†’λ‹€ - to be tall/high
μŒμ‹ - food
λ§›μžˆλ‹€ - to be delicious
μ‹œν—˜ - exam
μ–΄λ ΅λ‹€ - to be difficult
μž˜μƒκΈ°λ‹€ - to be handsome
강아지 - puppy
κ·€μ—½λ‹€ - to be cute
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⚠️ Common mistakes

  • Don't confuse adjectives with verbs – adjectives describe states (μ’‹λ‹€, μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€), while verbs describe actions (λ¨Ήλ‹€, κ°€λ‹€).
  • Remember that μžˆλ‹€/μ—†λ‹€ can function as both adjectives ("to exist/not exist") and verbs ("to have/not have") depending on context.
  • When using 이/κ°€ with adjectives, the subject is what possesses the quality: "날씨가 μ’‹μ•„μš”" (the weather is good), not "날씨λ₯Ό μ’‹μ•„μš”."
  • Many learners forget that adjectives conjugate just like verbs in Korean – μ’‹λ‹€ becomes μ’‹μ•„μš”, μ˜ˆμ˜λ‹€ becomes μ˜ˆλ»μš”.
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