TL;DR
- 보다 means "than" and is used to compare two things 📊
- Add 더 (more) or 덜 (less) before adjectives/verbs to show the degree of difference ⬆️⬇️
- The basic pattern is: A + 보다 + 더/덕 + adjective/verb 🎯
What does 보다 mean? 🤔
보다 is a particle that means "than" in Korean! It's your go-to word whenever you want to compare two things 💫
You attach it directly to the noun you're comparing against ✨
Basic Pattern 📐
The structure is super straightforward! 🎉
[A] + 보다 + [B] + 더/덕 + adjective/verb
- 더 = more (something is more than something else) ⬆️
- 덕 = less (something is less than something else) ⬇️
Using 더 (more) 🔥
When something has more of a quality, use 더! 💪
→ 오늘이 어제보다 더 추워요.
(Today is colder than yesterday) ❄️
→ 한국어가 영어보다 더 어려워요.
(Korean is harder than English) 📚
→ 언니가 저보다 더 예쁘요.
(My older sister is prettier than me) 👯♀️
Using 덕 (less) 📉
When something has less of a quality, use 덱! It's the opposite of 더 🔄
→ 이 가방이 저 가방보다 덕 비싸요.
(This bag is less expensive than that bag) 💰
→ 오늘이 어제보다 덕 더워요.
(Today is less hot than yesterday) 🌤️
→ 저는 동생보다 덕 먹어요.
(I eat less than my younger sibling) 🍽️
Dropping 더 and 덕 🎭
Here's a cool shortcut! You can actually drop 더 and 덕 if the meaning is clear from context 🪄
→ 서울이 부산보다 커요.
(Seoul is bigger than Busan) 🏙️
→ 저는 오빠보다 빨라요.
(I'm faster than my older brother) 🏃♀️
This works especially well when you're saying something is "more" of something, since 더 is often implied anyway! ✨
Word Order Flexibility 🔀
Korean is pretty flexible with word order! 💃
You can put the 보다 phrase at the beginning or in the middle:
→ 저보다 언니가 더 예쁘요.
(Compared to me, my sister is prettier) 🌸
→ 커피보다 차를 더 좋아해요.
(I like tea more than coffee) 🍵
Both ways work perfectly! 👌
Common Mistakes to Avoid ⚠️
Don't use 이/가 or 은/는 with 보다! 🚫
Since 보다 is already a particle, you don't need another particle on the same noun 🎯
❌ 저는보다 언니가 더 예쁘요.
✅ 저보다 언니가 더 예쁘요.
Bonus: Other Comparison Words 🎁
While 보다 is the main comparison particle, here are some related words you'll see! 🌟
- 가장 = the most (superlative) 👑
- 제일 = number one, the most (superlative) 🥇
- 훨씬 = much more, way more (emphasizes the difference) 💥
→ 오빠가 저보다 훨씬 더 커요.
(My brother is way taller than me) 🦒
→ 이것이 가장 맛있어요.
(This is the most delicious) 😋
Exceptions & Special Cases 🔍
When comparing with yourself using 저:
Remember that 저 becomes 저보다 (not 제보다!) when you add 보다 💡
✅ 저보다
❌ 제보다
Using 만큼 instead of 보다:
Sometimes Koreans use 만큼 to mean "as much as" instead of "than" - this is a different (but related!) grammar point! 📝
→ 언니만큼 예뻐요.
(Pretty as much as my sister = Pretty like my sister) ✨
This is about equality rather than comparison! 🤝
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks using -보다 더 or -보다 덜 to make correct comparison sentences. 📊
- 서울이 부산__ 크다.
Answer
보다 더
- 이 가방이 저 가방__ 비싸다.
Answer
보다 덜
- 여름이 겨울__ 덥다.
Answer
보다 더
- 오늘이 어제__ 춥다.
Answer
보다 덜
- 비행기가 기차__ 빠르다.
Answer
보다 더
- 이 문제가 저 문제__ 어렵다.
Answer
보다 덜
- 한국어가 영어__ 재미있다.
Answer
보다 더
- 이 영화가 그 영화__ 무섭다.
Answer
보다 덜
- 커피가 차__ 쓰다.
Answer
보다 더
- 오늘 날씨가 어제__ 좋다.
Answer
보다 덜
Vocabulary
- 크다 - to be big
- 가방 - bag
- 비싸다 - to be expensive
- 여름 - summer
- 겨울 - winter
- 덥다 - to be hot
- 춥다 - to be cold
- 비행기 - airplane
- 기차 - train
- 빠르다 - to be fast
- 문제 - problem
- 어렵다 - to be difficult
- 재미있다 - to be fun/interesting
- 영화 - movie
- 무섭다 - to be scary
- 커피 - coffee
- 차 - tea
- 쓰다 - to be bitter
- 날씨 - weather
- 좋다 - to be good
Common mistakes
- 🚫 Don't forget: 보다 comes AFTER the thing you're comparing to (A보다 B가 더 크다 = B is bigger than A)
- 🚫 Remember that 더 means "more" and 덜 means "less" - don't mix them up!
- 🚫 The particle 가/이 usually marks the main subject being described, not the comparison object
- 🚫 You can omit 더 or 덜 in casual speech, but keep 보다 to maintain the comparison meaning
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