Adjectives Flashcards
있다
to have something
Common Usages:
할 말이 있다 = to have something to say
할 게 없다 = to have nothing to do
할 게 많다 = to have a lot to do
Notes: ~이/가 must be attached to the object that is being possessed.
Examples:
저는 펜이 있어요 = I have a pen
저는 많은 돈이 있어요 = I have a lot of money
질문이 있어요? = Do you have a question?
저는 내일 할 일이 있어요 = I have something I need to do tomorrow
한국에서는 모든 집에 밥솥이 있어요 = All houses in Korea have a rice cooker
크다
to be big
크다 follows the ㅡ irregular.
Common Usages:
키가 크다 = to be tall
키가 몇 센티예요? = How tall are you?
키가 얼마나 돼요? = How tall are you?
Examples:
그 집은 아주 커요 = That house is very big
저는 남동생보다 키가 더 커요 = I am taller (my height is bigger) than my brother
작다
to be small
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “작따”
Common Usages:
키가 작다 = to be short
Example:
저는 작은 집에서 살아요 = I live in a small house
이것은 너무 작은가요? = Is this too small?
당근을 작은 조각으로 자르세요 = Cut the carrots into small pieces, please
이 셔츠가 너무 작아서 못 입어요 = I can’t put this shirt on because it is too small
이 바지가 너무 작아서 다른 것으로 바꿀 거예요 I’m going to change these pants to another (a different) pair because they are too small
새롭다
to be new
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “새롭따”
새롭다 follows the ㅂ irregular.
Examples:
저는 새로운 차를 샀어요 = I bought a new car
그 병원은 새로워요 = That hospital is new
저는 새로운 차를 사고 싶어요 = I want to buy a new car
저는 새로운 안경을 샀어요 = I bought new glasses
저는 새로운 바지를 사야 돼요 = I need to buy new pants
우리 회사는 새로운 회사원을 찾고 있어요 = Our company is looking for new workers
새로운 핸드폰을 사고 전화번호를 바꿨어요 = After buying a new phone, I changed my phone number
낡다
to be old (not age)
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “낙따”
Notes: This word is not used to describe a person, only an object. Instead, it describes that something is old/worn down. To describe a person you should use 늙다. To describe something that is old (but still nice, like a historical building), you should use 오래되다.
Example:
이 학교 건물은 매우 낡아요 = This school’s building is very old
이 집은 너무 낡아요 = This house is very old
비싸다
to be expensive
Example:
이것은 너무 비싸요 = This (thing) is too expensive
집 값은 비싸지고 있어 = House prices are getting expensive
싸다
to not be expensive, to be cheap
Example:
이 가게는 싼 음식을 팔아요 = this store sells cheap/inexpensive food
아름답다
to be beautiful
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “아름답따”
아름답다 follows the ㅂ irregular.
Common Usages:
아름다운 여자 = beautiful girl
Examples:
그 여자가 너무 아름다워요 = That girl is very beautiful
그 선생님은 아름다워요 = That teacher is beautiful
저의 아내는 아름답다 = My wife is beautiful
Lyrics from ‘강남스타일’: “아름다워 사랑스러워 그래 너 hey 그래 바로 너 hey”
뚱뚱하다
to be fat, to be chubby
Example:
그 사람은 너무 뚱뚱해요 = That person is very fat
형은 아버지보다 더 뚱뚱해요 = My older brother is fatter than my dad
길다
to be long
길다 follows the ㄹ irregular.
Example:
저 여자의 머리는 길어요 = That girl’s hair is long
저의 손가락은 길어요 = My finger is long
줄이 왜 이렇게 길어요? = Why is the line so big/long?
한국에서는 겨울 방학이 여름 방학보다 더 길어요 = In Korea, winter vacation is longer than summer vacation
좋다
to be good
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “조타”
Notes: Although this translates to “good,” it is often used to say that one “likes” something.
Examples: 우리 학교는 매우 좋아요 = Our school is very good 저는 우리 학교가 좋아요 = I like our school 그 선생님은 좋아요 = that teacher is good 아무 때나 좋아요 = Anytime is good 날씨가 좋아서 산책하는 것은 즐거워요 = It is pleasant to go to for a walk because the weather is so good
위험하다
to be dangerous
The noun form of this word translates to “danger”
Common Usages:
위험성 = riskiness
위험물 = something dangerous
Examples:
그 장소가 너무 위험해서 가지 마세요 = That place is very dangerous, so don’t go
이런 일은 위험해요 = This type of work is dangerous
그 사람은 위험한 남자입니다 = That person is a dangerous man
잘생기다
to be handsome
Notes: A composition of the adverb 잘 (well) and the verb 생기다 (to look like), which means it gets conjugated as a verb. It typically conjugates to the past tense (잘생겼다) even when talking about the present tense.
Examples:
그 남자는 너무 잘생겼어요 = That man is very handsome
저는 잘생긴 남자를 만나요 = I meet a handsome man
파란 눈이 있는 남자가 가장 잘생겼어요 = Men with blue eyes are the most handsome
그는 별로 잘생기지 않았다 = He’s not that handsome
그는 전혀 잘생기지 않았다 = He’s not handsome at all
못생기다
to be ugly
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “몯쌩기다”
Notes: A composition of the adverb 못 (not well, poorly) and the verb 생기다. Like 잘생기다, it is conjugated as a verb in the past tense.
Example:
그 남자는 너무 못생겼어요 = That man is very ugly
그 여자는 우리 반에서 제일 못생긴 여자예요 = That girl is the ugliest in our class
피곤하다
to be tired
The noun form of this word translates to “tiredness” or “fatigue”
Example:
저는 일을 많이 해서 너무 피곤해요 = I am very tired because I worked a lot
너무 피곤해서 자고 싶어요 = I want to sleep because I am so tired
피곤한 사람은 침대에 누워서 잤어요 = The tired person lied on the bed and slept
잠을 못 자면 다음 날에 몸이 피곤해져요 = If you don’t sleep well, the next day you will be tired
다르다
to be different
다르다 follows the 르 irregular.
Common Usages:
또 따른 = another
Notes: When saying something is different “from” something, 와/과/랑/이랑 must be attached to the noun that is being compared.
Examples:
저는 다른 영화를 보고 싶어요 = I want to see a different movie
우리는 매우 달라요 = We are so different
그 건물은 어제와 달라요 = That building is different from yesterday
고양이는 강아지와 달라요 = Cats are different than dogs
캐나다는 한국과 문화적으로 달라요 = Canada and Korea are culturally different
서양사람들은 동양사람들과 달라요 = Western people are different than Eastern people
그 여자가 오늘 화장을 하지 않아서 아주 달라 보여요 = That girl looks very different today because she didn’t do her makeup
슬프다
to be sad
슬프다 follows the ㅡ irregular.
Common Usages:
슬퍼하지 마세요 = Don’t be sad
Example:
우리 할아버지가 죽어서 저는 너무 슬퍼요 = I am very sad because my grandfather died
저의 여자친구는 어제 너무 슬퍼 보였어요 = My girlfriend looked really sad yesterday
제가 슬프다면 친구를 만나지 않을 거예요 = If I am sad, I’m not going to meet my friend
맛있다
to be delicious
Although technically a combination of the noun “맛” (taste) and “있다” (to have) 맛있다 is officially seen as one word (literally meaning “to have taste”) and the pronunciation of ㅅ in “맛” is transferred to the next syllable. This makes the entire word sound like “마싣따.”
Conversely, 맛없다, which means “to not be delicious,” is officially seen as two words (literally meaning “to not have taste”). As such, the pronunciation of ㅅ in “맛” is usually not transferred to the next syllable and the entire word sounds like “마덥따”
Common Usages:
맛있는 음식 = delicious food
Examples:
맛있는 것을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat something delicious
빨간 사과는 가장 맛있어요 = Red apples are the most delicious
사과는 가장 맛있는 과일이에요 = Apples are the most delicious fruit
한식은 너무 맛있어요 = Korean food is very delicious
재미있다
to be fun/funny
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “재미읻따”
Notes:
Like the word “맛있다,” 재미있다 is made up of “재미” and “있다” (to have). Therefore, even though 재미있다 is an adjective (funny), it is conjugated like 있다.
Examples:
그 영화가 너무 재미있었어요 = That movie was very funny
그 남자는 재미있는 남자예요 = That man is a funny person
제가 보고 있는 영화는 재미있어요 = The movie I am watching is funny
친구를 만났으면 재미있었을 것이다 = If I had met my friend, it would have been fun
설사를 하는 것은 재미있어요 = Having diarrhea is fun
많다
to be many of, to be a lot of
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “만타”
Notes: An adjective that means “many,” 많다 can be placed before a noun to describe it, for example: 많은 사람은 저를 좋아해요 (many people like me). However, 많다 is more naturally used by using the ~는 것 principle. For example: 저를 좋아하는 사람은 많아요 (literally: there are many people who like me). The ~는 것 principle is very difficult to describe.
Examples:
그 회사에서 일하는 사람은 많아요 = There are many people who work at that company.
지난 주에 저는 계획이 많았어요 = I had a lot of plans last week
동대문시장에서 아주머니가 많아요 = There are a lot of older women in Dongdaemun market
그곳에서 구경하는 사람이 많아요 = There are a lot of people sightseeing in that place)
저는 거기에 사람이 많을 것 같아서 가고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to go there because there will probably be too many
행복하다
to be happy
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “행보카다”
Common Usages:
행복한 사람 = happy person
Example:
저는 매우 행복한 사람이에요 = I am a very happy person
저는 공원에 가는 날에 항상 행복해요 = I am always happy on the days I go to the park
왜 그렇게 행복해 보여요? = Why do you look so happy?
저는 행복하기 때문에 죽고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to die because I am happy
저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will be happy
내가 행복하면 숙제를 잘 해 = When/If I am happy, I do my homework well
제가 행복하다면 일을 더 잘 할 거예요 = If I am happy, I will work harder
행복하다
to be happy
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “행보카다”
Common Usages:
행복한 사람 = happy person
Example:
저는 매우 행복한 사람이에요 = I am a very happy person
저는 공원에 가는 날에 항상 행복해요 = I am always happy on the days I go to the park
왜 그렇게 행복해 보여요? = Why do you look so happy?
저는 행복하기 때문에 죽고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to die because I am happy
저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will be happy
내가 행복하면 숙제를 잘 해 = When/If I am happy, I do my homework well
제가 행복하다면 일을 더 잘 할 거예요 = If I am happy, I will work harder
지루하다
to be boring
Notes: In English we use similar words to describe that one is bored, and that something is boring. However, in Korean, these are separate words. If you are bored, you can use “심심하다.” If something is boring (and thus, making you bored), you can use “지루하다”
Example:
수업은 매우 지루해요 = Class is so boring
마르다
for a person to be too thin
마르다 follows the 르 Irregular.
Notes: This is usually used in a negative way.
If you are telling somebody that they look (too) thin, this is usually used in the past tense. For example: 형! 너무 말랐어! = (Brother!) You look so thin!
Example:
보통 모델들은 말라요 = Models are usually thin
멀다
to be far away
멀다 follows the ㄹ Irregular.
Example:
우리 집은 너무 멀어요 = Our home is very far
저는 먼 병원에 갔어요 = I went to a far away hospital (a hospital that is far away)
마르다
to be dry
마르다 follows the 르 Irregular.
Notes:
Most commonly used as “목 마르다” (literally: dry throat) to indicate that one is thirsty.
Example:
그 강은 완전히 말랐어요 = That river has completely dried up
비슷하다
to be similar
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “비스타다”
Examples:
저와 저의 아버지는 너무 비슷해요 = My father and I are very similar
저는 친구와 비슷해요 = I am similar to my friend
싫다
to not be good
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “실타”
Common Usages:
가기 싫다 = to not want to go
먹기 싫다 = to not want to eat
Notes: 싫다 can be used to say “one does not like” by attaching ~이/가 to an object.
Example:
저는 그 사람이 싫어요 = I don’t like that person
학교가 싫어요 = I don’t like school
맥주가 싫어요 = I don’t like beer
오래되다
for an object to be old
Notes:
Like 낡다, 오래되다 can only be used to describe objects – but 낡다 implies that the object in question is also damaged/rugged in some form. Using 오래되다 simply implies that it is has been a long time since something was built/released/bought, etc…
Example:
저는 저의 오래된 핸드폰을 팔았어요 = I sold my old phone
그 식당이 오래되었다 = That restaurant is old
우리는 오래된 집에 갔다 = We went to the old house
한국문화는 오래됐고 흥미로워요 = Korean culture is long/old and interesting
오늘 새로운 복사기가 올 거라서 이 오래된 것을 버려야 돼요 = The new photocopier will come today, so we have to throw out this old one
배고프다
to be hungry
Notes: This is sometimes as “배가 고프다”
Common Usages:
배고파 죽겠다 = I’m so hungry I could die
Examples: 나는 별로 배고프지 않아 = I’m not really hungry
저는 먹고 싶지만 배고프지 않아요 = Even though I want to eat, I am not hungry
밥을 안 먹으면 배고플 거야 = If you don’t eat, you will be hungry
빠르다
to be fast
빠르다 follows the 르 irregular.
Notes: The adverb form of this word is 빨리
Example:
그 차는 너무 빨라요 = That car is too fast
택시는 버스보다 더 빨라요 = The taxi is quicker than the bus
느리다
to be slow
Notes:
느리다 is used when “slow” has a negative meaning, usually from moving too slow. For the positive meaning, the adverb “천천히” is used. For example: 천천히 먹어 = eat slowly
Example:
이 인터넷은 왜 이렇게 느려요? = Why is this internet so slow?
착하다
to be nice
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “차카다”
Notes: Another common way to say “nice” is “친절하다”
Examples:
한국 사람들은 보통 아주 착해요 = Korean people are usually very nice
저의 첫 번째 친구는 착했어요 = My first friend was nice
