1 · 40 words

The first adjectives in Korean

Big and small, hot and cold, cheap and expensive, and the other words for describing things.

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From these 40 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.

More about this list

A Korean adjective is a verb: it already contains the “is”, so 커요 on its own means “it is big”, and it takes the same endings as any verb. That is why they are listed here as “to be …”. Many of them change their stem before an ending that starts with a vowel — 춥다 becomes 추워요 — and those are marked below.

The words

Adjective (39)

크다to be big; to be tallAdjective1

이 신발은 저한테 좀 커요.These shoes are a bit big for me.

Irregular: 커요, 컸어요.

작다to be small; to be short (person)Adjective1

이 옷은 너무 작아요.These clothes are too small.

많다to be many, much; to be a lotAdjective1

명동에는 사람이 많아요.There are lots of people in Myeongdong.

Said [만타]; 많아요 is [마나요].

적다to be few, littleAdjective1

이 식당은 양이 좀 적어요.The portions at this restaurant are a bit small.

좋다to be good; to be niceAdjective1

오늘 기분이 좋아요.I am in a good mood today.

Said [조타]; 좋아요 is [조아요].

나쁘다to be badAdjective1

눈이 나빠서 안경을 써요.My eyes are bad, so I wear glasses.

Irregular: 나빠요, 나빴어요.

춥다to be cold (weather, feeling)Adjective1

오늘 정말 추워요.It is really cold today.

Irregular: 추워요, 추웠어요.

덥다to be hot (weather, feeling)Adjective1

여름에는 너무 더워요.It is far too hot in summer.

Irregular: 더워요, 더웠어요.

비싸다to be expensiveAdjective1

이 가방은 좀 비싸요.This bag is a bit expensive.

싸다to be cheapAdjective1

시장은 백화점보다 싸요.The market is cheaper than the department store.

맛있다to be tasty, deliciousAdjective1

이 집 떡볶이는 정말 맛있어요.The spicy rice cakes here are really delicious.

Said [마싣따] (also [마딛따]).

맛없다to taste badAdjective1

이 커피는 좀 맛없어요.This coffee does not taste very good.

Said [마덥따].

바쁘다to be busyAdjective1

요즘 일이 많아서 바빠요.I am busy these days because I have a lot of work.

Irregular: 바빠요, 바빴어요.

예쁘다to be prettyAdjective1

꽃이 정말 예뻐요.The flowers are really pretty.

Irregular: 예뻐요, 예뻤어요.

재미있다to be fun, interestingAdjective1

한국어 공부는 재미있어요.Studying Korean is fun.

재미없다to be boringAdjective1

그 영화는 재미없었어요.That film was boring.

길다to be longAdjective1

줄이 너무 길어요.The queue is far too long.

The l drops before an n: 긴 머리, “long hair”.

짧다to be shortAdjective1

제 머리는 짧아요.My hair is short.

Said [짤따].

높다to be highAdjective1

저 산은 정말 높아요.That mountain is really high.

낮다to be lowAdjective1

이 의자는 좀 낮아요.This chair is a bit low.

넓다to be wide; to be spaciousAdjective1

공원이 정말 넓어요.The park is really big.

Said [널따].

좁다to be narrow; to be crampedAdjective1

제 방은 좁아요.My room is cramped.

빠르다to be fast; to be quickAdjective1

지하철이 버스보다 빨라요.The underground is faster than the bus.

Irregular: 빨라요, 빨랐어요.

느리다to be slowAdjective1

인터넷이 너무 느려요.The internet is far too slow.

무겁다to be heavyAdjective1

가방이 너무 무거워요.The bag is too heavy.

Irregular: 무거워요, 무거웠어요.

가볍다to be light (in weight)Adjective1

이 노트북은 정말 가벼워요.This laptop is really light.

Irregular: 가벼워요, 가벼웠어요.

괜찮다to be all right, fine; to be not badAdjective1

그 식당 음식 괜찮았어요?Was the food at that restaurant any good?

Said [괜찬타]; 괜찮아요 is [괜차나요].

싫다to be disliked; not to wantAdjective1

저는 비 오는 날이 싫어요.I do not like rainy days.

The thing disliked takes 이/가; with 싫어하다 it takes 을/를.

아니다not to beAdjective1

저는 일본 사람이 아니에요.I am not Japanese.

The negative of 이에요: the noun takes 이/가.

같다to be the same; to be likeAdjective1

우리는 나이가 같아요.We are the same age.

Said [갇따]; 같이, “together”, is [가치].

다르다to be differentAdjective1

한국어하고 일본어는 많이 달라요.Korean and Japanese are very different.

Irregular: 달라요, 달랐어요.

어리다to be young (of a child); to be youngerAdjective1

동생은 저보다 다섯 살 어려요.My younger sister is five years younger than me.

뜨겁다to be hot (to the touch)Adjective1

국이 뜨거우니까 조심하세요.The soup is hot, so be careful.

For food and objects; hot weather is 덥다.

차갑다to be cold (to the touch)Adjective1

물이 너무 차가워요.The water is too cold.

For food and objects; cold weather is 춥다.

힘들다to be hard, tiringAdjective1

오늘 일이 정말 힘들었어요.Work was really hard today.

밝다to be bright, lightAdjective1

이 방은 아주 밝아요.This room is very bright.

Said [박따].

어둡다to be darkAdjective1

밖이 벌써 어두워요.It is already dark outside.

Irregular: 어두워요, 어두웠어요.

늦다to be lateAdjective1

오늘은 버스가 좀 늦게 왔어요.The bus came a bit late today.

오래되다to be old (of things)Adjective1

이 건물은 아주 오래됐어요.This building is very old.

Not for people: an older person is 나이가 많다. Said in the past form, like 오래됐어요, because it describes a state reached.

Determiner (1)

새newDeterminer1

새 휴대폰을 샀어요.I bought a new phone.

Stands before a noun and never changes.

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