Top 100 Korean Adjectives and How to Use them in Sentences

Adjectives are words that show the quality or state of a person or thing. In Korean, adjectives are also known as “descriptive verbs”.

Unlike English adjectives, Korean adjectives can be conjugated just like Korean verbs. And its dictionary form ends with -다 [da], just like the verbs. 

Due to this characteristic, sometimes Korean adjectives are considered as part of the ‘verb’ category. According to their different usages – one is to describe the ‘quality or state’, and the other to describe the ‘action’ – the bigger ‘verb’ category can be divided into: action verb (verb) and descriptive verb (adjective). So don’t feel strange when you see the other set of grammar terms. Just remember they are exchangeable!

In this article, we will use the below terms:

Action verb = Verb

Descriptive verb = Adjective

To give you some examples, here are some Korean adjectives and verbs ending with 다 [da]:

Like verbs, Korean adjectives also need to be conjugated in order to be used in sentences. We’ll show you how to conjugate Korean adjectives in this article.

First, remember all adjectives end with the syllable ‘다’[da] in their dictionary form. We’ll also use this form as the standard form throughout this article.

Generally, when you use adjectives in sentences, you are going to conjugate them by adding a suffix to the stem. Every adjective has a ‘stem’. It’s the part before 다[da] from the adjective. For example:

크다[keuda] = 크[keu] (stem) + 다[da]

작다[jakda] = 작[jak] (stem) + 다[da]

많다[manta] = 많[man] (stem) + 다[da]

So how do we use Korean adjectives in a sentence? There are two places to use adjectives in Korean: before a noun, or after a noun. We also have an article that addresses Korean sentence structures in detail if you wish to know more! Next, we’ll talk about how to use and conjugate Korean adjectives in these two situations respectively.

Korean adjectives that come before a noun

When Korean adjectives come before a noun in order to describe more about the noun, ‘-ㄴ/은’ should be attached to the stem of the adjective. Let’s look at the conjugation rules. 

Adjective stem that ends with vowel: Add -ㄴ

크다[keuda] (big)  → 큰[keun]

e.g.) 큰 강아지 [keun gangaji]: a big dog

행복하다[haengbokada] (happy)  → 행복한[haengbokan]

e.g.) 행복한 아이 [haengbokan ai]: a happy child

빠르다[ppareuda] (fast)  → 빠른[ppareun]

e.g.) 빠른 물고기 [ppareun mulgogi]: a fast fish

느리다[neurida] (slow)  → 느린[neurin]

e.g.) 느린 거북이 [neurin geobugi]: a slow turtle

Adjective stem that ends with a consonant: Add -은

작다[jakda] (small)  → 작은[jageun]

e.g.) 작은 고양이 [jageun goyangi]: a little cat

많다[manta] (many)  → 많은[maneun]

e.g.) 많은 옷 [maneun ot]: a lot of clothes

짧다[jjalda] (short)  → 짧은[jjalbeun]

e.g.) 짧은 치마 [jjalbeun chima]: a short skirt

Above are the 2 basic rules of using Korean adjectives before a noun. But there are also some exceptions：

Adjective stem that ends with ㅂ: Remove ㅂ and add -운

아름답다[areumdapda] (beautiful)  → 아름다운[areumdaun]

e.g.) 아름다운 꽃 [areumdaun kkot]: a beautiful flower

귀엽다[gwiyeopda] (cute)  → 귀여운[gwiyeoun]

e.g.) 귀여운 고양이 [gwiyeoun goyangi]: a cute cat

Adjective stem that ends with ㄹ: Remove ㄹ and add -ㄴ

길다[gilda] (long)  → 긴[gin]

e.g.) 긴 다리 [gin dari]: long legs

멀다[meolda] (far)  → 먼[meon]

e.g.) 먼 나라 [meon nara]: a faraway country

Korean adjectives that come after a noun

In our previous article Korean verb conjugation, we talked about how Korean verbs are conjugated based on tense and politeness. Korean adjectives also work this way. In the below examples, I will only use -아/어요 speech level.

Let’s see some examples of how to conjugate Korean adjectives in the past and future tense (Please note that Korean adjectives cannot be used in present tense). Of course, you can use adjectives with other types of sentence endings as well.

Past Tense

• Adjective stems that ends with vowel ㅗ or ㅏ: Add -았어요

작다[jakda] (small)  → 작았어요

e.g.) 그 옷은 나에게 작았어요. That shirt was small for me.

• Adjective stems that ends with vowels other than ㅗ or ㅏ: Add -었어요

크다[keuda] (big)  → 컸어요

e.g.) 그녀는 눈이 컸어요. She had big eyes.

Future Tense

• Adjective stems that end with a vowel: add -ㄹ 거예요

행복하다[haengbokada] (happy)  → 행복할 거예요

e.g.) 크리스마스에 선물을 받는다면 정말 행복할 거예요. I would be so happy to get a present on Christmas.

• Adjective stems that end with a consonant: add -을 거예요

많다[manta] (many)  → 많을 거예요

e.g.) 내일은 사람이 많을 거예요. There will be a lot of people tomorrow. 

Note:

Unlike verbs that can be used in most sentences, adjectives have limitations. It cannot be used in the present tense, request, and imperative sentences. Compare the two types of words below. 

100 Most Common Korean Adjectives

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