Below are 60 of the most useful Korean descriptive words, each with its Hangul spelling, romanization (how to pronounce it) and a real example sentence. Tap 🔊 to hear any word spoken aloud.
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 빠르다 | ppareuda | To be fast | |
| 느리다 | neurida | To be slow | |
| 크다 | keuda | To be big | 그 건물이 정말 커요. That building is really big. |
| 작다 | jakda | To be small | |
| 길다 | gilda | To be long | |
| 짧다 | jjalda | To be short | |
| 많다 | manta | To be many / a lot | |
| 적다 | jeokda | To be few / little | |
| 비싸다 | bissada | To be expensive | |
| 싸다 | ssada | To be cheap | |
| 쉽다 | swipda | To be easy | |
| 어렵다 | eoryeopda | To be difficult | |
| 가깝다 | gakkapda | To be near | |
| 멀다 | meolda | To be far | |
| 높다 | nopda | To be high / tall | |
| 낮다 | natda | To be low | |
| 깨끗하다 | kkaekkeuthada | To be clean | |
| 더럽다 | deoreopda | To be dirty | |
| 조용하다 | joyonghada | To be quiet | |
| 시끄럽다 | sikkeureopda | To be noisy | |
| 맛있다 | masitda | To be delicious | |
| 맛없다 | maseoptda | To be not tasty | |
| 넓다 | neolda | Wide / spacious | |
| 좁다 | jopda | Narrow / cramped | |
| 무겁다 | mugeopda | Heavy | |
| 가볍다 | gabyeopda | Light (weight) | |
| 새롭다 | saereopda | New / fresh | |
| 오래되다 | oraedoeda | Old / aged | |
| 재미있다 | jaemiitda | Interesting / fun | |
| 재미없다 | jaemieopda | Boring / uninteresting | |
| 중요하다 | jungyohada | Important | |
| 특별하다 | teukbyeolhada | Special | |
| 유명하다 | yumyeonghada | Famous | |
| 따뜻하다 | ttatteutada | to be warm | 오늘 날씨가 따뜻해요. The weather is warm today. |
| 차갑다 | chagapda | to be cold (to touch) | 물이 차가워요. The water is cold. |
| 신맛이 나다 | sinmasi nada | to taste sour | 레몬은 신맛이 나요. Lemons taste sour. |
| 바쁘다 | bappeuda | to be busy | 요즘 너무 바빠요. I'm so busy these days. |
| 한가하다 | hangahada | to be free / not busy | 주말에는 한가해요. I'm free on weekends. |
| 모호하다 | mohohada | to be vague / ambiguous | 그 말이 모호해요. That statement is vague. |
| 예리하다 | yerihada | to be sharp / keen (insight) | 그분은 판단력이 예리해요. That person has sharp judgment. |
| 세심하다 | sesimhada | to be attentive / meticulous | 세심하게 신경 써줘서 고마워요. Thank you for your attentive care. |
| 한결같다 | hangyeolgata | to be consistent / unwavering | 그 사람은 한결같이 친절해요. That person is consistently kind. |
| 미묘하다 | mimyohada | to be subtle / delicate | 두 색의 차이가 미묘해요. The difference between the two colours is subtle. |
| 복잡하다 | bokjapada | to be complex / complicated | 이 문제는 복잡해요. This problem is complex. |
| 단순하다 | dansunhada | to be simple / straightforward | 생각보다 단순해요. It's simpler than you think. |
| 심각하다 | simgakada | to be serious / severe | 상황이 심각해요. The situation is serious. |
| 부적절하다 | bujeokjeolhada | to be inappropriate | 그 발언은 부적절해요. That statement is inappropriate. |
| 일관되다 | ilgwandoeda | to be consistent | 일관된 태도가 중요해요. A consistent attitude is important. |
| 포괄적이다 | pogwaljeogida | to be comprehensive / inclusive | 포괄적인 접근이 필요해요. A comprehensive approach is needed. |
| 핵심적이다 | haeksimjeogida | to be key / central | 이게 핵심적인 문제예요. This is the key issue. |
| 깊다 | gipda | to be deep | 바다가 깊어요. The sea is deep. |
| 얕다 | yatda | to be shallow | 이 곳은 물이 얕아요. The water is shallow here. |
| 가파르다 | gaparuda | to be steep | 산이 가파르네요. The mountain is steep. |
| 평평하다 | pyeongpyeonghada | to be flat | 땅이 평평해요. The ground is flat. |
| 단단하다 | dandanhada | to be hard/solid | 이 돌은 단단해요. This stone is hard. |
| 부드럽다 | budeureopda | to be soft/smooth | 이 천이 부드러워요. This fabric is soft. |
| 딱딱하다 | ttakttakhada | to be hard/stiff | 빵이 딱딱해요. The bread is hard. |
| 말랑말랑하다 | mallangmallang hada | to be squishy/soft | 떡이 말랑말랑해요. The rice cake is squishy. |
| 미끄럽다 | mikkeureopda | to be slippery | 바닥이 미끄러워요. The floor is slippery. |
| 거칠다 | geochilda | to be rough | 피부가 거칠어요. My skin is rough. |
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