Language/Korean/Grammar/Comparatives-and-Superlatives

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Korean Grammar → Describing People and Things → Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives and superlatives are essential in describing people and things in more detail and with more complexity. In this lesson, I will teach you how to compare two or more things using comparatives and superlatives in Korean.


Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Connecting Verbs & Describing People.

Comparatives[edit | edit source]

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns (people, things, or ideas) or two groups of nouns. In Korean, comparative adjectives can be formed in two ways:

1. When the stem ends with a vowel or ㄹ, add -보다 (-boda) to the end of the stem. For example:

Korean Pronunciation English
작다 jakda small
크다 keuda big
예쁘다 yeppeuda pretty

Examples:

  • 제임스는 미리보다 작아요. (James-neun miri-boda jakayo) - James is smaller than Miri.
  • 소녀는 소년보다 예쁘다. (Sonyeo-neun sonyeon-boda yeppeuda) - The girl is prettier than the boy.
  • 선생님은 학생들보다 똑똑하다. (Seonsaengnim-eun haksaeng-deul-boda ttokttokhada) - The teacher is smarter than the students.

2. When the stem ends with a consonant (except ㄹ), replace the final consonant with -ㄴ/은 (-n/eun) and add -보다 (-boda) to the end of the stem. For example:

Korean Pronunciation English
좋다 jota good
싸다 ssada cheap
빠르다 bbareuda fast

Examples:

  • 이 책은 그 책보다 더 좋아요. (I chaekeun geu chaek-boda deo johayo) - This book is better than that book.
  • 그 신발은 이 신발보다 더 싸요. (Geu shinbareun i shinbal-boda deo ssayo) - Those shoes are cheaper than these shoes.
  • 미국은 한국보다 더 크다. (Miguk-eun Hanguk-boda deo keuda) - The United States is bigger than Korea.

Superlatives[edit | edit source]

Superlative adjectives are used to compare one noun with all the other nouns in the same group. In Korean, superlative adjectives can be formed in two ways:

1. Add -중에서 가장 (-jung-eseo gajang) to the end of the stem. For example:

Korean Pronunciation English
가장 좋다 gajang jota the best
가장 싸다 gajang ssada the cheapest
가장 예쁘다 gajang yeppeuda the prettiest

Examples:

  • 이렇게 맛있는 음식은 내가 먹어본 음식 중에서 가장 좋아요. (Ireohge masinneun eumsik-eun naega meog-eobon eumsik jung-eseo gajang johayo) - This delicious food is the best food I've ever eaten.
  • 그 옷은 이 쇼핑몰에서 팔고 있는 옷 중에서 가장 싸요. (Geu oseun i syopingmol-eseo palgo issneun ot jung-eseo gajang ssayo) - That clothes is the cheapest among the ones sold in this shopping mall.
  • 나는 우리 반에서 가장 예쁜 여자라고 생각해요. (Naneun uri ban-eseo gajang yeppeun yeojara-go saenggakhaeyo) - I think I am the prettiest girl in our class.

2. Replace the final consonant with -ㄴ/은 (-n/eun) and add -중에서 가장 (-jung-eseo gajang) to the end of the stem. For example:

Korean Pronunciation English
바쁘다 bappeuda busy
빨리 ppalli fast
높다 nopda high

Examples:

  • 이 시간대에 바쁜 회사 중에서 우리 회사가 가장 바쁘다. (I sigandaee bappeun hoesa jung-eseo uri hoesaga gajang bappeuda) - Among the busy companies at this hour, our company is the busiest.
  • 이 비행기는 이 공항에서 출발하는 비행기 중에서 가장 빨리 도착해요. (I bihaenggi-neun i gonghang-eseo chulbalhaneun bihaenggi jung-eseo gajang ppalli dochakhaeyo) - This

Table of Contents - Korean Course - 0 to A1[edit source]


Korean Alphabets


Greetings and Introductions


Korean Culture and Customs


Sentence Building


Daily Routine


Korean Pop Culture


Describing People and Things


Food and Drinks


Korean Traditions


Verb Tenses


Travel and Sightseeing


Korean Arts and Crafts


Conjunctions and Connectors


Health and Body


Korean Nature

Videos[edit | edit source]

Learn Korean Ep. 101: More Than & Less Than (Comparatives ...[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

Sources[edit | edit source]


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