Language/Korean/Grammar/Describing-People
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As an experienced Korean language teacher, I believe that describing people is one of the most important communication skills to have. In this lesson, you will learn how to describe people in Korean based on their physical appearance and personality traits. By learning new adjectives, you will be able to form descriptive sentences and communicate more efficiently in Korean.
With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Conditional Sentences & 0 to A1 Course.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide additional information about a noun or pronoun, for example, how it looks, feels, smells, or tastes. In Korean, adjectives usually come before the noun or pronoun they modify. Here are some common Korean adjectives used to describe people:
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 아름다운 | a-reum-da-un | beautiful |
| 멋진 | meot-jin | handsome / cool |
| 귀엽다 | gwi-yeop-da | cute |
| 착하다 | chak-ha-da | kind |
| 똑똑하다 | ttok-ttok-ha-da | smart |
| 웃기다 | ut-gi-da | funny |
| 지루하다 | ji-ru-ha-da | boring |
| 성실하다 | seong-shil-ha-da | hardworking |
Note that some Korean adjectives have the verb ending '-하다', which means 'to be'. This ending can be combined with other adjectives to form new descriptive words, which are useful for describing people's characteristics.
Example:
- 예쁘다 (yeo-ppu-da) = pretty
- 예쁘다 + '-하다' = 예쁘다고 하다 (yeo-ppu-da-go ha-da)
- 예쁘다고 하다 = be said to be pretty
Describing Physical Appearance
When describing people's physical appearance, it is helpful to use accurate adjectives that convey the right message. Here are some examples:
- 키가 크다 (ki-ga keu-da) - Tall
- 키가 작다 (ki-ga jak-da) - Short
- 얼굴이 작다 (eol-gul-i jak-da) - Small face
- 얼굴이 커다 (eol-gul-i keo-da) - Big face
- 머리가 짧다 (meo-ri-ga jjalb-da) - Short hair
- 머리가 길다 (meo-ri-ga gil-da) - Long hair
- 눈이 커지다 (nun-i keo-ji-da) - Big eyes
- 코가 작다 (ko-ga jak-da) - Small nose
- 입술이 두껍다 (ip-sul-i du-kkeop-da) - Thick lips
And the list goes on! It is important to note that Koreans have different standards of beauty, and size or shape might not be as important as other factors such as skin tone, hair color, and facial features. However, these basic adjectives should help you describe someone's physical appearance fairly accurately.
Practice
Let's practice! Use the adjectives provided to make sentences describing people.
- Example: Oppa가 머리가 짧아요. (Oppa-ga meo-ri-ga jjalb-a-yo) - Oppa has short hair.
- 그녀는 속이 깊어요. (Geu-nyeo-neun sog-i gipeo-yo) - She is deep-minded.
- 친구는 얼굴이 창백해요. (Chin-gu-neun eol-gul-i chang-baek-hae-yo) - My friend has pale skin.
- 내 동생은 키가 작아요. (Nae dong-saeng-eun ki-ga jak-a-yo) - My younger sibling is short.
Describing Personality Traits
Personality traits refer to a person's characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. In Korean, there are many adjectives that describe a person's personality. Here are some useful ones:
| Korean | Pronunciation | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 친절하다 | chin-jeol-ha-da | friendly | ||
| 재미있다 | jae-mi-it-da | interesting | ||
| 답답하다 | dap-dap-ha-da | frustrating | ||
| 정직하다 | jeong-jik-ha-da | honest | ||
| 창의적이다 | chang-ui-jeok-e-da | creative | ||
| 나쁜 | nap-peun | bad | ||
| 좋은 | joe-un | good | ||
| 바보같은 | ba-bo-gat-eun | foolish
Using these adjectives, you can form sentences that describe someone's personality. Here are some examples:
VideosHow to describe physical appearance in Korean? - YouTubeDescribe Appearance in Korean - YouTubeOther Lessons
Sources
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