Temple History

Pyohunsa Temple is located in Kumgang [Geumgang], Kangwon-to [Gangwon-do], North Korea near Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] (1638 m). Pyohunsa Temple was first founded in 670 A.D. just two years after the unification of the Korean Peninsula under Unified Silla (668-935 A.D.) rule. The temple was established by disciples of Uisang-daesa (625-702 A.D.). These monks were Neungin, Sillim, and Pyohun; and originally, the temple was called Sillimsa Temple. However, the temple changed its name to Pyohunsa Temple some three years after it was first established. Eventually, Pyohunsa Temple along with Changansa Temple [Jangansa Temple], Singyesa Temple, and Yujomsa Temple [Yujeomsa Temple] would become the Four Great Temples of Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan].

During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) envoys visited Pyohunsa Temple three separate times in 1408, 1427, and 1432. These envoys visited Pyohunsa Temple during their tour of Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan]. And over its long history, it’s been restored twice. The first restoration took place in 1682 and the second in 1778. Originally, there were as many as twenty temple shrine halls at Pyohunsa Temple; but currently, there are only a handful of temple shrine halls that include the Banyabo-jeon Hall, the Myongbu-jeon Hall [Myeongbu-jeon Hall], the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall], the Eosil-gak Hall, the Chilsong-gak Hall [Chilseong-gak Hall], and the Neungpa-ru Pavilion.

During Japanese Colonial Rule (1910-1945), Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] became a major tourist site for the Japanese. As a result, Pyohunsa Temple, which was known as Hyokun-ji Temple in Japanese, became a popular destination for visitors because of its beautiful location and architecture. Pyohunsa Temple received significant funding at this time to help restore the temple by the Japanese administration. Pyohunsa Temple was the only one of the four major temples of Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] to survive the Korean War (1950-1953) intact. Neighbouring Singyesa Temple has subsequently been rebuilt, but Pyohunsa Temple remains the only one of the historic Four Great Temples of Mt. Kumgangsan to have remained largely intact and unscathed.

Pyohunsa Temple is North Korean National Treasure #97. The temple is also home to the Stupa of the Venerable Sosan [Seosan-daesa], which is Cultural Asset #306. And throughout history, Pyohunsa Temple has been depicted several times by Korean painters including Jeong Seon (1676-1759), Choi Buk (fl. 1755-1785), and Kim Hong-do (1745-1806? or 1814?).

Temple Layout

As you first approach Pyohunsa Temple, you’ll be welcomed by the Neungpa-ru Pavilion. You pass under the first story of the low-ceiling structure and emerge on the other side in the main temple courtyard. The second story of the Neungpa-ru Pavilion is meant for outdoor meetings and/or meditation. The second story of the Neungpa-ru Pavilion is wonderfully ornate with vibrant dancheong colours. Some of the murals are ggotbi (rain of flowers) on the ceiling of the structure, murky clouds on the side panels, and a pair of yellow and blue dragons across the beams of the structure.

In the main temple courtyard, you’ll find a seven-story pagoda. Behind this slender structure, which appears to be missing its base, is the uniquely named Banyabo-jeon Hall. The reason for this is the main altar image housed inside the Banyabo-jeon Hall. The Korean word “banya” is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word “prajna,” which means wisdom or understanding in English. And housed inside the Banyabo-jeon Hall is Beopgi-bosal (The Dharma Emerged or Dharma Arisen Bodhisattva), or Dharmodgata in Sanskrit. Beopgi-bosal is a pretty obscure Bodhisattva in Korean Buddhism.

So a little background on why Beopgi-bosal plays a central role at Pyohunsa Temple. According to Richard D. McBride in “Domesticating the Dharma: Buddhist Cults and the Hwaeom Synthesis in Silla Korea,” he states that alongside the Hwaeom sites on Mt. Odaesan, Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] was recognized by Buddhists as the abode of the Beopgi-bosal. The reason for this is that according to the eighty-roll translation of the Flower Garland Sutra it states “In the midst of the ocean [in the northeast regions] there is a place called Diamond Mountain. Since days of yore all Bodhisattvas have stopped to dwell [there for a time]. Beopgi-bosal and his entourage is an assembly of all the Bodhisattvas, one thousand two hundred personages in all. They reside there constantly expounding the Dharma.”

However, the location of the Diamond Mountain isn’t mentioned in the sixty-roll Flower Garland Sutra. The eighty-roll translation was completed at the end of the 7th century, but Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] had yet to be called as such. The early Huayan master, Master Fazang (643-712 A.D.), stated about these mountains in his “Record of Searching for the Arcane in the Flower Garland Sutra” as “Zhidan,” which is the earthly abode of Beopgi-bosal. And in the sixty-roll sutra, it’s stated that Beopgi-bosal had an entourage of some twelve thousand Bodhsattvas somewhere in the middle of the four great seas of the world.

In under a hundred years, a commentary was written about the Flower Garland Sutra by Chengguan, who was a dharma disciple of Fazang. In this commentary, Chengguan reports that the place in Silla (57 B.C. – 935 A.D.) that had been called the living space of Beopgi-bosal was now called the Diamond Mountain (Mt. Kumgangsan).

As stated by Cheongguan in his commentary: “Diamond Mountain is a mountain called ‘Jingang’ [Kumgang in Korean] located in the east of Haidong [Silla]. Although it is not made wholly of gold, up, down, all around, and when you go into the mountain’s precincts it is all gold in the midst of the sand of the flowing waters. When you look at it from a distance the whole thing is golden. Furthermore, the people of Haidong [Silla] have told each other from ancient times that this mountain has long been a place where saintly beings [Bodhisattvas] manifest.

“Nevertheless, in the Jin [sixty-roll] translation this location is listed as the ninth because, like the tenth Zhuangyan Cave, they are both located in the middle of the sea. And those who dwell here now think it is within the eight directions because it is attached to the northeastern regions. If this is not so, why would something clearly explained as being in the eight directions suddenly be said to be in the sea?

“Furthermore, in the Jin translation, in the middle of the sea there are two dwelling places. One is called Zhidanna, on which a Bodhisattva named Beopgi-bosal manifests. There are twelve thousand Bodhisattvas in his entourage. What is called Zhidan is more fully called Nizhiduo, which means ‘gushing.’ ‘Diamond’ refers to its essence, and ‘gushing’ refers to its condition. As for Beopgi-bosal, it’s said to mean ‘dharma producing,’ ‘dharma gushing,’ and also ‘dharma stillness.’ Now he is called Dharma Arouser, the meaning of which is the same as ‘producing’ or ‘gushing’…”

And because Cheongguan was active on China’s sacred mountains like Mt. Wutai (3,061 m), Mt. Emei (3,099 m), and Mt. Zhongnan (2,604 m) during the late 8th century to the early 9th century, it seems possible that Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] was renamed by Silla Buddhists sometime during the 8th century. Also active at this time were the aforementioned disciples of Uisang-daesa: Pyohun, Neungin, and Sillim. These three Silla monks founded new temples and restored old temples in the Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] area during the late 7th century and the 8th century, which points to the fact that Hwaeom Buddhists lived in this part of the Korean peninsula. And the reason for the elevation of Beopgi-bosal to such prominence in the Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] area of the Korean peninsula is because it allowed for the Silla Hwaeom Buddhist ideology that, not only was Silla a Buddhist country, but that it was a Buddha-land on the edge of the civilized world rather than some marginalized territory that could be easily reduced to something unimportant.

So now that we know the idea behind Beopgi-bosal being the central figure inside the Banyabo-jeon Hall and Mt. Kumgangsan [Mt. Geumgangsan] having the name it does, we can better understand and appreciate the role that Pyohunsa Temple plays in making these claims a reality. As for the Banyabo-jeon Hall itself, its exterior walls are painted in a pale blue colour and its front latticework is rather simple in design. Up in the eaves, you’ll find intricate woodwork and vibrant dancheong colours that include dragon heads.

To the left of the Banyabo-jeon Hall is the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall]. Like the Banyabo-jeon Hall, the exterior walls of the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall] are simplistically painted in a pale blue colour. And like the Banyabo-jeon Hall, the eaves of the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall] are both intricate and vibrantly adorned with dancheong. Stepping inside the compact Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall], you’ll be greeted by a main altar centred by a statue of Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha). And on either side of the main altar are sixteen statues of the Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha). The interior of the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall] is wonderfully adorned with intricate dancheong colours and ornate wooden eave features. And the ceiling of the interior is adorned with beautiful floral patterns known as “ggotbi” in Korean.

Behind the Yongsan-jeon Hall [Yeongsan-jeon Hall] is the Chilsong-gak Hall [Chilseong-gak Hall]. Like the other two shrine halls in front of it, this shaman shrine hall is simply adorned around its exterior walls with a simple light blue coat of paint with the Chilsong-gak Hall [Chilseong-gak Hall] crowned with wonderfully ornate dancheong. Stepping inside the Chilsong-gak Hall [Chilseong-gak Hall], you’ll find a modern painting dedicated to Chilsong [Chilseong] (The Seven Stars).

To the right of the main hall is the temple’s Myongbu-jeon Hall [Myeongbu-jeon Hall]. The exterior walls of this temple shrine hall are adorned with peaceful floral murals, while housed inside on the main altar is an image of Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife).

To the front left of the cluster of temple shrine halls is the Eosil-gak Hall. The temple shrine hall was first built in 1796 by King Jeongjo of Joseon to pray for the spirit of Crown Prince Sado (1735-1762). The only other structure at Pyohunsa Temple, and to the right of the Neungpa-ru Pavilion, is the Pando-bang Hall, which are the monks’ dorms.

How To Get There

For now, in today’s political climate, you don’t. But hopefully one day soon we can. Below is a map of where to find Pyohunsa Temple in Kumgang, Kangwon-to, North Korea.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Pyohunsa Temple is a beautiful, historic temple with a lot of its original temple shrine halls still intact. As a result, it gives us a greater insight into North Korean Buddhism. Of special note is the Banyabo-jeon Hall and the unique main altar image of Beopgi-bosal (The Dharma Emerged or Dharma Arisen Bodhisattva). Also of interest is the Eosil-gak Hall dedicated to Crown Prince Sado, the Chilsong-gak Hall’s [Chilseong-gak Hall’s] painting dedicated to the Seven Stars, and the Neungpa-ru Pavilion at the entry of the temple grounds. Hopefully one day soon we’ll be able to visit this historic temple more freely.

Historical Pictures of Pyohunsa Temple

Pyohunsa Temple Now

This is what a peaceful transition of power looks like, American Republicans! Moon and Yoon follow the rules. That’s good. Learn from that.

This is a repost of an article I wrote for The Japan Times.

My impression from teaching my student is that the new South Korean president, Yoon Seok-Yeol, ignites no enthusiasm. He reminds them of their grandfather – old, kinda out-of-touch, lacking charisma. But honestly, after 5 year of Moon Jae-In’s rollercoaster with Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, I’ll take some bland boredom.

Yoon jumped into the race last year and does not have deep roots on the right here. Most importantly, he does not (seem to) share SK right’s fatiguing obsession with vindicating impeached former conservative president Park Geun-Hye. Park was guilty already! Get over it. I am hopeful that means he won’t prosecute Moon in his post-presidency solely for revenge, which I think almost any other traditional right-wing POTROK would do.

On policy, Yoon will lean to the right. He’ll be conservative on social mores – no gay marriage, no anti-discrimination law (sigh) – but he won’t be Trump. On economic issues – chaebol power, overlong work hours – he’ll do nothing, unfortunately. But at least on NK, we won’t have to hear anymore about what a misunderstood great guy Kim Jong-Un is. Enough of that. Those calling him the Donald Trump of Korea are probably just casting around for a label. Yoon doesn’t behave like Trump at all, thankfully.

Here is my essay for The Japan Times:

Yoon Seok-Yeol was inaugurated president of South Korea this week. He is a former prosecutor who only entered politics in the last year. He is from the conservative People Power Party. But he has no roots in that party or its various factions. Nor does he seem particularly ideological. He channels the basic anti-communism – aimed at North Korea – of the South Korean right. That has long been the core motivator of South Korean conservativism. But beyond that, he seems like a bland centrist.

This is a surprising turn. There is no obvious reason why South Korean conservatives would want him as their candidate, beyond simply defeating the left in the election. Yoon has no particularly programmatic interest in domestic politics. He is not a libertarian or religious social conservative, for example.

He has been called the ‘Donald Trump of Korea,’ but that feels mostly like foreign journalists grasping for an ideological handle for him. If he is a Trumpian populist, he has not talked that way. Trump’s signature mix of bombast, racism, tariffs, and loud nationalism is not how Yoon campaigned.

Please read the rest here.

Just like how adjectives are used in English, Korean adjectives are that fun little thing that can make an otherwise dull sentence pop out with color and character. We imagine trying to come up with sentences without using any would often come across as quite flat and lifeless.

By equipping yourself with a diverse range of Korean adjective knowledge, you’re one step further into mastering a new language. On top of that, you’ve learned tons of words to dress up and add depth to your sentences.

In this lesson, we will teach you a little bit about how to use Korean adjectives and give you a list of the most common ones. To further help you understand how they are used, we have also prepared some sample sentences for you to view and take notes on. Let’s get learning!

What are Korean adjectives?

Just like in other languages, a Korean adjective also describes whether a noun is big or small, young or old, cheap or expensive, and so on. And just like with Korean verbs, there are also irregular adjectives in the Korean language.

How do you say “Korean adjectives” in Korean?

The word for “adjective” in the Korean language is 형용사 (hyeongyongsa). You can use it whenever you are talking about adjectives in general.

How to conjugate adjectives in Korean

Adjectives in Korean need to be conjugated when in use; instead of picking the Korean word out of a Korean dictionary and directly placing it into a sentence as you first saw it. After all, these conjugations give a more precise meaning to the Korean word.

We already have a blog post introducing you to the basic rules of Korean conjugation, but we’ll go over how to specifically conjugate Korean adjectives below.

• The basic way to conjugate a Korean adjective is by removing 다 from the word. You will then be left with the verb stem.
• The next step is to add the appropriate ending (~ㄴ/은/는) to the verb stem. This depends if the verb stem ends in a vowel or consonant.
• If the verb stem ends with a consonant, you will add ~은 or ~는. ~는 typically only follows after the verb stem ends in the letter ㅅ or ㅆ.
• In the case of a vowel, ~ㄴ is added to the verb stem.
• Note that typically Korean adjectives ending with ~적, such as religious (종교적 | jonggyojeok) are written with ~인 conjugation.

Conjugating irregular Korean adjectives

In the case of the aforementioned irregular Korean adjectives, here’s how to conjugate them.

• If the adjective stem ends in ㅂ, drop the ㅂ, and add ~운.
• If the adjective stem ends in ㄹ, the ㄹ gets dropped and ~ㄴ is added to the stem, treating the word stem sort of like it ends in a vowel.
• Note that not all of the adjective stems ending in ㅂ are irregular descriptive verbs.
• Also, in some cases, when the adjective stems end in ㅎ, it will get dropped and the stem gets treated as if it ends in a vowel. However, in some cases, the ㅎ remains and the ~은 ending gets added instead.

Adjectives in their different forms

As you learn Korean further, you’ll notice that there are also situations where you can use the adjective in its basic form or dictionary form.

This is possible in situations where the Korean adjective comes after a noun, although typically only in certain types of written text. You might get to use it in an academic article but might look a little funny using it in a text conversation with a friend.

In many ways, conjugating Korean adjectives work the same way as conjugating a verb would. In fact, if we get technical with it, Korean adjectives are actually descriptive verbs, derived from their base form which is the infinitive verb form. They simply gain the form of a Korean adjective through correct conjugations.

Thus, in the Korean language, rather than separate Korean verbs and adjectives, there are action verbs (verbs) and descriptive verbs (adjectives). Some action verbs are also possible to shape into descriptive verbs by using them together with certain descriptive words.

Conjugated Korean adjectives list

Below are different examples of conjugated Korean adjectives to help you better understand the concept above.

English	Verb Form	Conjugated Adjective
Happy	행복하다 (haengbokada)	행복한 (haengbokan)
Salty	짜다 (jjada)	짠 (jjan)
Blue	파랗다 (parata)	파란 (paran)
Good	좋다 (jota)	좋은 (joeun)
Small	작다 (jakda)	작은 (jageun)
Cool	멋있다 (meositda)	멋있는 (meosinneun)
Fun	재미있다 (jaemiitda)	재미있는 (jaemiinneun)
Hot	덥다 (deopda)	더운 (deoun)
Easy	쉽다 (swipda)	쉬운 (swiun)
Far	멀다 (meolda)	먼 (meon)
Rare	드물다 (deumulda)	드문 (deumun)
Attractive	매력적 (maeryeokjeok)	매력적인 (maeryeokjeogin)
Economical	경제적 (gyeongjejeok)	경제적인 (gyeongjejeogin)

How to use a Korean adjective in a sentence

There are two positions you can place the Korean adjective in a sentence: before or after the noun. Its placement determines the way it is conjugated.

1. The adjective appears before the noun. If the adjective appears before the noun, for example, you are describing “a small house”, you will conjugate the adjective as shown above. This means that if a stem ends in a consonant, you can add ~은. If the stem ends in a vowel you can add ~ㄴ, and then the irregular adjectives have their own ending.
2. The adjective appears after the noun. In these cases, what you are saying is closer to “the house is small”. Here you can just use the dictionary form if it is in written text or used among close friends, or follow the regular conjugation of the different tenses. You can use either the present, past, or future tense with adjectives.

Most common Korean adjectives

Finally, here is the most useful and basic Korean adjectives list for you to learn. We’ve presented them in their dictionary form, but with the above directions, you will be able to use them in sentences. Below we’ve also included a few sample sentences to further illustrate how Korean adjectives act in sentences.

Korean adjectives – Colors

Below are Korean adjectives for colors. These adjectives can help you describe nouns easier, just like “blue eyes,” “yellow dress,” “black hair,” etc.

English	Korean
Black	검정색 (geomjeongsaek)
Blue	파랑색 (parangsaek) 파랗다 (parata)
Brown	갈색 (galsaek)
Gray	회색 (hoesaek)
Green	초록색 (choroksaek)
Orange	주황색 (juhwangsaek)
Purple	보라색 (borasaek)
Red	빨간색 (ppalgansaek) 빨갛다 (ppalgata)
White	하얀색 (hayansaek) 하얗다 (hayata)
Yellow	노랑색 (norangsaek)

You can also learn what more colors in Korean are called with our article on the topic. Note that while colors also count as adjectives, in the Korean language they are not seen as descriptive verbs, unlike most other adjectives.

Korean adjectives – Distances, Sizes, and Shapes

If you’d like to describe nouns based on their dimensions, distances, sizes, and shapes, then you can familiarize the Korean adjectives list below.

English	Korean
Big	크다 (keuda)
Far	멀다 (meolda)
Heavy	무겁다 (mugeopda)
High	높다 (nopda)
Light	가볍다 (gabyeopda)
Little	적다 (jeokda)
Long	기다 (gida)
Low	낮다 (natda)
Narrow	좁다 (jopda)
Near	가깝다 (gakkapda)
Round	동그랗다 (donggeurata)
Sharp, pointed	뾰족하다 (ppyojokada)
Sharp, pointed	날카롭다 (nalkaropda)
Short	짧다 (jjalda)
Short (in height)	키가 작다 (kiga jakda)
Small	작다 (jakda)
Soft	부드럽다 (budeureopda)
Square	정사각형 (jeongsagakyeong)
Square	네모낳다 (nemonata)
Straight	일자형 (iljahyeong)
Tall	키가 크다 (kiga keuda)
Tiny	아주 작다 (aju jakda)
Tough	질기다 (jilgida)
Triangular	삼각형 (samgakyeong)
Triangular	세모낳다 (semonata)
Wide	넓다 (neolda)

Korean adjectives – Qualities and Situations

Korean adjectives can be used to describe weather, a person, qualities, and situations. These words can help readers and listeners have a clearer picture of them.

In this section, you’ll learn the different adjectives in Korean that you can use to describe words for qualities of a person or weather, and other situations.

English	Korean
Able	할 수 있다 (hal su itda)
Abnormal	비정상적 (bijeongsangjeok)
Accidental	우연하다 (uyeonhada)
Adventurous	모험적 (moheomjeok)
Alright	괜찮다 (gwaenchanta)
Animated, brisk	활발하다 (hwalbalhada)
Annoying	짜증스럽다 (jjajeungseureopda)
Attractive, charming	매력적 (maeryeokjeok)
Automatic	자동적 (jadongjeok)
Available	구할 수 있다 (guhal su itda)
Bad	나쁘다 (nappeuda)
Bad	불쾌하다 (bulkwaehada)
Beautiful	아름답다 (areumdapda)
Beautiful (typically a man's action)	멋지다 (meotjida)
Best	제일 좋다 (jeil jota)
Bleak	아슬아슬하다 (aseulaseulhada)
Blind	맹목적 (maengmokjeok)
Blushing	얼굴이 빨개지다 (eolguri ppalgaejida)
Bold	대담하다 (daedamhada)
Boring	지루하다 (jiruhada)
Bright	밝다 (balda)
Central	중심되다 (jungsimdoeda)
Certain	확실하다 (hwaksilhada)
Cheap	싸다 (ssada)
Chilly, frosty	싸늘하다 (ssaneulhada)
Chronic	고질적 (gojiljeok)
Chubby	통통하다 (tongtonghada)
Circular	둥그다 (dunggeuda)
Clean	깨끗하다 (kkaekkeuthada)
Clear	분명하다 (bunmyeonghada)
Closed	닫히다 (datida)
Cold	차갑다 (chagapda)
Cold (weather)	춥다 (chupda)
Comfortable	편안하다 (pyeonanhada)
Common	흔하다 (heunhada)
Complete	전적 (jeonjeok)
Complicated, crowded, jammed	복잡하다 (bokjapada)
Continuous	지속적 (jisokjeok)
Convenient, easy	편하다 (pyeonhada)
Convenient	편리하다 (pyeollihada)
Cool (in appearance)	멋있다 (meositda)
Correct	올바르다 (olbareuda)
Creepy, ghostly, spooky	으스스하다 (euseuseuhada)
Crucial	결정적이다 (gyeoljeongjeogida)
Curly	곱슬곱슬하다 (gopseulgopseulhada)
Cute	귀엽다 (gwiyeopda)
Damp	축축하다 (chukchukada)
Dangerous	위험하다 (wiheomhada)
Dark	어둡다 (eodupda)
Dead	죽다 (jukda)
Dear	극진하다 (geukjinhada)
Deceiving	기만적 (gimanjeok)
Democratic	민주 적이다 (minju jeogida)
Detailed	자세하다 (jasehada)
Detailed	구체적 (guchejeok)
Detailed, meticulous, close	면밀하다 (myeonmilhada)
Different	다르다 (dareuda)
Difficult	어렵다 (eoryeopda)
Dirty	더럽다 (deoreopda)
Dry	건조하다 (geonjohada)
Early	이르다 (ireuda)
Easy	쉽다 (swipda)
Economical	경제적이다 (gyeongjejeogida)
Elegant, sophisticated, refined	고상하다 (gosanghada)
Elegant, graceful	우아하다 (uahada)
Empty	비다 (bida)
Endless	끝없다 (kkeuteopda)
Enjoyable	즐겁다 (jeulgeopda)
Enormous	막대하다 (makdaehada)
Exact	정확하다 (jeonghwakada)
Exciting	신이 나다 (sini nada)
Expensive	비싸다 (bissada)
Faint, dim	희미하다 (huimihada)
Faithful	충실하다 (chungsilhada)
Famous	유명하다 (yumyeonghada)
Famous	뛰어나다 (ttwieonada)
Fast	빠르다 (ppareuda)
Fat, overweight	뚱뚱하다 (ttungttunghada)
Fatal	치명적 (chimyeongjeok)
Fierce, wild, stormy	사납다 (sanapda)
Formal	공식적 (gongsikjeok)
Fresh	신선하다 (sinseonhada)
Full	가득하다 (gadeukada)
Fun, interesting	재미있다 (jaemiitda)
Fundamental	기본적 (gibonjeok)
Good	좋다 (jota)
General	일반적 (ilbanjeok)
Good looking, handsome	잘생기다 (jalsaenggida)
Great, enormous	엄청나다 (eomcheongnada)
Great	대단하다 (daedanhada)
Hard	딱딱하다 (ttakttakada)
Hasty	황급하다 (hwanggeupada)
Horrible, terrible	끔찍하다 (kkeumjjikada)
Hot	뜨겁다 (tteugeopda)
Hot (weather)	덥다 (deopda)
Huge	거대하다 (geodaehada)
Damp, moist, humid	습하다 (seupada)
Ideal	이상적이다 (isangjeogida)
Important	중요하다 (jungyohada)
Impossible	불가능하다 (bulganeunghada)
Inconvenient	불편하다 (bulpyeonhada)
Inexpensive	값싸다 (gapssada)
Informal	비공식적 (bigongsik)
Innovative	획기적 (hoekgijeok)
Intentional	의도적 (uidojeok)
International	국제적이다 (gukjejeogida)
Late	늦다 (neutda)
Legal	합법적이다 (hapbeopjeogida)
Long-term	장기적 (jangijeok)
Loose	풀리다 (pullida)
Lovely	사랑스럽다 (sarangseureopda)
Lucky, fortunate	다행스럽다 (dahaengseureopda)
Mad	미치다 (michida)
Major	중대하다 (jungdaehada)
Manual	수동적 (sudongjeok)
Married	결혼을 하다 (gyeolhoneul hada)
Messy	지저분하다 (jijeobunhada)
Messy	엉만이다 (eongmanida)
Miraculous	기적적 (gijeokjeok)
Moist	촉촉하다 (chokchokada)
Much	많다 (manta)
National	전국적이다 (jeongukjeogida)
Natural	정상적이다 (jeongsangjeogida)
Natural	자연스럽다 (jayeonseureopda)
Necessary	필요하다 (pillyohada)
New	새롭다 (saeropda)
Noisy	시끄럽다 (sikkeureopda)
Not interesting	재미없다 (jaemieopda)
Old	오래되다 (oraedoeda)
Only	유일하다 (yuilhada)
Open	열려 있다 (yeollyeo itda)
Ordinary	평범하다 (pyeongbeomhada)
Painful	아프다 (apeuda)
Painless	고통 없다 (gotong eopda)
Past	지나가다 (jinagada)
Perfect, complete, full	완전하다 (wanjeonhada)
Personal	사적 (sajeok)
Physical	물질적 (muljiljeok)
Physical	신체적 (sinchejeok)
Pleasant, enjoyable	즐겁다 (jeulgeopda)
Popular	인기 있다 (ingi itda)
Possible	가능하다 (ganeunghada)
Powerful	강하다 (ganghada)
Pretty	예쁘다 (yeppeuda)
Pretty	이쁘다 (ippeuda)
Psychological	심리적 (simnijeok)
Qualitative	질적 (jiljeok)
Rare	드물다 (deumulda)
Ready	준비가 되다 (junbiga doeda)
Real	실재하다 (siljaehada)
Refreshing, cool	시원하다 (siwonhada)
Regular, periodic	주기적 (jugijeok)
Regular, even	고르다 (goreuda)
Relative	상대적 (sangdaejeok)
Religious	종교적 (jonggyojeok)
Rich	풍족하다 (pungjokada)
Right	맞다 (matda)
Right	정확하다 (jeonghwakada)
Rough	거치다 (geochida)
Safe	안전하다 (anjeonhada)
Same, similar	같다 (gatda)
Scary	무섭다 (museopda)
Serious	심각하다 (simgakada)
Short-term	단기적 (dangijeok)
Sick	병들다 (byeongdeulda)
Silent	고요하다 (goyohada)
Similar	비슷하다 (biseuthada)
Simple, easy, brief	간단하다 (gandanhada)
Simple	단순하다 (dansunhada)
Simple, easy	용이하다 (yongihada)
Single	미혼 (mihon)
Skinny	깡마르다 (kkangmareuda)
Slim	날씬하다 (nalssinhada)
Slippery	미끄럽다 (mikkeureopda)
Slow	느리다 (neurida)
Slow	느릿느릿하다 (neurinneurithada)
Smooth	매끈하다 (maekkeunhada)
Special	특별하다 (teukbyeolhada)
Strenuous, hard	힘들다 (himdeulda)
Strong	강력하다 (gangnyeokada)
Sturdy	튼튼하다 (teunteunhada)
Successful	성공적 (seonggongjeok)
Suspicious	의심이 많다 (uisimi manta)
Talented, gifted	재능이 있다 (jaeneungi itda)
Tentative	시험적 (siheomjeok)
Thick	두껍다 (dukkeopda)
Thin	얇다 (yalda)
Thrilling	흥분되다 (heungbundoeda)
Tidy	깔끔하다 (kkalkkeumhada)
Tight	단단하다 (dandanhada)
Traditional	전통적 (jeontongjeok)
Ugly	못생기다 (motsaenggida)
Unfortunate, sorry	유감스럽다 (yugamseureopda)
Uninteresting	재미없다 (jaemieopda)
Unstable (weather)	변덕스럽다 (byeondeokseureopda)
Urgent	급하다 (geupada)
Useful	유용하다 (yuyonghada)
Useless	소용없다 (soyongeopda)
Various	다양하다 (dayanghada)
Weird, strange	이상하다 (isanghada)
Well-built	체격이 좋다 (chegyeogi jota)
Wet	젖다 (jeotda)
Wrong	잘못되다 (jalmotdoeda)
Wrong	틀리다 (teullida)

Would you also love to find out how to describe different weathers and seasons? Head over to our article about Weather and Seasons in Korean!

Korean adjectives – Traits, feelings, and moods

Here are adjectives in the Korean language to describe someone’s traits, feelings, and moods.

English	Korean
Absentminded, blank, abstracted	망연하다 (mangyeonhada)
Active	적극적 (jeokgeukjeok)
Active, energetic	활기차다 (hwalgichada)
Alert	기민하다 (giminhada)
Amused	재미있어 하다 (jaemiisseo hada)
Angry	화나다 (hwanada)
Annoyed	짜증나다 (jjajeungnada)
Anxious	불안하다 (buranhada)
Arrogant	거만하다 (geomanhada)
Awkward	어섹하다 (eosekhada)
Bashful	부끄럽다 (bukkeureopda)
Boastful	자랑스럽다 (jarangseureopda)
Bored	심심하다 (simsimhada)
Brave	씩씩하다 (ssikssikada)
Brave	용감하다 (yonggamhada)
Busy	바쁘다 (bappeuda)
Calm	침착하다 (chimchakada)
Calm, still, hushed	고요하다 (goyohada)
Careful	조심하다 (josimhada)
Careful	꼼꼼하다 (kkomkkomhada)
Cautious	조심스럽다 (josimseureopda)
Cautious	신중하다 (sinjunghada)
Cheerful	쾌활하다 (kwaehwalhada)
Cheerful	유쾌하다 (yukwaehada)
Clever	영리하다 (yeongnihada)
Clumsy	서투르다 (seotureuda)
Comfortable	편하다 (pyeonhada)
Concerned, worried, troubled	근심스럽다 (geunsimseureopda)
Confused	혼란스럽다 (hollanseureopda)
Cool	쿨하다 (kulhada)
Cooperative	협동적 (hyeopdongjeok)
Courageous	용기있다 (yonggiitda)
Cowardly	겁이 많다 (geobi manta)
Cruel	잔인하다 (janinhada)
Curious	궁금하다 (gunggeumhada)
Defiant	도전적 (dojeonjeok)
Delicate	연약하다 (yeonyakada)
Depressed	우울하다 (uulhada)
Determined	단호하다 (danhohada)
Diligent	부지런하다 (bujireonhada)
Dramatic	극적 (geukjeok)
Eager	절절하다 (jeoljeolhada)
Embarrassed	당황하다 (danghwanghada)
Energetic	정력을 요하다 (jeongnyeogeul yohada)
Enthusiastic	열정적 (yeoljeongjeok)
Envious	부럽다 (bureopda)
Excited	신나다 (sinnada)
Fancy, showy	화려하다 (hwaryeohada)
Feeling stressed out	스트레스 받다 (seuteureseu batda)
Ferocious, fierce, vehement, violent	맹렬하다 (maengnyeolhada)
Fervent, devout	열렬하다 (yeollyeolhada)
Fervent, enthusiastic, wild	열광적 (yeolgwangjeok)
Free	자유롭다 (jayuropda)
Free (idle)	한가하다 (hangahada)
Full	배부르다 (baebureuda)
Funny, hilarious	우습다 (useupda)
Generous	후하다 (huhada)
Generous	관대하다 (gwandaehada)
Glad, pleased, delighted	기쁘다 (gippeuda)
Good-humored	상냥하다 (sangnyanghada)
Happy	행복하다 (haengbokhada)
Hard-working	근면하다 (geunmyeonhada)
Hard-working	부지런히 일하다 (bujireonhi ilhada)
Healthy	건강하다 (geonganghada)
Helpful	도움이 되다 (doumi doeda)
Helpless	무력하다 (muryeokada)
Honest, frank	솔직하다 (soljikada)
Humble	천하다 (cheonhada)
Hungry	배고프다 (baegopeuda)
Hungry	배가 고프다 (baega gopeuda)
Indifferent, ignorant	무관심하다 (mugwansimhada)
Innocent, naive	천진난만하다 (cheonjinnanmanhada)
Instinctive	본능적 (bonneungjeok)
Jealous	질투하다 (jiltuhada)
Kind, friendly	친절하다 (chinjeolhada)
Lazy	게으르다 (geeureuda)
Lazy, relaxed	느긋하다 (neugeuthada)
Lazy	여유롭다 (yeoyuropda)
Lonely	외롭다 (oeropda)
Loud	시끄럽다 (sikkeureopda)
Mean	비열하다 (biyeolhada)
Naughty	버릇없다 (beoreuseopda)
Nervous	불안해 하다 (buranhae hada)
Nice	착하다 (chakada)
Obedient	순순하다 (sunsunhada)
Old	늙다 (neulda)
Outgoing	사교적이다 (sagyojeogida)
Polite	공손하다 (gongsonhada)
Poor	가난하다 (gananhada)
Quiet	조용하다 (joyonghada)
Relaxed	여유 있다 (yeoyu itda)
Rich	돈 많다 (don manta)
Rich	부유하다 (buyuhada)
Rude	무례하다 (muryehada)
Sad	슬프다 (seulpeuda)
Scared	무섭다 (museopda)
Selfish	이기적이다 (igijeogida)
Serious	진지하다 (jinjihada)
Shy	수줍다 (sujupda)
Sleepy, drowsy	졸리다 (jollida)
Smart	똑똑하다 (ttokttokada)
Social	사회적이다 (sahoejeogida)
Sorrowful, grief-stricken	비통하다 (bitonghada)
Strict	엄격하다 (eomgyeokada)
Strong	강하다 (ganghada)
Stupid	멍청하다 (meongcheonghada)
Surprised	놀라다 (nollada)
Tired	피곤하다 (pigonhada)
Thirsty	목이 마르다 (mogi mareuda)
Thoughtful	생각이 깊다 (saenggagi gipda)
Uncomfortable	불편하다 (bulpyeonhada)
Weak	약하다 (yakada)
Well-behaved	예의 바르다 (yeui bareuda)
Worried, concerned	걱정하다 (geokjeonghada)
Young	젊다 (jeolda)

Korean adjectives – Tastes

Here are some adjectives in Korean to help with describing nouns with certain tastes and textures. These adjectives will come in handy if you’d like to describe what a certain Korean dish tastes like for you.

English	Korean
Bitter	쓰다 (sseuda)
Bland, tasteless	싱겁다 (singgeopda)
Chewy	쫄깃쫄깃하다 (jjolgitjjolgithada)
Crispy	바삭바삭하다 (basakbasakhada)
Delicious	맛있다 (masitda)
Disgusting	역겹다 (yeokgyeopda)
Fermented	발효되다 (balhyodoeda)
Fishy	비리다 (birida)
Flat	김빠지다 (gimppajida)
Greasy	느끼하다 (neukkihada)
Not delicious	맛없다 (mateopda)
Fatty, greasy, oily	기름지다 (gireumjida)
Salty	짜다 (jjada)
Sour	시다 (sida)
Sour	시큼하다 (sikeumhada)
Spicy	매콤하다 (maekomhada)
Spicy	맵다 (maepda)
Stale	신선하지 않다 (seonseonhaji anta)
Sweet	달콤하다 (dalkomhada)
Sweet	달다 (dalda)
Soft, tender, ripe	말랑하다 (mallanghada)

Sample sentences for Korean adjectives

To get you properly started with using Korean adjectives in sentences, here is an ample amount of examples of Korean sentences. You can study each sentence and its meaning for you to understand how to use adjectives in the Korean language better.

 

우리 고양이는 너무 귀엽지? (uri goyangineun neomu gwiyeopji?)

Isn’t our cat so cute?

 

비싼 프라다 가방을 사고 싶어요. (bissan peurada gabangeul sago sipeoyo.)

I want to buy an expensive Prada bag.

 

그 발코니가 되게 넓어요.

(geu balkoniga doege neolbeoyo.)

 

북유럽에서는 여름에 거의 자정까지 바깥 날씨가 밝다. (bungnyureobeseoneun yeoreume geoui jajeongkkaji bakkat nalssiga balda.)

In Northern Europe, it is light outside until almost midnight in the summer.

 

와, 한라산을 오르는 게 이렇게 힘든 줄은 몰랐네. (wa, hallasaneul oreuneun ge ireoke himdeun jureun mollanne.)

Whoa, I did not realize it was this hard to hike up Hallasan.

 

오늘 정말 높은 굽의 신발을 신고 싶어요. (oneul jeongmal nopeun gubui sinbareul singo sipeoyo.)

Today I want to wear shoes with really high heels.

 

제일 가까운 병원은 어디세요? (jeil gakkaun byeongwoneun eodiseyo?)

 

미국에서 한국까지 너무 멀어요. 비행시간은 13시간이 넘네요! (migugeseo hangukkkaji neomu meoreoyo. bihaengsiganeun 13sigani neomneyo!)

The USA is really far from South Korea. The flight time is over 13 hours!

 

나는 긴 머리가 갖고 있는것 좋아요. (naneun gin meoriga gatgo inneungeot joayo.)

I like having long hair.

 

그 사람은 기쁜 사람인가요? (geu sarameun gippeun saramingayo?)

I wonder if that person is pleased?

 

세계에서 가장 아름다운 곳이 어디라고 생각하나요? (segyeeseo gajang areumdaun gosi eodirago saenggakanayo?)

Where do you think is the most beautiful place in the world?

 

그 영화가 생각보다 더 괜찮았네. (geu yeonghwaga saenggakboda deo gwaenchananne.)

That movie was nicer than I thought it would be.

 

나는 놀라서 크게 소리를 질렀다. (naneun nollaseo keuge sorireul jilleotda.)

I screamed loudly in surprise.

 

이 수업이 너무 지루해. (i sueobi neomu jiruhae.)

This class is so boring.

 

내일 편안한 옷을 입고 오세요. (naeil pyeonanhan oseul ipgo oseyo.)

Please wear comfortable clothes tomorrow.

 

아! 방금 발목을 삐었어요. 너무 아파요! (a! banggeum balmogeul ppieosseoyo. neomu apayo!)

 

저는 파랑색을 제일 좋아해요. (jeoneun parangsaegeul jeil joahaeyo.)

 

그 하얀 집은 엄청 예쁘지 아닌가요? (geu hayan jibeun eomcheong yeppeuji aningayo?)

Isn’t that white house really pretty?

 

한국에서 단 빵은 인기가 많아요. (hangugeseo dan ppangeun ingiga manayo.)

Sweet bread is popular in South Korea.

 

당신의 남동생은 아주 조용한 사람인것 같아요. (dangsinui namdongsaengeun aju joyonghan saramingeot gatayo.)

Your brother seems to be a very quiet person.

A: 클럽에 갈래요? (keulleobe gallaeyo?)

Wanna go to a club?

B: 미안해요, 복잡한 장소들은 안좋아해요. (mianhaeyo, bokjapan jangsodeureun anjoahaeyo.)

I’m sorry, I don’t like crowded places.

 

A: 토마스 씨, 들 수 있는 가장 무거운 무게는 뭐예요? (tomaseu ssi, deul su inneun gajang mugeoun mugeneun mwoyeyo?)

Thomas, what is the heaviest weight that you can lift?

B: 스쿼트에서 100kg을 들 수 있어요. (seukwoteueseo 100kgeul deul su isseoyo.)

I can lift 100kg in squats.

A: 너도 어제 숙제가 유난히 어렵다고 생각했니? (neodo eoje sukjega yunanhi eoryeopdago saenggakaenni?)

Did you think yesterday’s homework was unusually difficult?

B: 안 그래? 너무 쉬운 줄 알았어. (an geurae? neomu swiun jul arasseo.)

It wasn’t, though? I thought it was super easy!

Wow! That’s so many new cool Korean adjectives and words for you to learn today! If you are still in the mood to widen your Korean vocabulary today after that mammoth of a list of Korean adjectives, why not check out our more general list of most popular Korean words? Can’t go wrong with this resource in learning Korean!

Also, below in the comments, we’d love to know what your most commonly used Korean adjectives are? Perhaps you could try to showcase them by using Korean adjectives only? We’re excited to know the most popular adjectives used as we learn Korean these days!

The post Korean Adjectives – Descriptive verbs and how to conjugate them appeared first on 90 Day Korean®.