Ever wondered how to say ‘handsome’ in Korean? Like in English, Korean uses a different word when calling men handsome than when calling women pretty. This article will be looking at the word used to call a man handsome or good-looking.
After learning this word, feel free to practice it on any good-looking guys that you see. They’ll enjoy the compliment!
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‘Handsome’ in Korean
He is Handsome
If you want to say ‘handsome’ as in “You are handsome” or “He is handsome” then you should use the word 잘생겼다 (jal saeng-gyeott-da).
If you are saying the word to yourself (Koreans often talk aloud to themselves) then you can use this form. However, if you are saying it to somebody else, then the word needs to be changed based on who you are saying it to.
Formal ‘Handsome’ in Korean
1. 잘 생겼습니다 (jal saeng-gyeoss-seub-ni-da)
You might hear this word in presentations, interviews, or other formal situations.
Example:
그 배우가 잘생겼습니다.
That actor is handsome.
Standard ‘Handsome’ in Korean
1. 잘생겼어요 (jal saeng-gyeoss-eo-yo)
You can use this expression when talking to people who are older or not particularly close to you.
Example:
당신은 아주 잘생겼어요
*You should replace the word 당신 with the person’s name / relation to you (e.g. 아저씨 / 오빠)
Informal ‘Handsome’ in Korean
1. 잘생겼어 (jal saeng-gyeoss-eo)
You can use this expression with people who are very close to you, such as with your boyfriend or date.
Example:
너는 아주 잘생겼어
You are a very handsome man.
Bonus: The Handsome Man
If you want to say ‘handsome’ as in “the handsome man” then you should use the word 잘생긴 (jal saeng-gin).
For example:
잘생긴 남자 (jal saeng-gin nam-ja) – handsome man
잘생긴 배우 (jal saen-gin bae-u) – handsome actor
잘생긴 가수 (jal saeng-gin ga-su) – handsome singer
Example (standard politeness level):
그녀는 아주 잘생긴 남자와 함께 왔어요
She arrived with a very good-looking man
A word of caution about Romanization
We’ve added in the Romanization for all of these words to help with pronunciation. However, we recommend that you try to move onto reading comfortably in Hangul (the Korean alphabet), as this will improve your pronunciation and your reading skills. It will also help you notice patterns in words, which will lead you to improve the rate at which you learn new Korean words and grammar points.
Learning vocabulary words is a great way to help you learn the basics of a language. However, your language learning will only really take off one you start attempting to have conversations in Korean. Take a look at our free list of Korean phrases or our full Korean course for all the help you will need when studying Korean.
Bonus: Alternative Words for ‘Handsome’
Another word that is often used for handsome is 멋진 (meot-jin) for example 멋진 얼굴 (meot-jin eol-gul) – handsome face.
There are several other less commonly used words for handsome, such as매력적이다 (mae-ryeok-jeok-i-da), that you will come across as your Korean skills progress.
Examples:
Standard politeness
그는 제가 만나 본 가장 멋진 남자예요
He is the most handsome man I’ve ever met.
Informal
그는 내가 만나 본 가장 멋진 남자야
He is the most handsome man I’ve ever met.
Now that you know how to say ‘handsome’ in Korean, get out there and pay compliments to the good-looking guys that you run into!
*Want more Korean phrases? Go to our Korean Phrases Page for a complete list!
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