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Korean descriptive adjectives (형용사) conjugate like verbs: present, past, future, modifier form, adverbial form, and "become". This section covers every conjugation class plus core adverbs.
Korean adjectives (형용사) are really "descriptive verbs". Drop 다 to get the stem and attach endings just like with verbs — but adjectives have NO imperative (~세요) and NO progressive (~고 있다). They do have a special noun-modifier form, an adverbial -게 form, and a "become" -아/어지다 form. The stem's last vowel and final consonant decide which group an adjective belongs to.
Same rule as action verbs: bright vowels attract 아. Same-vowel stems contract: 짜다 → 짜요. Adjectives never take ~세요 or ~고 있다.
Stems whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ take 아/아요. Examples: 좋다 (good), 작다 (small), 많다 (many), 짧다 (short), 높다 (high), 짜다 (salty).
Adjectives whose stem vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ — they take 아/아요.
Stems whose last vowel is anything other than ㅏ/ㅗ take 어/어요. ㄹ-final stems behave normally here (멀다 → 멀어요).
Adjectives whose stem vowel is not ㅏ/ㅗ — they take 어/어요.
The biggest group of Korean adjectives. Noun-like root + 하다 → 하 + 여 contracts to 해. Examples: 행복하다 (happy), 피곤하다 (tired), 따뜻하다 (warm), 깨끗하다 (clean), 중요하다 (important).
With these adjectives, 안 sits directly before 해(요): 행복 안 해요 / 안 행복해요 (both heard, the first feels more natural with noun-rooted ones)
Noun-rooted adjectives. 하다 itself is irregular: 하 → 해.
Stems ending in ㅡ (예쁘다, 바쁘다, 크다, 슬프다, 아프다, 쓰다, 나쁘다…) drop ㅡ before 아/어. The vowel before ㅡ decides which one.
Stems ending in ㅡ. Drop ㅡ before 아/어 endings.
The ㅂ in the stem turns to 우 before a vowel: 덥다 → 더워요, 춥다 → 추워요, 어렵다 → 어려워요, 무겁다 → 무거워요, 귀엽다 → 귀여워요.
Adjectives whose stem ends in ㅂ. ㅂ → 우 before vowels.
르 adjectives gain an extra ㄹ before 아/어 endings: 빠르다 → 빨라요, 다르다 → 달라요, 게으르다 → 게을러요. Same pattern as 르 verbs.
르 adjectives gain a ㄹ in present/past, but not in the future.
Color words and demonstrative state words ending in ㅎ. The ㅎ drops AND the stem vowel changes: 빨갛다 → 빨개요. 좋다, 넣다, 놓다 (verbs) end in ㅎ but are NOT in this group — they're regular.
Mnemonic: every ㅎ-irregular present form ends in 애요 (or 얘요 for 하얗다)
안 negation goes before: 안 빨개요
Color words and demonstrative state words with stem-final ㅎ.
A handful of common adjectives are built on 있다 (be present) or 없다 (be absent). They conjugate as regular 어/어요 stems but cannot take 안 — 없다 already encodes the negative.
To negate, you use the matching pair: 재미없어요 (boring)
Same for 맛있다 / 맛없다
A small but very high-frequency family. Negation is lexical, not with 안.
Three patterns apply across all adjective groups: (1) the noun-modifier form lets an adjective sit before a noun ("a good person"), (2) the -게 form turns the adjective into an adverb ("quickly"), and (3) -아/어지다 turns it into a verb meaning "become X".
좋은 사람 (a good person), 큰 집 (a big house), 먼 길 (a far road), 추운 날 (a cold day), 빨간 사과 (a red apple), 행복한 사람 (a happy person)
This is the present modifier — for past use 던 or -았/었던
Pure adverbs (do not conjugate). They sit before the verb they modify.
Adverbs that modify intensity or degree. Place them before the adjective or verb they modify.