Cute In Korean
While studying Korean, living in Korea, or watching Korean dramas, you will hear the word for ‘cute’ in Korean very frequently. In this short lesson, we will teach you how to say ‘cute’ in Korean and some related cute words and expressions you can use to sound cute and describe someone or something as cute in Korean. Let’s get started.
Related: All About Korean Aegyo
What Is ‘Cute’ In Korean?
The word for ‘cute’ in Korean is 귀엽다 [gwi-yeop-da]. 귀엽다 is the basic verb form and can be used in this form when you are talking to yourself. For example, if you see a cute baby on T.V you could say to yourself 귀엽다 to express that you think the baby is cute.
If you are talking to someone else and you wish you say ‘cute’ in Korean, then you must change 귀엽다 into the relevant tense and politeness level. See the table below for different ways you can say cute in Korean.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 귀엽다 [gwi-yeop-da] | cute ( basic verb form) |
| 귀여워 [gwi-yeo-weo] | cute (informal present tense) |
| 귀여워요 [gwi-yeo-weo-yo] | cute (polite present tense) |
| 귀엽습니다 [gwi-yeo-weo-yo] | cute (formal present tense) |
Now that you have learned how to say ‘cute’ in Korean, let’s take a look at some ways you can use this word starting with ‘You are cute’ in Korean.
‘You Are Cute’ In Korean
When speaking Korean, pronouns such as ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘she’, are often dropped from the sentence, especially when it is clear from the context who you are referring to. So, to say ‘You are cute’ in Korean you can simply say 귀여워 (informal), 귀여워요 (polite), or 귀엽습니다 (formal) and this can mean ‘You are cute.’, ‘It is cute.’, ‘He/She is cute.”, etc. If it is not already clear from the context, or you simply wish to say it clearly, you can add the pronoun ‘you’. So, how do you say ‘You are cute.’ in Korean?
‘You are cute’ in Korean is 너는 귀여워 [neo-neun gwi-yeo-weo]. This is made up of 너, which means ‘you’, 는, which is the topic marking particle, and the verb 귀엽다 conjugated into the informal present tense.
‘So Cute’ In Korean
Sometimes something or someone is just so adorable that you want to say ‘so cute’ in Korean. ‘So cute’ in Korean is 너무 귀여워요 [neo-mu gwi-yeo-weo-yo]. This is made up of the word 너무 which means ‘too’ and the verb 귀엽다 conjugated into the polite present tense.
‘Cutie’ In Korean
If a child, or your boyfriend/girlfriend is being very cute you may want to call them a ‘cutie’. So, how do you say ‘cutie’ in Korean? ‘Cutie’ in Korean is 귀염둥이 [gwi-yeom-dung-i].
‘The Baby Is Cute’ In Korean
If you want to tell someone that their baby is cute you can use the following expression. ‘The baby is cute’ in Korean is 아기가 귀여워요 [a-gi-ga gwi-yeo-weo-yo]. This is made up of the word 아기, which means ‘baby’ 가, which is the subject marking particle, and the verb 귀엽다 conjugated into the polite present tense. 아기가 귀여워요 can be used when you want to say ‘the baby is cute’ or ‘your baby is cute’ in Korean.
Related Lessons
Thanks for reading. I hope you now know how to say ‘cute’ in Korean and can go out and tell all the adorable animals, babies, and that special someone just how cute they are in Korean. Before you go, check out these related lessons:
‘I love You’ in Korean
‘I Miss You’ in Korean
The Meaning of ‘Jagiya’ in Korean