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안녕하세요! Annyeonghaseyo! Korean adverbs help describe how, when, where, or how often something happens. This guide introduces 100 useful adverbs and adverbial expressions for everyday conversation. English translations depend on context.
Adverbs / 부사 [busa]
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or an entire sentence. This list also includes nouns and noun-plus-particle phrases used adverbially. Romanization follows Revised Romanization (RR); it is not an English pronunciation guide and does not mark every predictable sound change. Use dictionary recordings alongside it.
Adverbs of manner / 양태 부사 [yangtae busa]
Many adjectives form adverbial expressions with -게. Remove the dictionary ending -다 and add -게: 쉽다 (swipda, easy) → 쉽게 (swipge, easily).
The table also includes two verbs: 흥분하다 (to become excited) and 화나다 (to get angry). Their -아서/-어서 forms describe an emotional state or reason in context. 흥분해서 말했어요 (heungbunhaeseo malhaesseoyo) means “I spoke excitedly.” Do not assume 흥분하게 or 화나게 directly means “excitedly” or “angrily”; these forms often occur in causative constructions.
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 좋다 – 좋게 | jota – joke | good — well / favorably |
| 나쁘다 – 나쁘게 | nappeuda – nappeuge | bad — badly |
| 귀엽다 – 귀엽게 | gwiyeopda – gwiyeopge | cute — cutely |
| 아름답다 – 아름답게 | areumdapda – areumdapge | beautiful — beautifully |
| 비싸다 – 비싸게 | bissada – bissage | expensive — at a high price |
| 싸다 – 싸게 | ssada – ssage | cheap — cheaply |
| 멋지다 – 멋지게 | meotjida – meotjige | wonderful — wonderfully / stylishly |
| 강하다 – 강하게 | ganghada – ganghage | strong — strongly |
| 약하다 – 약하게 | yakada – yakage | weak — weakly |
| 맛있다 – 맛있게 | masitda – masitge | delicious — deliciously / with enjoyment |
| 크다 – 크게 | keuda – keuge | big — on a large scale / loudly |
| 길다 – 길게 | gilda – gilge | long — at length |
| 짧다 – 짧게 | jjalda – jjalge | short — briefly |
| 넓다 – 넓게 | neolda – neolge | wide — widely |
| 작다 – 작게 | jakda – jakge | small — on a small scale / quietly |
| 밝다 – 밝게 | bakda – balge | bright — brightly |
| 어둡다 – 어둡게 | eodupda – eodupge | dark — darkly / dimly |
| 둥글다 – 둥글게 | dunggeulda – dunggeulge | round — in a round shape |
| 평평하다 – 평평하게 | pyeongpyeonghada – pyeongpyeonghage | flat — flat / evenly |
| 똑바르다 – 똑바르게 | ttokbareuda – ttokbareuge | straight — straight / upright |
| 행복하다 – 행복하게 | haengbokada – haengbokage | happy — happily |
| 피곤하다 – 피곤하게 | pigonhada – pigonhage | tired — in a way that makes someone tired (often with 하다/만들다); context matters |
| 흥분하다 – 흥분해서 | heungbunhada – heungbunhaeseo | to become excited — excitedly / because one is excited |
| 훌륭하다 – 훌륭하게 | hullyunghada – hullyunghage | excellent — excellently |
| 친절하다 – 친절하게 | chinjeolhada – chinjeolhage | kind — kindly |
| 기쁘다 – 기쁘게 | gippeuda – gippeuge | glad — gladly |
| 슬프다 – 슬프게 | seulpeuda – seulpeuge | sad — sadly |
| 빠르다 – 빠르게 | ppareuda – ppareuge | fast — quickly |
| 민감하다 – 민감하게 | mingamhada – mingamhage | sensitive — sensitively |
| 화나다 – 화나서 | hwanada – hwanaseo | to get angry — angrily / because one is angry |
For example, 공부를 잘해요 means “I study well,” while 좋게 생각해요 means “I think favorably of it.” 좋게 is not a universal substitute for English “well.” For “wearily,” 피곤하게 is not a fixed one-word equivalent: 피곤해서 쉬었어요 means “I rested because I was tired.”
Some adjectives have a related adverb ending in -히: 완전하다 (wanjeonhada, complete) → 완전히 (wanjeonhi, completely), and 대단하다 (daedanhada, great) → 대단히 (daedanhi, greatly). Learn these forms individually; replacing -하다 with -히 does not work for every word.
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 완전하다 – 완전히 | wanjeonhada – wanjeonhi | complete — completely |
| 솔직하다 – 솔직히 | soljikada – soljiki | honest — honestly |
| 분명하다 – 분명히 | bunmyeonghada – bunmyeonghi | clear — clearly |
| 우연하다 – 우연히 | uyeonhada – uyeonhi | accidental — by chance |
| 확실하다 – 확실히 | hwaksilhada – hwaksilhi | certain — certainly |
| 정확하다 – 정확히 | jeonghwakada – jeonghwaki | accurate — accurately |
| 간단하다 – 간단히 | gandanhada – gandanhi | simple — simply / briefly |
| 상당하다 – 상당히 | sangdanghada – sangdanghi | considerable — considerably |
| 천천히 | cheoncheonhi | slowly |
| 열심히 | yeolsimhi | diligently / hard |
Learn 천천히 (slowly) and 열심히 (diligently/hard) as complete adverbs.
The following expressions include forms ending in -적으로 and noun-plus-particle forms with -(으)로. For example, 의도 (intention) is related to 의도적 (intentional), which gives 의도적으로 (intentionally). Do not attach -적으로 mechanically to every noun. With the particle -(으)로, use -으로 after most consonants and -로 after a vowel or ㄹ. Learn the whole expression and its meaning in a sentence.
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 일반 – 일반적으로 | ilban – ilbanjeogeuro | general — generally |
| 기본 – 기본적으로 | gibon – gibonjeogeuro | basis — basically |
| 기적 – 기적적으로 | gijeok – gijeokjeogeuro | miracle — miraculously |
| 공식 – 공식적으로 | gongsik – gongsikjeogeuro | official — officially |
| 의도 – 의도적으로 | uido – uidojeogeuro | intention — intentionally |
| 자동 – 자동으로 | jadong – jadongeuro | automatic — automatically |
| 수동 – 수동으로 | sudong – sudongeuro | manual — manually |
| 사적 – 사적으로 | sajeok – sajeogeuro | private — privately |
| 전적 – 전적으로 | jeonjeok – jeonjeogeuro | complete — entirely |
| 질적 – 질적으로 | jiljeok – jiljeogeuro | qualitative — qualitatively |
Adverbs of time / 시간 부사 [sigan busa]
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 | oneul | today |
| 어제 | eoje | yesterday |
| 내일 | naeil | tomorrow |
| 지금 | jigeum | now |
| 나중에 | najunge | later |
| 오늘 밤 | oneul bam | tonight |
| 매일 | maeil | every day / daily |
| 매주 | maeju | every week / weekly |
| 매년 | maenyeon | every year / yearly |
| 마침내 | machimnae | finally |
| 곧 | got | soon |
| 전에 | jeone | before |
| 후에 | hue | after |
| 이미 | imi | already |
| 아직 | ajik | still / yet |
Expressions of place / 장소 표현 [jangso pyohyeon]
Korean commonly uses a location noun followed by a particle. 집 (jip, house/home) + 에 (e) gives 집에 (jibe), meaning “at home” or “to the house/home,” depending on the verb.
에 can mark a location or destination; 에서 commonly marks where an action takes place. 집에 있어요 (jibe isseoyo) means “I am at home,” while 집에서 공부해요 (jibeseo gongbuhaeyo) means “I study at home.”
This table includes location nouns such as 실내 (indoor space) and 왼쪽 (left side), as well as adverbs such as 멀리 (far away). Location nouns may need a particle in a sentence.
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안에 | ane | inside |
| 밖에 | bakke | outside |
| 여기 | yeogi | here |
| 저기 | jeogi | over there |
| 거기 | geogi | there |
| 위에 | wie | above / on top |
| 밑에 | mite | below / underneath |
| 앞에 | ape | in front |
| 뒤에 | dwie | behind / at the back |
| 실내 | sillae | indoor space / indoors |
| 야외 | yaoe | outdoor space / outdoors |
| 가까이 | gakkai | near / nearby |
| 멀리 | meolli | far / far away |
| 왼쪽 | oenjjok | left / left side |
| 오른쪽 | oreunjjok | right / right side |
Adverbs of frequency / 빈도 부사 [bindo busa]
절대 means “absolutely”; with a negative expression, it conveys “never.” 한 번씩 means “once each” or “once at a time” and can suggest “once in a while” in context.
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 항상 | hangsang | always |
| 가끔 | gakkeum | sometimes |
| 자주 | jaju | often |
| 한 번씩 | han beonssik | once each / once in a while, depending on context |
| 절대 | jeoldae | absolutely; with a negative: never |
| 때때로 | ttaettaero | occasionally |
| 규칙적으로 | gyuchikjeogeuro | regularly |
| 보통 | botong | usually / normally |
| 습관적으로 | seupgwanjeogeuro | habitually |
| 드물게 | deumulge | rarely |
Other useful adverbs
| 한글 | Romanization (RR) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 꽤 | kkwae | quite |
| 많이 | mani | a lot |
| 아주 | aju | very |
| 일부러 | ilbureo | on purpose |
| 함부로 | hamburo | carelessly / recklessly |
| 꼭 | kkok | certainly / without fail |
| 반드시 | bandeusi | certainly / without fail |
| 갑자기 | gapjagi | suddenly |
| 틀림없이 | teullimeopsi | certainly / without doubt |
| 바로 | baro | immediately / directly |
Try three expressions in context
| Korean sentence | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 천천히 말해 주세요. | cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo. | Please speak slowly. |
| 매일 한국어를 공부해요. | maeil hangugeoreul gongbuhaeyo. | I study Korean every day. |
| 절대 잊지 않을게요. | jeoldae itji aneulgeyo. | I will never forget. |
Compare 아직 안 했어요 (“I have not done it yet”) with 아직 기다려요 (“I am still waiting”). The same expression can need a different English translation in a different sentence. For meanings and recordings, use the Korean Basic Dictionary.
Conclusion
Korean adverbial expressions can be single words, forms derived from adjectives, or phrases built with nouns and particles. Learn each expression in a sentence instead of translating an English -ly ending mechanically.
Choose a few expressions from each table and practice using them to describe your daily routine. 안녕!
