Basic Emotions
We feel all kinds of emotions every day. In this lesson, we learn the four most basic ones: '기쁘다 (gippeuda, happy)', '슬프다 (seulpeuda, sad)', '화나다 (hwanada, angry)', and '놀라다 (nollada, surprised)'.
Happy / Sad — '기쁘다 (gippeuda)' / '슬프다 (seulpeuda)'
Use '기쁘다 (gippeuda)' for good news and '슬프다 (seulpeuda)' when your heart aches. Both are adjectives, so they conjugate as '기뻐요 (gippeoyo)' and '슬퍼요 (seulpeoyo)'.
시험에 합격해서 정말 기뻐요.
siheome hapgyeokhaeseo jeongmal gippeoyo.
I am really happy because I passed the exam.
친구가 멀리 이사 가서 너무 슬퍼요.
chinguga meolli isa gaseo neomu seulpeoyo.
I am so sad because my friend moved far away.
Angry / Surprised — '화나다 (hwanada)' / '놀라다 (nollada)'
Use '화나다 (hwanada)' when you feel upset or resentful, and '놀라다 (nollada)' when something unexpected happens. Both are verbs and are often used in the past tense: '화났어요 (hwanasseoyo)', '놀랐어요 (nollasseoyo)'.
동생이 약속을 안 지켜서 화났어요.
dongsaengi yaksogeul an jikyeoseo hwanasseoyo.
I got angry because my sibling broke the promise.
갑자기 큰 소리가 나서 깜짝 놀랐어요.
gapjagi keun soriga naseo kkamjjak nollasseoyo.
I was startled because of a sudden loud noise.
Expressing the Degree of an Emotion
Add adverbs like '조금 (jogeum, a little)', '너무 (neomu, too much)', or '정말 (jeongmal, really)' to show how strong an emotion is.
합격 소식을 듣고 너무 기뻐서 울었어요.
hapgyeok sosigeul deutgo neomu gippeoseo ureosseoyo.
I was so happy to hear the pass news that I cried.
그 소식을 듣고 조금 슬퍼졌어요.
geu sosigeul deutgo jogeum seulpeojyeosseoyo.
I became a little sad after hearing the news.
기분이 좋아서 하루 종일 웃었어요.
gibuni joaseo haru jongil useosseoyo.
I felt good, so I smiled all day long.
| Emotion | Base form | Conjugated |
|---|---|---|
| happy | 기쁘다 | 기뻐요 |
| sad | 슬프다 | 슬퍼요 |
| angry | 화나다 | 화났어요 |
| surprised | 놀라다 | 놀랐어요 |
| feel good | 기분 좋다 | 기분 좋아요 |
💡 Tip: '화나다 (hwanada)' means becoming angry on your own, while '화내다 (hwanaeda)' means the act of showing anger at someone. Don't mix them up!