Personality Adjectives

Let's learn adjectives commonly used to describe people's personalities, covering both positive and negative traits.

Positive Traits

'친절하다 (chinjeolhada, kind)', '활발하다 (hwalbalhada, lively)', and '꼼꼼하다 (kkomkkomhada, meticulous)' are often used to praise someone.

그 선생님은 정말 친절하고 활발하세요.

geu seonsaengnimeun jeongmal chinjeolhago hwalbalhaseyo.

That teacher is really kind and lively.

Negative or Neutral Traits

'급하다 (geupada, impatient)', '소심하다 (sosimhada, timid)', and '게으르다 (geeureuda, lazy)' point to weaknesses, but depending on the situation they can be said lightly.

저는 성격이 좀 급한 편이에요.

jeoneun seonggyeogi jom geupan pyeonieyo.

I tend to be a bit impatient.

제 동생은 소심해서 발표를 무서워해요.

je dongsaengeun sosimhaeseo balpyoreul museowohaeyo.

My sibling is timid, so they are scared of presentations.

More Personality Words

'착하다 (chakada, good-hearted)', '솔직하다 (soljikada, honest)', and '느긋하다 (neugeutada, easygoing)' are also common.

그 사람은 마음이 착하고 솔직해요.

geu sarameun maeumi chakago soljikaeyo.

That person is good-hearted and honest.

저는 느긋한 편이라 잘 안 서둘러요.

jeoneun neugeutan pyeonira jal an seodulleoyo.

I am the easygoing type, so I rarely rush.

형은 꼼꼼해서 실수가 거의 없어요.

hyeongeun kkomkkomhaeseo silsuga geoui eopseoyo.

My older brother is meticulous, so he hardly makes mistakes.

Trait	Meaning	Type
친절하다 chinjeolhada	kind	긍정 positive
활발하다 hwalbalhada	lively	긍정 positive
꼼꼼하다 kkomkkomhada	meticulous	긍정 positive
착하다 chakada	good-hearted	긍정 positive
솔직하다 soljikada	honest	긍정 positive
급하다 geupada	impatient	단점 weakness
게으르다 geeureuda	lazy	단점 weakness

💡 Tip: When describing personality, adding '-(으)ㄴ/는 편이에요 (-(eu)n/neun pyeonieyo)' softens it to 'tend to be ~'.

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