Let's learn how to use the Korean Adjective Modifier ㄴ/은 with some simple and easy-to-understand example sentences.
Korean Adjective Modifier ㄴ/은
USE:
The marker ㄴ/은 is attached to adjectives to describe nouns.
- Think of it as adding “that is …” or “which is …” in English.
- It connects an adjective with a noun, turning a descriptive statement into a phrase.
For example:
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁜 여자 (a pretty woman)
- 크다 (to be big) → 큰 집 (a big house)
CONJUGATION RULE:
- Adjective stem ending in a consonant → 은
- Example: 작다 (to be small) → 작은 가방 (a small bag)
- Adjective stem ending in a vowel → ㄴ
- Example: 크다 (to be big) → 큰 집 (a big house)
- Example: 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁜 꽃 (a pretty flower)
- Special case: 있다/없다 (to exist / not exist)
- These do not take 은/ㄴ. Instead, they are used as-is:
- 있는 책 (a book that exists / the available book)
- 없는 사람 (a person who doesn’t exist)
- These do not take 은/ㄴ. Instead, they are used as-is:
Forms in Different Tenses
Adjectives in Korean are “descriptive verbs” (형용사). Unlike action verbs, they do not change much by tense because an adjective already describes a state. However, when using modifiers in different contexts, here’s how they work:
Present Tense
Use -(으)ㄴ directly.
- 예쁜 꽃 = pretty flower
- 맛있는 음식 = delicious food
Past Tense
Use -았/었던 or -었던 depending on nuance.
- 예뻤던 꽃 = the flower that was pretty
- 맛있었던 음식 = the food that was delicious
Future Tense
Use -(으)ㄹ (future modifier, not -(으)ㄴ).
- 예쁠 꽃 = the flower that will be pretty
- 맛있을 음식 = the food that will be delicious
Important Clarification: General Modifier ㄴ/은
The present adjective modifier -(으)ㄴ is not strictly limited to present tense. Its primary role is to show a general characteristic or state of a noun, regardless of timeframe.
For example:
비싼 가방 = an expensive bag
This can mean:
the bag is expensive (present),
the bag was expensive (past), or
the bag will be expensive (future).
It describes the inherent quality of the bag without tying it to a specific time.
If you want to highlight past or future specifically, you switch to:
Past: 비쌌던 가방 (the bag that was expensive)
Future: 비쌀 가방 (the bag that will be expensive)
So, -(으)ㄴ/은 is the default, all-purpose modifier, while 던 and ㄹ/을 specify time more clearly.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES:
Present
저는 예쁜 옷을 샀어요.
(I bought pretty clothes.)우리는 맛있는 빵을 먹었어요.
(We ate delicious bread.)
Past
어제 본 영화는 재미있었던 영화예요.
(The movie I watched yesterday was an interesting one.)그때는 작았던 가게가 지금은 커졌어요.
(The store that was small back then has grown bigger now.)
Future
내일은 따뜻할 날씨일 거예요.
(Tomorrow will be warm weather.)곧 만날 새로운 친구가 기대돼요.
(I’m excited about the new friend I will meet soon.)
Notes
- Always check the last letter of the adjective stem to decide whether to use 은 or ㄴ.
- Be careful with adjectives that already end in ㄹ — they usually drop the ㄹ before adding ㄴ.
- Example: 길다 (to be long) → 긴 머리 (long hair).
