Ways to say “Very” in Korean

안녕하세요 여러분. Koreanstudyjunkie에서 Junie입니다! In this lesson, we’re gonna talk about the MANY ways you can say “very” and other adverbs you can use to add to your Korean.

Korean doesn’t have just one word for “very” — there are many, depending on the tone, formality, and emotion you want to express.

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Most Common Everyday Words

• 아주 / 매우 → neutral and polite; common in writing or polite speech

  • 아주 좋아요. → It’s very good.

  • 매우 중요해요. → It’s very important.

• 너무 / 정말 / 진짜 → most natural in casual speech

  • 너무 예뻐요. → So pretty!

  • 정말 맛있어요. → Really delicious.

  • 진짜 피곤해요. → Really tired.

Strong / Expressive Words

Used for emphasis or exaggeration, especially in speech.

• 엄청, 완전, 무지, 어마어마하게, 기막히게

  • 엄청 커요. → It’s huge.

  • 완전 좋아요. → Totally love it.

  • 무지 맛있어요. → Super tasty.

Softer or Formal Tone

Used in polite, gentle, or formal settings.

• 무척, 대단히, 굉장히, 참

  • 무척 기뻐요. → I’m very happy.

  • 대단히 감사합니다. → Thank you very much.

  • 참 좋네요. → That’s really nice.

Comparative “Very”

When comparing, use 훨씬 (“much, far more”).

• 오늘이 어제보다 훨씬 추워요. → Today is much colder than yesterday.

Contextual “very”

Sometimes 그냥 can imply “just so / very,” depending on tone.

• 그냥 좋아요. → I just really like it.

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FULL LIST w/ EXAMPLES:

These terms add variety to how you can express "very" depending on context, tone, and the level of emphasis you wish to convey.

매우 — very, extremely (formal and neutral)

매우 덥습니다. → It’s very hot.

매우 중요해요. → It’s very important.

매우 빠릅니다. → It’s very fast.

매우 친절한 사람입니다. → They are a very kind person.

아주 — very, quite (polite and natural)

아주 좋아요. → It’s very good.

아주 재미있어요. → It’s very fun.

아주 깨끗해요. → It’s very clean.

아주 쉬운 문제예요. → It’s a very easy question.

너무 — so, very, too (casual and emotional)

너무 예뻐요. → You’re so pretty.

너무 매워요. → It’s too spicy.

너무 피곤해요. → I’m so tired.

너무 좋아요. → I like it so much.

정말 — really, truly (sincere or emotional)

정말 맛있어요. → It’s really delicious.

정말 행복해요. → I’m really happy.

정말 몰랐어요. → I really didn’t know.

정말 대단해요. → You’re really amazing.

진짜 — really, seriously (casual and common)

진짜 귀여워요. → So cute!

진짜 힘들어요. → It’s really hard.

진짜 멋있어요. → That’s really cool.

진짜 맛없어요. → It’s really bad (tastes bad).

굉장히 — very, greatly (slightly formal or serious)

굉장히 빠르네요. → That’s very fast.

굉장히 인기가 많아요. → It’s very popular.

굉장히 조용해요. → It’s very quiet.

굉장히 놀랐어요. → I was very surprised.

엄청 — super, a lot, insanely (casual and strong)

엄청 맛있어요. → It’s insanely good.

엄청 커요. → It’s really big.

엄청 바빴어요. → I was super busy.

엄청 좋아했어요. → I really liked it.

특히 — especially, particularly

저는 특히 커피를 좋아해요. → I especially like coffee.

이 노래가 특히 좋아요. → I especially like this song.

겨울이 특히 추워요. → Winter is especially cold.

그중에서도 특히 이 부분이 중요해요. → Among them, this part is especially important.

매우나 — extremely (old-fashioned or poetic)

매우나 아름답다. → Extremely beautiful.

매우나 깊은 사랑. → Deep and extreme love.

매우나 슬픈 이야기. → A very sad story.

매우나 멋진 장면. → An extremely wonderful scene.

무척 — very, quite, greatly (soft and polite)

무척 기뻐요. → I’m very happy.

무척 피곤했어요. → I was very tired.

무척 반가웠어요. → I was very glad to see you.

무척 더웠어요. → It was very hot.

대단히 — extremely, highly (formal or business-like)

대단히 감사합니다. → Thank you very much.

대단히 위험합니다. → It’s extremely dangerous.

대단히 실망했어요. → I’m extremely disappointed.

대단히 중요한 문제예요. → It’s an extremely important issue.

훨씬 — much, far (used for comparisons)

오늘이 어제보다 훨씬 추워요. → Today is much colder than yesterday.

그 사람은 나보다 훨씬 커요. → He’s much taller than me.

훨씬 나아졌어요. → It’s much better now.

훨씬 편해요. → It’s much more comfortable.

참 — really, truly, very (soft and kind tone)

참 예뻐요. → You’re really pretty.

참 좋은 사람이에요. → They’re a really good person.

참 따뜻하네요. → It’s really warm.

참 재밌는 이야기예요. → That’s a really interesting story.

심하게 — severely, extremely (negative nuance)

심하게 아파요. → I’m in severe pain.

심하게 화났어요. → I’m extremely angry.

심하게 피곤해요. → I’m extremely tired.

심하게 다쳤어요. → I got seriously hurt.

그냥 — just, simply, (sometimes implies “very” in context)

그냥 좋아요. → I just really like it.

그냥 예뻐요. → She’s just so pretty.

그냥 웃겼어요. → It was just so funny.

그냥 그랬어요. → It was just like that / nothing special (but can imply subtle feeling).

완전 — totally, completely, super (casual and common)

완전 귀여워요. → So cute!

완전 새 거예요. → It’s completely new.

완전 깜짝 놀랐어요. → I was totally surprised.

완전 내 스타일이에요. → It’s totally my style.

무지 — super, very (slangy and casual)

무지 피곤해요. → I’m super tired.

무지 맛있어요. → It’s super tasty.

무지 좋아요. → It’s really good.

무지 빨랐어요. → It was super fast.

어마어마하게 — enormously, tremendously

사람이 어마어마하게 많아요. → There are an enormous number of people.

어마어마하게 커요. → It’s huge.

어마어마하게 비쌌어요. → It was tremendously expensive.

어마어마하게 인기가 있어요. → It’s tremendously popular.

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Extra Tips

• In spoken Korean, 너무 and 진짜 are the most natural go-tos.

• In formal writing or news, prefer 매우, 굉장히, 대단히.

• For dramatic or friendly speech, use 엄청, 완전, 무지.

• 훨씬 is only for comparisons, not just intensity.

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That’s the end of this lesson! I hope you were able to learn some new things.

What should I make my next lesson on? Comment below!

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