Describing Nouns in Korean
In Korean, when you want to describe a noun, the describing word comes right before it.
Unlike English, where descriptions can sometimes follow the noun (like "a person who works"), Korean typically places the modifier first.
To do this, we change the dictionary form of the verb, adjective, or noun before placing it in front of the noun we want to describe.
States and Conditions: -(으)ㄴ
When an adjective describes a noun's current state, use -(으)ㄴ .
Rules
Stem ending in a vowel: attach -ㄴ
Stem ending in a consonant: attach -은
Dictionary Form · Modifier Form · Example
크다 · 큰 · 큰 가방
작다 · 작은 · 작은 가방
친절하다 · 친절한 · 친절한 사람
좋다 · 좋은 · 좋은 영화
Actions and Habits: -는
When a verb describes an action that is currently happening or happens regularly, use -는 .
Rules
Attach -는 directly to the verb stem, regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or consonant.
Dictionary Form · Modifier Form · Example
가다 · 가는 · 가는 길
먹다 · 먹는 · 먹는 음식
일하다 · 일하는 · 일하는 사람
Noun Identity: -인
When you want to specify that a noun is another noun, you attach -인 . This comes from the word 이다.
Noun · Modifier Form · Example
학생 · 학생인 · 학생인 사람
친구 · 친구인 · 친구인 사람
학교 · 학교인 · 학교인 곳
The 있다 and 없다 Rule
Words ending in 있다 (to exist or have) and 없다 (to not exist or not have) follow a special rule. Even though they often describe states, they take the verb modifier form -는 .