Famous for

This pattern is used to state what someone or something is well-known or famous for. It can be a quality, an action, or a characteristic.

Formation

For Verbs and Adjectives: Attach -기로 유명하다 to the verb stem.

친절하다 (to be kind) → 친절하기로 유명하다

노래를 잘하다 (to sing well) → 노래 잘하기로 유명하다

For Nouns: Attach -(으)로 유명하다.

Use -으로 after nouns ending in a consonant (받침).

매운맛 (spicy taste) → 매운맛으로 유명하다

Use -로 after nouns ending in a vowel.

짠돌이 (stingy person) → 짠돌이로 유명하다

여기 음식 맵기로 유명해. / 커피가 맛있기로 유명해. / 코리는 팩트 폭격기로 유명해. / 여긴 데이트 코스로 유명해.

It's important to distinguish between being famous for an action/quality versus being famous as a thing.

Famous for an Action/Quality: -기로 유명하다

The -기 part turns the verb or adjective into a noun clause, meaning "the act of..." or "the state of being...".

맵기로 유명해 means "famous for being spicy."

잘생기기로 유명해 means "famous for being handsome."

Famous as a Noun: -(으)로 유명하다

Here, -(으)로 acts like the English prepositions "as" or "for." You are famous as this noun.

매운맛으로 유명해 means "famous for its spicy taste (the noun)."

짠돌이로 유명해 means "famous as a stingy person (the noun)."

여기 음식 맵기로 유명해. / 매운맛으로 유명해요. / 잘생기기로 유명해. / 짠돌이로 유명해요.

In English, "famous" usually has a positive connotation. However, 유명하다 in Korean is neutral. It simply means "well-known" and can be used for both positive and negative traits, similar to "notorious."

Positive Connotations

Used for good qualities, skills, or pleasant characteristics.