Having quality of

The suffix -스럽다 attaches to certain nouns to create a descriptive adjective. It adds the meaning of 'having the quality of,' 'being like,' or 'evoking the feeling of' the noun it's attached to.

Formation

Simply attach -스럽다 to the end of a noun stem.

사랑 (love) + -스럽다 → 사랑스럽다 (lovely)

자랑 (pride) + -스럽다 → 자랑스럽다 (proud/praiseworthy)

Conjugation (ㅂ Irregular)

-스럽다 is a 'ㅂ' irregular adjective. When conjugating with a vowel (like in -아/어요), the ㅂ changes to 우.

사랑스럽다 + -어요 → 사랑스러워요 (It's lovely.)

부담스럽다 + -어요 → 부담스러워요 (It's burdensome.)

사랑스럽다. / 변덕스럽다. / 아이가 참 어른스럽다. / 너무 부담스러워요.

Learners often confuse -스럽다 with -답다. They both attach to nouns but have distinct nuances.

-스럽다 (Having the quality of)

This implies that something seems like or has the characteristics of the noun, but isn't necessarily that noun. It's about the impression it gives.

어른스럽다 (adult-like, mature): A compliment for a child who acts like an adult. The child is not an adult.

-답다 (Being worthy of the name)

This implies that something is behaving exactly as it should, fulfilling the ideal role of that noun. The subject is that noun.

어른답다 (to be adult-like, responsible): An expectation for an actual adult. You wouldn't use this for a child.

Key takeaway: A child can be 어른스럽다, but only an adult can be 어른답다.

아이가 참 어른스러워요. / 그 사람은 정말 남자다워요. / 역시 전문가답네요.

You can easily turn a -스럽다 adjective into an adverb by changing the ending to -스럽게. This form means 'in a ... manner' or '-ly' and is used to modify verbs.

Formation