-ㄴ/은
Adjective Noun Modifier
-ㄴ/은 attaches to an adjective to describe a noun. For example, 예쁘다 (pretty) becomes 예쁜 to describe a flower (꽃), making 예쁜 꽃 (a pretty flower).
How It Works
In Korean, you cannot place an adjective in its dictionary form (like 크다) directly before a noun. You must first change it into a modifying form. For present tense adjectives, -ㄴ/은 is used for this purpose.
The rule is based on the final sound of the adjective stem:
1. Adjective stem ends in a vowel → Add -ㄴ
- 크다 (to be big) → 크 + ㄴ → 큰
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘 + ㄴ → 예쁜
Example: 큰 집 (a big house)
2. Adjective stem ends in a consonant → Add -은
- 작다 (to be small) → 작 + 은 → 작은
- 좋다 (to be good) → 좋 + 은 → 좋은
Example: 작은 방 (a small room)
Important Exception: 있다 / 없다
Adjectives that end in 있다 (to exist) or 없다 (to not exist), such as 맛있다 (delicious) and 재미없다 (not fun), are a special case. They use -는 instead of -ㄴ/은.
- 맛있다 → 맛있는 (delicious)
- 재미있다 → 재미있는 (fun)
Example: 재미있는 영화 (a fun movie)
Examples (4)
- 큰 가방을 샀어요.
I bought a big bag.
Word by Word: big bag (object) bought.
- 이것은 작은 상자입니다.
This is a small box.
Word by Word: This (topic) small box is.
- 맛있는 음식을 먹고 싶어요.
I want to eat delicious food.
Word by Word: delicious food (object) eat want.
맛있다 is an exception. Even though its stem ends in a consonant, it takes -는 instead of -은.
- 공원에 예쁜 꽃이 많아요.
There are many pretty flowers in the park.
Word by Word: park (at) pretty flowers (subject) are many.
Common Mistakes
Using the dictionary form of the adjective (e.g., 예쁘다) instead of the modifier form (예쁜) before a noun.
Not Quite예쁘다 꽃이 있어요.Better예쁜 꽃이 있어요.To describe a noun, you must change the adjective into its modifier form. For adjectives, this is done by adding -ㄴ or -은 to the stem.
Using -는 with regular adjectives instead of -ㄴ/은.
Not Quite좋는 날씨예요.Better좋은 날씨예요.For present tense adjectives, use -ㄴ/은 to modify a noun. The ending -는 is used for action verbs (e.g., 가는 사람 - the person who is going) and for adjectives ending in 있다/없다 (e.g., 재미있는 영화 - a fun movie).
Learn This First
To use adjective noun modifiers, you need to understand adjective conjugation patterns.
Related Patterns
- -는/ㄹVerb Noun Modifier
-ㄴ/은 is for modifying nouns with adjectives in the present tense, while -는 is for modifying nouns with action verbs in the present tense.
- Word order basics
This pattern follows the fundamental Korean word order where modifiers (like '예쁜') always come before the noun they describe (like '꽃').
- 있다/없다To Have/not Have
While most adjectives use -ㄴ/은, adjectives ending in 있다/없다 (like 맛있다, 재미없다) are an important exception and use -는 to modify nouns.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.