-(으)ㄹ 만하다

Worth Doing, Reasonable

Level 4Sounds Like manhada

Indicates that an action is worth the effort or that a certain situation is justifiable. It translates to 'worth -ing' or 'understandable that...'.

How It Works

1. Expressing 'Worth Doing'
This usage is common for making recommendations or evaluating an experience. It implies that while something might not be perfect, it meets a certain standard of quality that makes the effort worthwhile.

  • 이 영화는 볼 만해요. (This movie is worth watching.)
  • 제주도는 한 번 가 볼 만한 곳이에요. (Jeju Island is a place worth visiting at least once.)

2. Expressing 'Reasonable' or 'Understandable'
This usage conveys that a situation or someone's reaction is justifiable. It's often used to show empathy or agreement with a cause-and-effect relationship.

  • 그렇게 열심히 일했으니 피곤할 만도 하네요. (Since you worked so hard, it's understandable that you're tired.)
  • 그 사람이 화낼 만했어요. (It was reasonable for that person to get angry.)

Note the use of -도 in '피곤할 만도 하네요' to add emphasis, meaning 'it's also understandable' or 'it's indeed understandable'.

Tense and Usage as a Modifier
The tense is changed by conjugating the final 하다.

  • Past: -ㄹ/을 만했다 (was worth doing)
  • Present: -ㄹ/을 만하다 (is worth doing)

It can also modify nouns, similar to other verb noun modifiers.

  • Noun Modifier: -ㄹ/을 만한 + Noun (a noun worth...)
    e.g., 읽을 만한 책 (a book worth reading)

Examples (4)

  1. 이 책은 한번 읽을 만해요.

    This book is worth reading once.

    Word by Word: This book once read is worth it.

  2. 그 식당 음식은 기다려서 먹을 만했어요.

    The food at that restaurant was worth waiting for.

    Word by Word: That restaurant's food waiting and eating was worth it.

    The past tense -했어요 is used because the action of eating is complete.

  3. 매일 야근했으니 화를 낼 만도 하지.

    He worked overtime every day, so it's understandable that he'd be angry.

    Word by Word: Every day worked overtime so anger to get is also reasonable.

    This shows the 'reasonable/understandable' meaning. The particle -도 adds emphasis, like 'of course it's understandable'.

  4. 요즘 볼 만한 영화가 있어요?

    Are there any movies worth watching these days?

    Word by Word: These days watch-worth movie is there?

    Here, 볼 만한 acts as an adjective modifying 영화 (movie).

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing -ㄹ 만하다 (worth doing) with -ㄹ 수 있다 (can do).

    Different MeaningA: 이 영화 어때요? B: 네, 볼 수 있어요.
    BetterA: 이 영화 어때요? B: 네, 볼 만해요.

    When asked for a recommendation, saying 볼 수 있어요 (I can watch it) only states ability or possibility, not quality. To recommend the movie as being worth the time, you should use 볼 만해요 (It's worth watching). Use -ㄹ 수 있다 for ability and -ㄹ 만하다 for worthiness.

  • Incorrectly using the 'worth doing' meaning with descriptive verbs (adjectives).

    Different Meaning그 가방은 비쌀 만해요.
    Better그 가방은 비싸지만 살 만해요.

    The meaning 'worth doing' applies to action verbs. While -ㄹ 만하다 can be used with some descriptive verbs (adjectives) to mean 'it's understandable that...' (e.g., 피곤할 만하다), you cannot use it with adjectives like 비싸다 (to be expensive) to mean 'it's worth being expensive'. To express that something is worth its high price, you must use an action verb like 사다 (to buy), resulting in 살 만하다 (it's worth buying).

Learn This First

To express 'worth doing/reasonable', you need modifier forms and conjugation.

Related Patterns

Words in This Pattern

-ㄹ 만하다만하다-ㄹ
Practice -(으)ㄹ 만하다 in BubblegumPoppy, your AI tutor, writes Korean lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.