Korean Adjective Order: Describing a Table with Multiple Adjectives
Learn how to order multiple Korean adjectives before a noun, focusing on opinion, size, age, and color, with the example 'a lovely small old wooden table'.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Korean, when you use several adjectives to describe a noun, the usual order is: opinion, size, age, color, and then material. This differs from English, where the order is often opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material. For example, 'a lovely small old wooden table' becomes '멋진 작은 오래된 나무 탁자' (meotjin jageun oraedoen namu takja). In this lesson, you will learn the basic order and practice using it with common adjectives. Remember that Korean adjectives come before the noun, just like in English, but the order may feel different. We will focus on the most common sequence: opinion, size, age, color, material.
By the end, you can…
- list the usual order of multiple adjectives before a Korean noun.
- describe a table using at least three adjectives in the correct order.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
멋진 작은 오래된 나무 탁자
a lovely small old wooden table
meotjin jageun oraedoen namu takja
This phrase follows the order: opinion (멋진), size (작은), age (오래된), material (나무). Color is omitted here.
예쁜 큰 새 빨간 가방
a pretty big new red bag
yeppeun keun sae ppalgan gabang
Order: opinion (예쁜), size (큰), age (새), color (빨간). Material is not specified.
귀여운 작은 오래된 하얀 집
a cute small old white house
gwiyeoun jageun oraedoen hayan jip
Order: opinion (귀여운), size (작은), age (오래된), color (하얀).
무서운 큰 새 검은 개
a scary big new black dog
museoun keun sae geomeun gae
Order: opinion (무서운), size (큰), age (새), color (검은).
좋은 작은 오래된 나무 의자
a good small old wooden chair
joeun jageun oraedoen namu uija
Order: opinion (좋은), size (작은), age (오래된), material (나무).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The general pattern for multiple adjectives before a noun in Korean is: opinion + size + age + color + material + noun. For example, '멋진 작은 오래된 나무 탁자' (meotjin jageun oraedoen namu takja) means 'a lovely small old wooden table'. Here, 멋진 (lovely) is opinion, 작은 (small) is size, 오래된 (old) is age, and 나무 (wooden) is material. If you include color, it goes after age and before material: '예쁜 큰 새 빨간 가방' (yeppeun keun sae ppalgan gabang) means 'a pretty big new red bag'. Note that not all adjectives need to be present; you can use just two or three. The order is flexible to some extent, but following this sequence sounds most natural.
When to use it
Use this order when you want to describe a noun with more than one adjective. It is common in both spoken and written Korean. For instance, if you are describing a house, you might say '귀여운 작은 오래된 하얀 집' (gwiyeoun jageun oraedoen hayan jip) meaning 'a cute small old white house'. If you are talking about a pet, you could say '무서운 큰 새 검은 개' (museoun keun sae geomeun gae) meaning 'a scary big new black dog'. Remember that adjectives in Korean do not change form based on the noun; they stay the same. Also, the order is not as strict as in English, but placing opinion first and material last is a good rule of thumb.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
이 탁자는 어때요?
How is this table?i takjaneun eottaeyo?멋진 작은 오래된 나무 탁자예요.
It's a lovely small old wooden table.meotjin jageun oraedoen namu takjayeyo.저 가방은 어때요?
How about that bag?jeo gabangeun eottaeyo?예쁜 큰 새 빨간 가방이에요.
It's a pretty big new red bag.yeppeun keun sae ppalgan gabangieyo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean, the order of adjectives is somewhat flexible, but the sequence opinion, size, age, color, material is the most natural and commonly used. Koreans might sometimes change the order for emphasis, but beginners should stick to this pattern. Also, Korean does not use articles like 'a' or 'the', so you simply put the adjectives before the noun without any article. For example, 'a lovely small old wooden table' is just '멋진 작은 오래된 나무 탁자' without any word for 'a'.
One thing to watch for
Putting the material before the color, as in '나무 빨간 탁자' (namu ppalgan takja).
Try this instead: The correct order is color before material: '빨간 나무 탁자' (ppalgan namu takja) means 'a red wooden table'. So if you want to say 'a lovely small old red wooden table', it should be '멋진 작은 오래된 빨간 나무 탁자' (meotjin jageun oraedoen ppalgan namu takja).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Arrange these adjectives in the correct order before the noun '집' (house): 하얀 (white), 작은 (small), 오래된 (old), 귀여운 (cute).
Show a sample answer
귀여운 작은 오래된 하얀 집
The order is opinion (귀여운), size (작은), age (오래된), color (하얀). This follows the standard sequence. Other orders might be understandable but less natural.
2Translate into Korean: 'a good big new black car' (use 좋은, 큰, 새, 검은, and 차).
Show a sample answer
좋은 큰 새 검은 차
The order is opinion (좋은), size (큰), age (새), color (검은), then noun (차). This is the most natural order.
3What is the usual order of adjectives in Korean? List the categories.
Show a sample answer
Opinion, size, age, color, material.
This is the general order. Some flexibility exists, but this sequence is the most common and recommended for learners.
When using multiple adjectives in Korean, remember the order: opinion, size, age, color, material. Practice with common nouns to make it natural.
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