-(으)ㄴ Adjective and past Modifier: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Turn adjectives such as 예쁘다, 크다 and 작다 into noun modifiers.
• Turn action verbs such as 읽다, 가다 and 만들다 into past modifiers.
• Handle ㄹ-stems and the ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ and ㅎ irregular stems.
• Avoid the classic errors 예쁘는 꽃 and 맛있은 음식.

Prerequisites: the polite ending -아요/어요 and the idea that a Korean adjective works like a verb (korean adjectives are verbs). Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• A modifier is a word or ending that describes a noun, and in Korean it always stands before that noun.
• -(으)ㄴ is added to the verb or adjective stem, so 예쁘다 becomes 예쁜 and 읽다 becomes 읽은.
• On an adjective the meaning is "now". On an action verb the meaning is "finished".
• The same ending never attaches to 있다 and 없다. Those two take -는.
• The form is identical in casual, polite and formal speech.

Listen to the two model phrases for this lesson.

The next section defines the ending and shows it in two sentences.

What Is the -(으)ㄴ Adjective and past Modifier?

The -(으)ㄴ adjective and past modifier is one ending with two jobs. A modifier is a form that describes a noun. English puts a one-word modifier before the noun ("a pretty flower") and a longer one after it ("the book that I read"). Korean puts every modifier before the noun, however long it is. The ending -(으)ㄴ is added to the stem of the verb or adjective, and the noun follows it directly.

Grammar books call this the adnominal form (관형사형). Because Korean adjectives behave like verbs, they use the same endings as verbs. That is why one ending covers "pretty" and "that I read".

A First Example

In both sentences the modifier stands right before the noun it describes. The next section explains how to build the form from any stem.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄴ?

The rule has two cases. A stem that ends in a vowel takes ㄴ, which joins the last syllable as a final consonant. A stem that ends in a consonant takes the syllable 은. Then a few stem types change, and the table lists them all.

Three patterns need a closer look.

ㄹ-stems lose their ㄹ. A final ㄹ drops before ㄴ, so 길다 becomes 긴, not 길은. In the same way 살다 becomes 산 ("lived"), 알다 becomes 안, and 멀다 becomes 먼 ("far", as in 먼 나라, "a far country").

Irregular stems rebuild first. The ㅂ in 춥다, 맵다 and 어렵다 turns into 우 before a vowel-type ending, so 맵다 gives 매운 ("spicy") and 어렵다 gives 어려운 ("difficult"). Verb stems in ㄷ turn the ㄷ into ㄹ, so 걷다 gives 걸은. These stem changes are explained in the irregular-verb lessons and are the same as in the polite ending.

Spoken forms follow the final consonant. A consonant that ends the stem moves onto the 은 syllable: 읽은 sounds like [일근], and 작은 sounds like [자근]. The ㅎ of 좋은 is silent before a vowel, so it sounds like [조은]. The ㅎ of 많은 is silent in the same way, so it sounds like [마는].

The next section builds a full sentence step by step.

Worked Example: Building 어제 읽은 책이에요

To say "It is the book I read yesterday", start from the verb and add the ending in five steps.

1. Pick the verb. The idea is "read", so the dictionary form is 읽다.
2. Take off 다. The stem is 읽-.
3. Look at the last sound. The stem ends in the consonant ㄺ, so the ending is 은.
4. Add the ending. 읽 + 은 gives 읽은, which means "that I read".
5. Put the noun after it. 읽은 책 means "the book that I read". Add 어제 in front for "yesterday", and finish with 이에요 for "it is".

You'll know it worked when the verb sits directly in front of the noun, with no particle between them. In the sentence the modifier 읽은 describes 책, and 책 carries the final 이에요. A subject can appear inside the modifier: 제가 어제 읽은 책 means "the book that I read yesterday". The modifier plus its own subject and object is a relative clause, which is the topic of relative clauses in korean.

The next section answers the question that confuses most learners: does the ending mean "now" or "finished"?

Does -(으)ㄴ Mean a State Now or a Finished Action?

The ending means a state now after an adjective and a finished action after an action verb, because the word class decides the time. An action verb is a verb that names something you do, such as 읽다 or 가다. An adjective names a quality, such as 크다 or 예쁘다. A quality exists now, and an action can be over.

The same two ending shapes also tell you what to avoid. An action verb does not use -(으)ㄴ for the present. "The book I am reading" is 읽는 책, with -는, and "the book I will read" is 읽을 책, with -(으)ㄹ. An adjective that was true in the past does not use -(으)ㄴ either. "A house that used to be small" is 작았던 집, which uses -았/었던.

The full side-by-side comparison with more verbs is on -는 vs -(으)ㄴ vs -(으)ㄹ. The present form for verbs has its own lesson at -는 noun modifier, and the future form is at -(으)ㄹ future modifier.

The next section covers the words that do not follow the rule.

Exceptions: 있다, 없다 and Verbs That Describe a State

The words 있다 and 없다 are the biggest exception: they take -는 even though they look like adjectives. A tasty meal is 맛있는 음식, never 맛있은 음식, and a boring film is 재미없는 영화. The lesson 있는 없는 modifier 재미있는 lists every compound. The copula 이다 ("to be") has its own forms, 인 and 이었던, which are taught in 이다 modifier 인 이었던 일.

Other words need a short note.

• 괜찮다 is a true adjective. It takes 은: 괜찮은 사람 means "a decent person", spoken [괜차는 사람]. The form 괜찮는 is wrong.
• Some verbs describe a state that began earlier. For these verbs -(으)ㄴ describes the present result: 결혼한 사람 means "a married person" and 잘생긴 사람 means "a good-looking person". Learn such words as units.
• Clothing verbs split three ways. 입은 옷 is "clothes that someone wore or is wearing", 입는 옷 is "clothes that someone usually wears" and 입을 옷 is "clothes to wear". See Wearing verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다 for the wearing verbs.
• Fixed patterns reuse the form. 한국에 간 적이 있어요 means "I have been to Korea", and the pattern is taught in -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience.

Four demonstrative words are -(으)ㄴ forms of the ㅎ-irregular pattern and work like adjectives: 이런 (this kind of), 그런 (that kind of), 저런 (that kind of, over there) and 어떤 (what kind of). 이런 음식 means "this kind of food".

What this lesson does not cover. It does not cover the retrospective -던, a later B2 topic, or the full set of patterns that begin with -(으)ㄴ. It also skips relative clauses with several words inside the modifier.

An honest limit. A few action verbs can take -(으)ㄴ for a present result as well as for a finished action, and only the context tells you which one. 입은 옷 is the standard example.

The next section collects the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄴ?

Learners make six predictable mistakes. Each one has a reason and a fix.

Learners often assume every adjective can take -는. Actually only action verbs take -는. Wrong: 예쁘는 꽃. Right: 예쁜 꽃. Fix: ask whether the word names an action or a quality before choosing the ending.

Learners often assume 맛있다 is a normal adjective. Actually any word ending in 있다 or 없다 takes -는. Wrong: 맛있은 음식, 재미없은 영화. Right: 맛있는 음식, 재미없는 영화. Fix: check the last two syllables of the word.

Learners often read 먹은 as "eating". Actually it means "ate". Wrong: 지금 먹은 음식 for "the food I am eating now". Right: 지금 먹는 음식. Fix: for an action in progress use -는.

Learners often forget to drop ㄹ. Actually ㄹ-stems lose the ㄹ. Wrong: 길은 머리 and 만들은 음식. Right: 긴 머리 and 만든 음식. Fix: when a stem ends in ㄹ, remove it before adding ㄴ.

Learners often put 은 after a vowel stem. Actually 은 follows consonants only. Wrong: 예쁘은 꽃, 가은 곳. Right: 예쁜 꽃, 간 곳. Fix: a vowel stem takes the single consonant ㄴ.

Learners often leave an irregular stem unchanged. Actually irregular stems rebuild. Wrong: 춥은 날씨, 듣은 노래. Right: 추운 날씨, 들은 노래. Fix: build the polite form first; if the stem changes there, it changes here.

Practice turns these rules into habits, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: choose the form. Write the -(으)ㄴ form of each word.

1. 크다 (big) + 집
2. 보다 (see) + 영화, for a film already seen
3. 만들다 (make) + 음식, for food already made
4. 춥다 (cold) + 날씨

Task 2: fix the error. Each phrase has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 예쁘은 꽃
2. 재미없은 영화
3. 길은 머리

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I bought a pretty flower." and "It is the book I read yesterday."

Task 4: write your own. Describe one thing you have in your room with an adjective plus -(으)ㄴ, for example 작은 책상.

Answer key

1. (1) 큰 집 (2) 본 영화 (3) 만든 음식 (4) 추운 날씨.
2. (1) 예쁜 꽃 (2) 재미없는 영화 (3) 긴 머리.
3. 예쁜 꽃을 샀어요. 어제 읽은 책이에요.
4. Sample answers: 작은 책상, 새로운 컴퓨터 (a new computer), 오래된 책 (an old book). Any adjective plus -(으)ㄴ before a noun is correct.

If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 2 was difficult, return to the section on 있다 and 없다. The next section points you to the lessons that follow.

Next Lessons after the -(으)ㄴ Adjective and past Modifier

After the -(으)ㄴ adjective and past modifier, learn the present modifier in -는 noun modifier and the future modifier in -(으)ㄹ future modifier. Then read -는 vs -(으)ㄴ vs -(으)ㄹ to see all three together.

The wider set is listed on the parent page, Noun-Modifying Forms. For a drill on adjective forms only, see korean adjective -(으)ㄴ form.

This lesson covers the form and the two basic meanings. It does not cover -던 or longer relative clauses. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were generated with AI assistance. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -(으)ㄴ mean? -(으)ㄴ is an ending that lets an adjective or an action verb describe a noun. On an adjective it states a quality now, as in 작은 집 ("a small house"). On an action verb it marks a finished action, as in 읽은 책 ("a book I read"). The same form carries two meanings, and the word class decides which one.

How do I form -(으)ㄴ? Add ㄴ to a stem that ends in a vowel and 은 to a stem that ends in a consonant. 크다 gives 큰, and 작다 gives 작은. A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first, so 길다 gives 긴 and 만들다 gives 만든. Irregular stems change: 춥다 gives 추운, and 듣다 gives 들은.

What is the most common mistake with -(으)ㄴ? The most common mistake is attaching -는 to an adjective, as in 예쁘는 꽃, or attaching -(으)ㄴ to 있다 and 없다, as in 맛있은 음식. Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ, so the correct phrase is 예쁜 꽃. 있다 and 없다 take -는, so the correct phrase is 맛있는 음식.

How is -(으)ㄴ different from -는 and -(으)ㄹ? The three endings mark time for action verbs. -는 is the present (먹는 음식, food I eat), -(으)ㄴ is the past (먹은 음식, food I ate) and -(으)ㄹ is the future (먹을 음식, food I will eat). Adjectives use -(으)ㄴ for the present and -았/었던 for the past, as in 작은 집 and 작았던 집.

Do I use -(으)ㄴ in speech, writing or both? Both. -(으)ㄴ is a core form of everyday speech and of writing at every level. 예쁜 옷 and 어제 산 책 sound natural in conversation, in messages and in books. Only the sentence ending changes with politeness. The modifier form before the noun stays the same in casual, polite and formal speech.

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