TOPIK Writing Style: the Written Register (-ㄴ/는다) Explained

What you'll learn

• Convert polite -아요/어요 and formal -습니다 sentences into the written -ㄴ/는다 style.
• Choose the right register for each of questions 51 to 54.
• Replace spoken words such as 근데 and 진짜 with their written equivalents.
• Spot and fix style mixing before you hand in an answer.

Before you start: you should know the polite present -아요/어요 and how to find a verb stem. Time: about 20 minutes, plus 10 for the practice set. The level is B1, an editorial estimate.

What Is TOPIK Writing Style?

TOPIK writing style is the plain declarative register that Korean uses in essays, reports, newspapers and textbooks. Korean grammar calls the speech level 해라체 (haerache), and teachers often call its written use 한다체, after the form 한다 ("does"). The register is neutral: it addresses no particular listener, so it shows neither politeness nor closeness. That neutrality is why a written argument for unknown readers uses it.

Compare the same sentence in three registers:

All three mean "The library opens at 9." 열다 is an ㄹ-stem verb, so the ㄹ drops before -ㄴ다 and -ㅂ니다: 연다, 엽니다. Only the third belongs in a TOPIK essay.

9시 is read 아홉 시 and said [아홉씨]. The plain style is also the form used in diaries and for children, which is explained with its questions and commands on Korean plain style 해라체. For a TOPIK answer, only its statement endings matter, and building them is the next step.

How Do You Convert Spoken to Written Forms?

Convert a spoken sentence by finding the stem and adding the plain ending that matches the word class: -ㄴ다 or -는다 for verbs, -다 for adjectives, and 이다 for nouns. The past and future follow the same idea.

1. Verb, stem ends in a vowel: add -ㄴ다. 가요 → 간다.
2. Verb, stem ends in a consonant: add -는다. 먹어요 → 먹는다.
3. Verb, stem ends in ㄹ: drop the ㄹ, then add -ㄴ다. 살아요 → 산다; 만들어요 → 만든다.
4. Adjective: keep the dictionary form. 좋아요 → 좋다; 추워요 → 춥다.
5. Noun + 이다: 이다 after a consonant; 다 or 이다 after a vowel. 학생이에요 → 학생이다; 의사예요 → 의사다.
6. Past: -았다 or -었다. 갔어요 → 갔다.
7. Future or prediction: -(으)ㄹ 것이다. 할 거예요 → 할 것이다.

The most common error is adding -는다 to an adjective: 좋는다 and 중요한다 do not exist. If an English translation uses "is" plus an adjective, as in "is important", the Korean word is an adjective and keeps -다.

이다 in Written Style

Write 이다 attached to the noun: 문제이다 or 문제다 ("is a problem"), 학생이다 ("is a student"). After a consonant, 이다 is required, as in 활동이다 ("is an activity"); after a vowel, the shorter 다 is common in writing, and the full 이다 is also correct. The negative is the separate word 아니다 with the particle 이 or 가: 문제가 아니다. Never write 학생 이다 with a space, because 이다 attaches like a particle.

How Do You Turn Questions, Requests and Opinions into Written Style?

Turn questions into the essay forms -(으)ㄴ가, -는가 or -(으)ㄹ까, and requests into statements of necessity. Spoken plain questions with -니 or -냐 are for talking to children or close juniors, not for essays.

A rhetorical question is useful once per essay, typically to open the second body paragraph. More than one starts to sound like a speech.

Quotations in Written Style

Quote other people's words in written style with the indirect forms -다고 한다 for statements and -(이)라고 한다 for nouns. Spoken contractions such as -대요 and -래요 are the conversational versions of the same patterns and do not belong in an essay.

Spoken, the same idea is 독서가 중요하대요. In writing, use the full -다고 form and a reporting verb such as 말한다 or 한다. The plain-style lesson linked above also shows indirect quotes such as 간다고 했어요. Endings are half of the register; the other half is vocabulary.

Which Words Should You Avoid?

Avoid spoken contractions, intensifiers and fillers, because they mark an answer as conversation even when every ending is correct. The written equivalent is usually a full form or a more formal word.

근데 and Other Spoken Connectors

근데 is a spoken contraction of 그런데, so it marks the sentence as speech in the same way "gonna" does in English. In an essay, use 그런데 when you change topic and 그러나 or 하지만 when you contrast two ideas. 그러나 is the most common choice for a contrast in written arguments.

Worked Example: One Paragraph, Converted

Here is a spoken paragraph with every problem marked, then the written version.

Spoken: 요즘 혼자 사는 사람이 진짜 많아요. 근데 혼자 살면 좀 외로울 것 같아요. 그래서 저는 이웃이랑 자주 만나는 게 중요하다고 생각해요.

Written: 최근 혼자 사는 사람이 매우 많다. 그러나 혼자 살면 외로움을 느끼기 쉽다. 따라서 나는 이웃과 자주 만나는 것이 중요하다고 생각한다.

In English: "These days a great many people live alone. However, living alone, it is easy to feel lonely. Therefore I think meeting neighbours often is important."

Ten changes made the difference: 요즘 → 최근, 진짜 → 매우, 많아요 → 많다, 근데 → 그러나, the hedge 외로울 것 같아요 → 외로움을 느끼기 쉽다, 그래서 → 따라서, 저는 → 나는, 이랑 → 과, 게 → 것이 and 생각해요 → 생각한다. 요즘 is not wrong in writing, but 최근 is the usual written choice. With the vocabulary in place, the remaining question is which register each TOPIK task wants.

How Does Style Differ between Questions?

Style differs by task: questions 53 and 54 always take the written plain style, question 52 follows its passage, which is written in that style, and question 51 follows whatever register its practical text uses.

The rule for 51 and 52 is the same in principle: copy the register of the sentence before and after the blank. In a 51 email that says 안녕하십니까? and 기다리겠습니다, the blank also ends in -습니다; in a friendly message that says 와요, the blank ends in -아요/어요. Writing 참석할 수 없다 in a formal email blank is the wrong register there, even though it is perfect for an essay. The exact sentences each task asks for are taught on the TOPIK 54 essay page and on TOPIK question 52.

-습니다 in Question 54

The formal -습니다 style does not belong in question 54. It is polite and correct Korean, but it addresses a listener, which makes it the wrong register for a written argument. Teachers report that it costs language points in questions 53 and 54; check the current guidance on topik.go.kr. Write -ㄴ/는다 and -다 from the first sentence to the last. Knowing the register, the last step is to avoid the mistakes that break it.

Mistakes That Lose Marks

These five style mistakes appear most often in practice answers.

1. Mixing styles. One -요 sentence in a -다 essay is the most common error. Fix: in the final check, read only the last word of every sentence.
2. Adjectives with -는다. 좋는다, 바쁜다. Fix: adjectives keep -다: 좋다, 바쁘다.
3. Humble 저 with plain endings. 저는 ... 생각한다 mixes a humble pronoun with a neutral ending. Fix: 나는, or leave the subject out.
4. -니/-냐 questions. 왜 읽지 않니? sounds like talking to a child. Fix: 왜 읽지 않는가? or 왜 읽지 않는 것일까?
5. Answering question 51 in -다. The essay habit leaks into a formal email blank. Fix: copy the ending of the sentence next to the blank.

Common Misconceptions about Written Style

Learners often assume the -다 style is rude; actually it is neutral in writing, because it addresses no one, and every Korean newspaper uses it. Learners also assume that more difficult words always score higher; actually a correct everyday word in the right register beats a rare word used wrongly. Finally, many think the style rule is only about endings; vocabulary such as 근데, 진짜 and 이거 breaks the register just as clearly.

Practice Set

Convert each sentence into the written plain style, then check the answers.

1. 저는 주말에 도서관에 가요.
2. 이 문제는 진짜 중요해요.
3. 요즘 사람들은 책을 안 읽어요.
4. 그건 좋은 방법이 아니에요.
5. 앞으로 환경 문제가 더 심각해질 거예요.
6. 근데 시간이 없어요.

Answers. (1) 나는 주말에 도서관에 간다. (2) 이 문제는 매우 중요하다. (3) 최근 사람들은 책을 읽지 않는다. (4) 그것은 좋은 방법이 아니다. (5) 앞으로 환경 문제가 더 심각해질 것이다. (6) 그러나 시간이 없다. In (3), the long negative -지 않는다 is the usual written choice, although 안 읽는다 is also correct.

What to Learn Next

This lesson covered register only. Put it to work in the TOPIK 54 essay, and learn the grid conventions on TOPIK writing rules. For a full checklist of habits across the section, read the TOPIK writing tips, and for the other speech levels and when Koreans use them, see Korean speech levels. All writing pages are gathered in the TOPIK writing hub.

About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean was drafted with AI assistance and cross-checked with the site's rule-based conjugation engine; a Korean reviewer checks every lesson before it is marked as reviewed. TOPIK's current instructions are published on topik.go.kr.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use -습니다 in Q54?

Avoid it. The formal -습니다 style is correct and polite Korean, but it speaks to a listener, so it is the wrong register for a written essay. Questions 53 and 54 expect -ㄴ/는다 and -다 throughout, and teachers report that -습니다 answers lose language points. Check the current guidance on topik.go.kr.

Why Not 근데 in TOPIK Writing?

근데 is a spoken contraction of 그런데, so it marks a sentence as conversation, much as 'gonna' does in English. In an essay, use 그런데 to change topic and 그러나 or 하지만 to contrast two ideas. Contractions such as 이거, 뭐 and 거 have the same problem and should be written in full.

How Do I Write 이다 in Written Style?

Attach 이다 to the noun with no space: 학생이다, 활동이다. After a vowel, the short form 다 is common and the full form is also correct, as in 의사다 or 의사이다. The negative is the separate word 아니다 with 이 or 가: 문제가 아니다, never 안 문제이다.

What about Quotations in TOPIK Writing?

Report what others say with the indirect forms -다고 한다 for statements and -(이)라고 한다 for nouns, followed by a verb such as 말한다. Spoken contractions such as -대요 and -래요 are conversational and do not belong in an essay. Quote sparingly; raters want your own argument, not other people's words.

Is the -다 Style Rude?

Not in writing. The plain style addresses no particular reader, so it is neutral, which is why newspapers, textbooks and reports use it. It sounds rude only when spoken to an older person or a stranger. In a TOPIK answer it is the expected register, so using it shows control of written Korean.