Key Facts
- Hangul: 아름답다 (areumdapda)
- Meaning: beautiful
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 아름답
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the beautiful thing, as in 경치가 아름다워서.
- Usage: More formal and written than 예쁘다; typical in 아름다운 자연 and 아름다운 마음.
What Does 아름답다 Mean?
아름답다 is beauty on a larger scale. 아름다운 풍경 is a lovely landscape, 아름다운 노래 a beautiful song, and 아름다운 마음 a beautiful heart.
In casual talk 예뻐요 is far more common, so 아름답다 gives writing, speeches and travel talk a more polished tone.
How Do You Pronounce 아름답다?
The dictionary form is read [아름답따] because ㅂ followed by ㄷ tenses the ㄷ. Vowel endings drop the ㅂ, so 아름다워요 is read as spelled, and the past 아름다웠어요 follows the same pattern.
How Do You Use 아름답다 in a Sentence?
제주도의 바다는 아름다워요.
The sea in Jeju is beautiful.
제주도의 sets the place, and 바다는 is the topic that is described as 아름다워요.
아름다운 노래를 들었어요.
I heard a beautiful song.
아름다운 comes before 노래를 and 들었어요 puts the listening in the past.
경치가 아름다워서 사진을 찍었어요.
The view was beautiful, so I took photos.
아름다워서 explains why the speaker 사진을 찍었어요; the first clause is the reason.
All three examples talk about scenery, songs or views rather than faces, which is where 아름답다 sounds most natural: 아름다워요, 아름다운 and 아름다워서.
How Does Areumdapda Conjugation Work?
아름답다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. The ㅂ of the stem 아름답 becomes 우 before a vowel and contracts to 워: 아름다워요, 아름다웠어요, 아름다워서. Before a consonant it stays, so 아름답습니다. The modifier is 아름다운.
To say something is not beautiful, put 안 in front for 안 아름다워요 or use the long negative 아름답지 않아요. The because-form is 아름다워서, the if-form 아름다우면, and the modifiers are 아름다운 (now), 아름다웠던 (earlier) and 아름다울 (later); the honorific polite form is 아름다우세요.
아름답다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 아름다워요 | ||
| Polite past | 아름다웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 아름다울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 아름답겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 아름답습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 아름다웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 아름다울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 아름다워 | ||
| Casual past | 아름다웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 아름다울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 아름다우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 아름다워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 아름다우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 아름다운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 아름다웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 아름다울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 아름다워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 아름답지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 아름다웠어요 | [아름다워써요] |
| Polite future | 아름다울 거예요 | [아름다울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 아름답겠어요 | [아름답께써요] |
| Formal present | 아름답습니다 | [아름답씀니다] |
| Formal past | 아름다웠습니다 | [아름다웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 아름다울 것입니다 | [아름다울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 아름다웠어 | [아름다워써] |
| Casual future | 아름다울 거야 | [아름다울꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 아름다웠던 | [아름다웓떤] |
| Long negative | 아름답지 않아요 | [아름답찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 아름답어요
Correct: ✓ 아름다워요
Why: Treating the stem as regular gives 아름답어요. The ㅂ must change first, so the answer is 아름다워요.
When Does 아름답다 Fit Better than 예쁘다?
Reach for 아름답다 for views, music, nature and moral beauty, and for a more written register. 멋있다 is not a synonym; it means cool or stylish.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 아름답다?
| Word | How to tell it from 아름답다 |
|---|---|
| 예쁘다 | 예쁘다 is the everyday 'pretty'; 아름답다 is more literary and grander. |
| 멋있다 | 멋있다 means cool or stylish, not beautiful. |
Looking at the Sea in Jeju
Two travelers compare yesterday’s view with the sea in front of them. 아름답다 fits the scenery without making the conversation sound like a casual comment about someone’s clothes.
Mina
바다가 정말 아름다워요.
Badaga jeongmal areumdawoyo.
The sea is really beautiful.
Alex
어제도 아름다웠어요.
Eojedo areumdawosseoyo.
It was beautiful yesterday too.
Mina
아름다운 바다를 보니까 기분이 좋아요.
Areumdaun badareul bonikka gibuni joayo.
Seeing the beautiful sea puts me in a good mood.
Alex
여기서 사진을 찍어요.
Yeogiseo sajineul jjigeoyo.
Let’s take a photo here.
아름다워요 is a complete description; 아름다웠어요 puts it in the past. 아름다운 goes directly before 바다. The adjective is the same, but its job in the sentence determines the ending.
Which Phrases Use 아름답다 beyond Appearance?
아름다운 자연 means beautiful nature, and 아름다운 풍경 means a beautiful landscape or view. These are literal descriptions of what someone sees. Travel introductions and captions use the modifier because the noun can then name the destination or feature. The adjective does not tell you whether a landscape is wild, quiet or easy to reach.
아름다운 목소리 means a beautiful voice. Here the beauty is heard rather than seen. The same word works for the song in the existing example: 아름다운 노래 can describe a moving or lovely song without referring to the singer's appearance. This range makes 아름답다 useful in reviews of music and performances.
아름다운 마음 is a beautiful heart, in the sense of kindness or generosity. 마음 refers to someone's inner feelings or character here, rather than the physical organ. A story about helping a stranger can describe that kindness as beautiful. The phrase praises a quality of the person, so translating it only as “good-looking” loses the point.
아름다운 추억 means beautiful memories. The phrase values the experience as remembered; it does not claim that every part of the event looked attractive. You may see it in farewell messages or captions about a shared trip. The noun after 아름다운 is your best clue to whether the beauty is visual, musical or emotional.
How Strong Does the Compliment Sound?
아름다워요 can sound sincere and thoughtful about a view or a performance. About a person, it can sound elevated, romantic or ceremonial. A character saying it in a drama may be making a more deliberate compliment than a friend commenting on a new hair clip. The word itself is not restricted to formal speech; the choice of adjective creates that tone.
예쁘다 is a familiar everyday choice for something pretty, while 아름답다 often invites a broader appreciation. There is overlap: a speaker can use either for flowers. Choose according to the impression you want to express, rather than assuming that the two words divide all objects into fixed categories.
In a gallery or travel brochure, you may read the dictionary form 아름답다 as a complete written statement. When speaking politely, 아름다워요 is the corresponding everyday ending. The formal 아름답습니다 suits a presentation or speech. Changing the ending adjusts the speech style while keeping the core compliment.
Why Do 아름다운 and 아름답습니다 Look Different?
The modifier 아름다운 follows the same ㅂ change as 아름다워요, but it has no 어 to contract with 우. It ends in 운 rather than 워. 아름답습니다 keeps ㅂ because its ending starts with a consonant. Learning those two forms together prevents the habit of replacing every ㅂ with 워.
아름답지 않아요 also keeps the stem-final ㅂ in writing. Its tense sound before 지 follows the pronunciation rule shown in the table; that sound does not require a new spelling. In 아름다울 거예요, 거예요 is separate. Since this is an adjective, the phrase normally predicts beauty rather than expressing someone's plan to be beautiful.
| Related word | Meaning | What it names |
|---|---|---|
| 경치 | scenery / view | The surroundings someone admires. |
| 풍경 | landscape / scene | A scene in nature, a picture or a description. |
| 마음 | heart / mind | Inner character in 아름다운 마음. |
| 추억 | memory | A remembered experience valued emotionally. |
The landscape vocabulary lesson gives you nouns to pair with 아름다운 when describing a view.
Mini Drill: Keep or Change the ㅂ?
- Give the polite present of 아름답다.
- Fill “a beautiful song”: ____ 노래.
- Choose the formal present from the table.
- Change 아름다워요 to the polite past.
Show answers
- 아름다워요. The ㅂ changes before the vowel ending.
- 아름다운 노래. The modifier keeps 우 without an 어 contraction.
- 아름답습니다. The consonant ending keeps ㅂ.
- 아름다웠어요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 아름다운 목소리 describe someone’s appearance?
- What kind of beauty does 아름다운 마음 praise?
- Can 아름다워요 be used in polite conversation about scenery?
Show answers
- No. It describes the sound of a beautiful voice.
- Inner beauty, such as kindness or generosity.
- Yes. The adjective can sound appreciative without requiring a formal speech.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Say 아름답다 about a Person?
It is possible, but it sounds formal or literary. 예쁘다 is the everyday choice.
What Is the Polite Present?
아름다워요.
How Do I Describe a Beautiful Heart?
아름다운 마음.
Is 아름답어요 a Typo?
It is a wrong form. The ㅂ must change, giving 아름다워요.
Which Words Are Related to 아름답다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare it with 예쁘다 and 귀엽다 to see the three levels of looks. Why 아름답 becomes 아름다워 is covered step by step in ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives. The Korean verb conjugator shows the same change for any other ㅂ word, and the Korean verb dictionary lists more words for looks.