Key Facts
- Hangul: 비싸다 (bissada)
- Meaning: expensive
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 비싸
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the pricey thing takes 이/가 or 은/는 (가방이 비싸요).
- Usage: A1 shopping word, often with 너무 or 좀 (너무 비싸요). Formal: 비쌉니다; past: 비쌌어요 with doubled ㅆ.
What Does 비싸다 Mean?
비싸다 means expensive. 이 옷은 비싸요 is the everyday way to say these clothes cost a lot. The pricey thing takes 이/가 or 은/는, as in 가방이 비싸요. It is an A1 shopping word, and it often comes with 너무 or 좀, as in 너무 비싸요.
How Do You Pronounce 비싸다?
비싸다 is read as written. In the past, the past ending fuses into the stem and gives 비쌌어요, spoken [비싸써요]. The ㅂ before ㄴ in the formal style turns into ㅁ, so 비쌉니다 is [비쌈니다]. The formal past 비쌌습니다 sounds like [비싿씀니다].
How Do You Use 비싸다 in a Sentence?
이 가방은 너무 비싸요.
This bag is too expensive.
너무 shows the price is more than the speaker likes, and 이 가방은 is the topic.
비싼 옷을 샀어요.
I bought expensive clothes.
비싼 is the present modifier and goes before 옷을.
비싸서 못 샀어요.
It was expensive, so I couldn't buy it.
비싸서 gives the reason, and 못 샀어요 says the speaker could not buy it.
They show the polite present 비싸요, the modifier 비싼 and the because-form 비싸서.
How Does Bissada Conjugation Work?
비싸다 is regular. The stem 비싸 ends in ㅏ, so 아 contracts into it: 비싸요, 비싸서. In the past, the past ending merges into the last syllable and makes 쌌, so the polite past is 비쌌어요 with a doubled ㅆ. The formal present is 비쌉니다, the present modifier is 비싼, and the if-form is 비싸면. The rule behind this class is in the polite present recipe lesson.
비싸다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 비싸요 | ||
| Polite past | 비쌌어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 비쌀 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 비싸겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 비쌉니다 | ||
| Formal past | 비쌌습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 비쌀 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 비싸 | ||
| Casual past | 비쌌어 | ||
| Casual future | 비쌀 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 비싸세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 비싸서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 비싸면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 비싼 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 비쌌던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 비쌀 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 비싸요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 비싸지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 비쌌어요 | [비싸써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 비쌀 거예요 | [비쌀꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 비싸겠어요 | [비싸게써요] |
| Formal present | 비쌉니다 | [비쌈니다] |
| Formal past | 비쌌습니다 | [비싿씀니다] |
| Formal future | 비쌀 것입니다 | [비쌀꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 비쌌어 | [비싸써] |
| Casual future | 비쌀 거야 | [비쌀꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 비쌌던 | [비싿떤] |
| Long negative | 비싸지 않아요 | [비싸지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 비싸다
Wrong: ✗ 비싸어요
Correct: ✓ 비싸요
Why: The stem 비싸 ends in ㅏ, so the 아 of 아요 merges into it: 비싸 + 아요 = 비싸요. Writing the extra syllable gives a form that is not used.
비싸다 in Shops
비싸다 works both for an item (이 가방은 너무 비싸요) and for a price itself (가격이 비싸요). In a shop the common phrases are 너무 비싸요 and 좀 비싸요. The doubled ㅆ in the past 비쌌어요 is the form beginners misspell first.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 비싸다?
| Word | How to tell it from 비싸다 |
|---|---|
| 싸다 | The opposite: 싸다 means cheap; 비싸다 means expensive. |
| 많다 | 많다 is a large amount; 비싸다 is high price. Do not say 가격이 많아요. |
Do not pair 비싸다 with 많다 to talk about price. 많다 is about amount; 비싸다 is about cost.
Looking for a Bag within a Budget
A shopper likes a bag but wants a cheaper choice. The assistant asks about the budget before showing another item.
Shopper
이 가방은 좀 비싸요.
I gabangeun jom bissayo.
This bag is a little expensive.
Assistant
얼마 정도 생각하세요?
Eolma jeongdo saenggakaseyo?
About how much are you thinking of spending?
Shopper
비싼 가방은 필요 없어요.
Bissan gabangeun piryo eopseoyo.
I don’t need an expensive bag.
Assistant
이건 안 비싸요. 한번 보세요.
Igeon an bissayo. Hanbeon boseyo.
This one isn’t expensive. Take a look.
좀 softens the first price comment, while 비싼 moves the description before 가방. 안 비싸요 negates the price judgement. The assistant still needs a budget: “not expensive” can mean different amounts to different shoppers.
Price Phrases with a Purpose
값이 비싸다 and 가격이 비싸다 both describe a high price. The item itself can also be the subject. The choice lets you focus either on the product or on its cost, without changing 비싸다 into a verb meaning “to buy”. Buying is 사다, which appears in the existing examples.
너무 비싸요 says the price is too high for the speaker’s purpose or budget. 좀 비싸요 can literally mean a little expensive, but it also softens a complaint. The smaller word does not guarantee that the difference in price is small; the speaker may be trying to sound less blunt.
비싸게 사다 means to buy at a high price. Here 비싸게 describes the purchase, rather than directly describing a noun. 비싼 옷 means expensive clothes, but 비싸게 산 옷 focuses on having paid a lot for them. The latter wording can invite a comparison with a cheaper purchase elsewhere.
What Does Expensive Mean in Context?
A price judgement depends on the comparison. A café drink may be expensive compared with a supermarket drink but normal for that café. 비싸다 itself supplies no currency, amount or market average. If the listener needs a figure, name the amount separately.
안 비싸요 means “it isn’t expensive”. It need not mean “it is cheap”: a middle-range price can fit the negative description too. 싸다 gives the positive judgement “cheap” or “inexpensive”. This difference matters when a seller reassures a customer without promising the lowest price.
In product reviews, 비싼 가격 highlights cost, while 품질 concerns quality. A high price does not establish good quality, and a low price does not establish poor quality. Read the noun and the rest of the sentence before treating a comment about cost as a recommendation.
Where Is 비싸요 Useful, and How Direct Is It?
You will hear 비싸요 while comparing restaurant menus, rent, tickets and everyday purchases. The word is neutral, but saying 너무 비싸요 directly to a seller can sound like a complaint. 좀 can soften the judgement. A polite ending makes the sentence courteous in form without removing its criticism.
Price labels normally show an amount rather than declaring the product expensive. Customer reviews and conversations supply that judgement. In a shop, a request for a lower price is a separate speech act: saying 비싸요 alone does not clearly ask for a discount or confirm that bargaining is available.
Two Written Forms Worth Separating
비싼 uses the adjective modifier ㄴ on the vowel-ending stem 비싸. It is the form before a noun. 비쌌어요 instead contains the past marker ㅆ and ends a polite sentence. The extra final consonant carries tense, so leaving it out changes “was expensive” to “is expensive”.
비쌉니다 contains ㅂ because of the formal ending, not because 비싸다 has become a ㅂ-irregular adjective. The stem is 비싸. Compare the formal spelling with the polite present 비싸요 to keep the stem and ending separate.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 가격 | price | Names the cost you are judging. |
| 할인 | discount | A reduction from a price, not a synonym for cheap. |
| 예산 | budget | Explains why a price may be too high for you. |
| 품질 | quality | A separate feature to assess alongside cost. |
The shopping vocabulary lesson teaches the words around prices and purchases.
Mini Drill: Cost, Description and Tense
- Make 비싸다 polite in the present.
- Complete “expensive clothes”: ____ 옷.
- Give the polite past.
- Give the formal present.
Show drill answers
- 비싸요.
- 비싼 옷.
- 비쌌어요.
- 비쌉니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 안 비싸요 necessarily mean the item is cheap?
- Which word names a spending limit: 예산 or 할인?
- Does saying 비싸요 alone clearly request a discount?
Show answers
- No. The price may simply be reasonable.
- 예산.
- No. It comments on the price; a request needs to be made separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'This Bag Is Too Expensive'?
이 가방은 너무 비싸요.
What Is the past of 비싸다?
비쌌어요, spoken [비싸써요].
Can I Say 가격이 많아요?
No. 많다 is for quantity. Say 가격이 비싸요.
What Is the Opposite of 비싸다?
The opposite is 싸다, which means cheap.
How Do You Say 'It Was Expensive, so I Could Not Buy It'?
비싸서 못 샀어요.
Which Words Are Related to 비싸다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 싸다 as the opposite, then 사다 and 팔다 for buying and selling. Once you know how to say "expensive", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.