Key Facts
- Hangul: 부드럽다 (budeureopda)
- Meaning: soft
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 부드럽
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Dictionary form sounds like: [부드럽따]
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the soft thing takes 이/가 (빵이 부드러워요).
- Usage: Used for food, skin, cloth, voices and personality. The adverb is 부드럽게 (부드럽게 말하다).
What Does 부드럽다 Mean?
부드럽다 means soft, and it covers more ground than the English word. 부드러운 빵 is soft bread, 부드러운 수건 is a soft towel and 부드러운 목소리 is a gentle voice. For food, it can also mean tender, as in 고기가 부드러워서 맛있어요. The soft thing takes 이/가.
How Do You Pronounce 부드럽다?
The dictionary form is [부드럽따]: the ㅂ stays and the 다 is tensed. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 워, so 부드러워요 is read as written and 부드러웠어요 is [부드러워써요]. The formal 부드럽습니다 is [부드럽씀니다], and 부드럽지 않아요 is [부드럽찌 아나요].
How Do You Use 부드럽다 in a Sentence?
이 빵은 아주 부드러워요.
This bread is very soft.
아주 strengthens 부드러워요, and 이 빵은 is the topic.
부드러운 수건을 샀어요.
I bought a soft towel.
부드러운 is the present modifier and goes before 수건을.
고기가 부드러워서 맛있어요.
The meat is tender, so it's tasty.
고기가 부드러워서 gives the reason, and 맛있어요 is the result.
The set shows the polite present 부드러워요, the modifier 부드러운 and the because-form 부드러워서.
How Does Budeureopda Conjugation Work?
부드럽다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 우, and 우 + 어 becomes 워: 부드러워요, 부드러웠어요, 부드러워서. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 부드럽습니다 and 부드럽지 않아요. The modifier 부드러운 follows the same rule, and the adverb is 부드럽게. The rule behind this class is in the lesson on ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives.
부드럽다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 부드러워요 | ||
| Polite past | 부드러웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 부드러울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 부드럽겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 부드럽습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 부드러웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 부드러울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 부드러워 | ||
| Casual past | 부드러웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 부드러울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 부드러우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 부드러워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 부드러우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 부드러운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 부드러웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 부드러울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 부드러워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 부드럽지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 부드러웠어요 | [부드러워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 부드러울 거예요 | [부드러울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 부드럽겠어요 | [부드럽께써요] |
| Formal present | 부드럽습니다 | [부드럽씀니다] |
| Formal past | 부드러웠습니다 | [부드러웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 부드러울 것입니다 | [부드러울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 부드러웠어 | [부드러워써] |
| Casual future | 부드러울 거야 | [부드러울꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 부드러웠던 | [부드러웓떤] |
| Long negative | 부드럽지 않아요 | [부드럽찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 부드럽다
Wrong: ✗ 부드럽어요
Correct: ✓ 부드러워요
Why: This is a ㅂ-irregular adjective: the ㅂ becomes 워 before 어, so the polite present is 부드러워요. The formal form 부드럽습니다 keeps the ㅂ.
Food, Skin, Cloth, Voices and Manner
부드럽다 works for food, skin, cloth, voices and personality. The adverb 부드럽게 is used in 부드럽게 말하다, to speak gently. The same word can describe a texture and a style of speaking, which is why one gloss, 'soft', does not cover everything.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 부드럽다?
| Word | How to tell it from 부드럽다 |
|---|---|
| 딱딱하다 | The opposite: 딱딱하다 is hard and stiff, 부드럽다 is soft and tender. |
| 상냥하다 | 상냥하다 is only for a person's warm manner; 부드럽다 also covers texture, food and voices. |
상냥하다 is for a person's warm manner only. 부드럽다 also covers texture, food and voices.
Choosing Towels in a Homeware Shop
A shopper is replacing an old towel. The assistant offers a softer one, and they compare the feel of the two products.
Shopper
부드러운 수건을 찾고 있어요.
Budeureoun sugeoneul chatgo isseoyo.
I’m looking for a soft towel.
Assistant
이 수건은 아주 부드러워요.
I sugeoneun aju budeureowoyo.
This towel is very soft.
Shopper
전에 산 수건은 별로 안 부드러웠어요.
Jeone san sugeoneun byeollo an budeureowosseoyo.
The towel I bought before wasn’t very soft.
Assistant
직접 만져 보세요.
Jikjeop manjyeo boseyo.
Feel it for yourself.
부드러운 identifies the kind of towel wanted. 부드러워요 describes this towel now, while 부드러웠어요 recalls the previous purchase. 별로 with a negative means “not particularly” or “not very”, so the shopper is making a measured criticism.
Soft, Tender, Smooth or Gentle?
부드러운 고기 means tender meat: it is easy to bite and chew. 부드러운 빵 describes soft bread. Neither phrase promises sweetness, freshness or good flavour. The existing sentence about tasty meat gives tenderness as a reason for liking it, rather than making those qualities identical.
부드러운 피부 means soft or smooth skin. 부드러운 촉감 describes a soft feel to the touch, useful for towels, blankets and clothing. 촉감 is the sensation itself. A product description can praise that feel without making a claim about warmth, thickness or durability.
부드러운 목소리 is a gentle or mellow voice. 부드러운 말투 concerns someone’s gentle way of speaking. A low-volume voice is not necessarily gentle in tone, and a gentle speaker need not whisper. English “soft” can suggest quietness, but the Korean word often concerns the absence of harshness.
Common Phrases about Manner
부드럽게 말하다 means to speak gently. The adverb 부드럽게 describes how someone speaks, while 부드러운 modifies a noun such as 목소리 or 말투. This distinction helps you move from describing a voice to describing the act of speaking.
부드럽게 거절하다 means to refuse gently. The refusal still stands; the phrase describes how it is delivered. A character in a drama can therefore speak 부드럽게 while giving an unwelcome answer. Gentle wording does not automatically mean agreement or affection.
부드러운 분위기 describes a relaxed, gentle atmosphere. The setting might be a conversation or meeting where people feel less tense. The softness is figurative: the phrase describes the social mood, not the furniture or fabric in the room.
Where Will You Encounter 부드럽다?
Food reviews use 부드럽다 for tenderness and a smooth texture. In a bakery, it can help distinguish soft bread from a firm or crusty style. It does not specify whether the bread springs back when pressed; another texture word may be needed for that feature.
Clothing and homeware descriptions use 부드러운 for material that feels pleasant against the skin. A fabric may be soft yet thin or cool. Pair the texture description with separate words for warmth or thickness when choosing something for winter.
In interviews and character descriptions, the word can describe a voice, manner or impression. 상냥하다 puts more emphasis on kindness and friendliness in dealing with people. 부드럽다 can describe a gentle manner without making a broad judgement about someone’s character.
Why Do 부드러운 and 부드럽게 Keep Different Letters?
The modifier 부드러운 follows the vowel-triggered ㅂ change: the stem loses ㅂ and gains 우 before ㄴ. The adverb ending 게 begins with a consonant, so 부드럽게 keeps ㅂ. That is the same contrast as 부드러워요 versus 부드럽습니다, used for different jobs in the sentence.
The conditional 부드러우면 also contains 우. 워 appears when 우 combines with 어, as in 부드러워요 or 부드러워서. Learning the pair 우 and 워 helps you recognise unfamiliar endings without assuming each one is a separate exception.
For opposites, choose the feature first. 딱딱하다 contrasts with softness or tenderness through hardness and stiffness. 거칠다 contrasts with smoothness through roughness. A soft cloth can still have a rough surface, so a single English opposite will not fit every use.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 촉감 | feel / texture to the touch | Useful for describing fabric against the skin. |
| 말투 | way of speaking | Describes delivery rather than the content of words. |
| 거칠다 | to be rough | Contrasts with smooth texture or gentle manner. |
| 푹신하다 | to be cushiony / soft | Useful for a pillow or padded seat. |
Use the clothing vocabulary lesson to name materials and garments whose texture you want to describe.
Mini Drill: Texture and Manner
- Make 부드럽다 polite in the present.
- Complete “a soft towel”: ____ 수건.
- Give the adverb in “speak gently”.
- Give the conditional “if soft”.
Show drill answers
- 부드러워요.
- 부드러운 수건.
- 부드럽게.
- 부드러우면.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 부드러운 고기 mean sweet meat?
- Does 부드럽게 거절하다 mean the speaker agreed?
- Which describes a rough surface: 거칠다 or 촉감?
Show answers
- No. It means tender meat.
- No. The speaker refused, but did so gently.
- 거칠다; 촉감 names the feel or texture itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'This Bread Is Very Soft'?
이 빵은 아주 부드러워요.
Why Is It 부드러워요 and Not 부드럽어요?
It is ㅂ-irregular: the ㅂ turns into 워 before a vowel ending.
How Do You Say 'Speak Gently'?
부드럽게 말하다.
What Is the Opposite of 부드럽다?
For texture, the opposite is 딱딱하다, which means hard.
Can 부드럽다 Describe a Voice?
Yes. 부드러운 목소리 is a gentle voice.
Which Words Are Related to 부드럽다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 딱딱하다 as the texture opposite, then 단단하다 and 상냥하다 to cover firmness and warmth. Once you know how to say "soft", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.