Key Facts
- Hangul: 분명하다 (bunmyeonghada)
- Meaning: clear
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 분명하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the subject takes 이/가 or 은/는 (이유가 분명해요).
- Usage: Common in explanations and arguments. The adverb 분명히 or just 분명 (분명 비가 올 거예요) is very frequent.
What Does 분명하다 Mean?
분명하다 describes facts, reasons, answers and voices that leave no room for doubt. 분명한 사실 is a clear fact, and 분명한 목소리 is a clear voice. The thing that is clear takes 이/가 or 은/는, as in 이유가 분명해요, so the pattern is the same as for any other descriptive word. It sits most naturally in explanations and arguments, where someone is saying that a point is settled.
How Do You Pronounce 분명하다?
분명하다 is read as written. Because 하여 contracts to 해, 분명해요 keeps ㅎ in the syllable 해. The past 분명했어요 is spoken [분명해써요]. In the formal style the ㅂ of 합 meets ㄴ and turns into ㅁ, so 분명합니다 sounds like [분명함니다], and the formal past 분명했습니다 sounds like [분명핻씀니다].
How Do You Use 분명하다 in a Sentence?
이유가 분명해요.
The reason is clear.
이유가 is the subject, so the reason is the thing that is clear.
분명한 목소리로 말했어요.
He spoke in a clear voice.
분명한 stands before 목소리, and 로 shows the voice is the means of speaking.
분명하면 걱정하지 않아요.
If it is clear, I won't worry.
분명하면 is the if-form: once the matter is clear, there is nothing to worry about.
The three sentences show the polite present 분명해요, the present modifier 분명한 and the if-form 분명하면.
How Does Bunmyeonghada Conjugation Work?
분명하다 is a 하다 adjective, so 하 + 여 contracts to 해: the polite present is 분명해요 and the polite past is 분명했어요. The present modifier 분명한 appears in 분명한 사실, and the future modifier is 분명할. For a negative, 분명하지 않아요 is the long form and 안 분명해요 the short one. The rule behind this class is in the lesson on how 하다 becomes 해요.
분명하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 분명해요 | ||
| Polite past | 분명했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 분명할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 분명하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 분명합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 분명했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 분명할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 분명해 | ||
| Casual past | 분명했어 | ||
| Casual future | 분명할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 분명하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 분명해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 분명하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 분명한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 분명했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 분명할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 분명해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 분명하지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 분명했어요 | [분명해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 분명할 거예요 | [분명할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 분명하겠어요 | [분명하게써요] |
| Formal present | 분명합니다 | [분명함니다] |
| Formal past | 분명했습니다 | [분명핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 분명할 것입니다 | [분명할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 분명했어 | [분명해써] |
| Casual future | 분명할 거야 | [분명할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 분명했던 | [분명핻떤] |
| Long negative | 분명하지 않아요 | [분명하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 분명하다
Wrong: ✗ 분명 해요
Correct: ✓ 분명해요
Why: Do not put a space before 해요. On its own, 분명 is an adverb meaning certainly, as in 분명 비가 올 거예요, so a space makes the word look like two. As an adjective, 분명하다 is written as one word: 분명해요.
분명 and 분명히: the Adverb You Will Hear Most
The adverb 분명히, or just 분명, is very frequent. 분명 비가 올 거예요 is a confident prediction that it will rain, and the speaker is sure of it. The adjective is the better fit when you describe the thing that is clear: 이유가 분명해요 or 분명한 사실. Because it carries the sense of evidence and proof, it appears often in explanations and arguments.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 분명하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 분명하다 |
|---|---|
| 확실하다 | 확실하다 means certain; 분명하다 means clear, distinct and beyond argument. |
| 맑다 | 맑다 is clear like water or sky; 분명하다 is clear in meaning or facts. |
확실하다 and 분명하다 overlap for facts beyond doubt; 분명하다 also emphasizes how clear or distinct a point is. For a clear sky or clear water, use 맑다 instead.
Choosing a Meeting Place
Two coworkers are checking a message before meeting a client. The time is clear, but the location needs confirmation.
Jisu
시간은 분명해요. 장소는요?
Siganeun bunmyeonghaeyo. Jangsoneunyo?
The time is clear. What about the place?
Minho
장소가 분명하지 않아요. 다시 물어볼게요.
Jangsoga bunmyeonghaji anayo. Dasi mureobolgeyo.
The place is not clear. I will ask again.
Jisu
분명한 답을 받으면 알려 주세요.
Bunmyeonghan dabeul badeumyeon allyeo juseyo.
Please let me know when you get a clear answer.
시간은 contrasts the settled time with the unresolved location. 분명하지 않아요 identifies missing clarity without claiming the message is false. In the last line, 분명한 modifies 답, “answer”. The same adjective works as a statement, a negative and a description before a noun.
Collocations for Explanations and Decisions
분명한 이유 means “a clear reason”. It describes a reason that can be identified or understood. It does not necessarily say the reason is good or morally acceptable. Clarity and approval are separate judgments.
분명한 증거 means “clear evidence”. A speaker presents the evidence as distinct and convincing, rather than vague. This is a phrase you may meet in news reports or crime dramas. It expresses the speaker's assessment; the adjective itself does not prove the claim.
입장을 분명히 하다 means “to make one's position clear”. 입장 is a position or stance here. The literal idea of making it clear becomes the practical act of stating where you stand. 분명히 describes how the stance is expressed, while 분명한 would need a noun after it.
Where Will You Hear 분명하다?
Meetings, explanations and disagreements often turn on whether a reason, instruction or distinction is clear. A speaker can use 분명하다 to close off uncertainty. That confidence can sound firm, so an emphatic statement may feel more forceful than the English “fairly clear”.
In everyday dialogue, 분명히 can introduce a confident recollection: the speaker is sure they saw or heard something. Their confidence may later turn out to be mistaken. Translate the certainty they express without assuming the story has established an objective fact.
What Is Tricky beyond the 하다 Contraction?
분명한 답 is a clear answer; 분명히 말하다 means to speak clearly or state something plainly. The modifier and adverb cannot fill the same grammatical slot. First ask whether you are describing a noun or the manner of an action.
The table includes 분명하세요 as a possible honorific form, but ordinary facts and reasons do not need personal respect endings. 이유가 분명해요 is the useful everyday pattern. Making a sentence polite to a listener does not require adding 시 to every adjective.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 확실하다 | certain; sure | Often overlaps when a fact is beyond doubt. |
| 정확하다 | accurate; exact | Says an answer or measurement matches the facts. |
| 모호하다 | vague; ambiguous | Useful for the opposite of a clearly expressed point. |
| 이유 | reason | A common subject of 분명하다. |
The meeting vocabulary lesson supplies the surrounding words for discussing agendas, decisions and clear answers at work.
Mini Drill
- Describe “clear evidence”: ____ 증거.
- Make the polite long negative for an unclear location.
- Choose the word for “speak clearly”: 분명한 or 분명히?
- Give the polite past for a reason that was clear earlier.
Show drill answers
- 분명한 증거.
- 분명하지 않아요.
- 분명히, as in 분명히 말하다.
- 분명했어요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 분명한 이유 necessarily mean a good reason?
- Does a confident 분명히 guarantee the speaker remembers correctly?
- Which word emphasizes accuracy rather than clarity: 정확하다 or 맑다?
Show answers
- No. It says the reason is clear, not that it is acceptable.
- No. It expresses the speaker's certainty.
- 정확하다. 맑다 fits clear water or sky.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'the Reason Is Clear' in Korean?
이유가 분명해요. The reason takes 이/가 and 분명해요 is the polite present of 분명하다.
Is 분명 해요 with a Space Correct?
No. 분명해요 is one word. 분명 alone is an adverb meaning certainly, as in 분명 비가 올 거예요.
What Is the Difference between 분명하다 and 확실하다?
확실하다 means certain, while 분명하다 means clear, distinct and beyond argument.
Can 분명하다 Describe Clear Weather?
No. For a clear sky or clear water, use 맑다. 분명하다 is for clarity of meaning or facts.
How Is 분명했어요 Pronounced?
It is spoken [분명해써요]: the ㅆ of 했 moves onto the next syllable.
Which Words Are Related to 분명하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair it with 확실하다 for certainty, and see 정확하다 and 당연하다 in the same group of descriptive words. Once you know how to say "clear", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.