Key Facts
- Hangul: 춥다 (chupda)
- Meaning: cold (weather)
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 춥
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Grammar: Takes 이/가 for the weather or place; for a person it means they feel cold.
- Usage: ㅂ-irregular like 덥다. Both 날씨가 춥다 and 저는 추워요 (I feel cold) are natural.
What Does 춥다 Mean?
춥다 describes the weather or a place: 겨울에는 춥다. With a person as the topic, it means that person feels cold. 날씨가 춥다 and 저는 추워요 are both natural.
Cold objects use another word: 차갑다. The pleasant, refreshing kind is 시원하다, and 덥다 is the opposite.
Senses:
- cold (weather): Describes cold weather or feeling cold, e.g. 겨울에는 춥다.
How Do You Pronounce 춥다?
춥다 is pronounced [춥따] and shares the stop-plus-tense pattern of 덥다. The same holds for 춥습니다 [춥씀니다] and 춥겠어요 [춥께써요]. After the ㅂ turns into 우/워, the past 추웠어요 is [추워써요].
How Do You Use 춥다 in a Sentence?
겨울에는 많이 추워요.
It is very cold in winter.
겨울에는 많이 추워요 sets the season with 겨울에는 and uses 많이 for 'a lot'.
어제는 안 추웠어요.
It wasn't cold yesterday.
어제는 안 추웠어요 uses the short negative 안 and the past 추웠어요.
추우면 창문을 닫으세요.
If you are cold, close the window.
추우면 창문을 닫으세요 pairs the conditional 추우면 with a polite instruction.
How Does Chupda Conjugation Work?
춥다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. Before a vowel ending, the ㅂ turns into 우 and 우 + 어 merges to 워: 추워요, 추웠어요, 추워서. The 으 endings give 추우세요, 추우면 and 추운. Consonant endings keep the ㅂ: 춥습니다, 춥지, 춥겠어요.
춥다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 추워요 | ||
| Polite past | 추웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 추울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 춥겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 춥습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 추웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 추울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 추워 | ||
| Casual past | 추웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 추울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 추우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 추워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 추우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 추운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 추웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 추울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 추워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 춥지 않아요 |
For a word meaning 'cold' (of weather), -고 싶다 has no cell, because that ending attaches to action verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 추웠어요 | [추워써요] |
| Polite future | 추울 거예요 | [추울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 춥겠어요 | [춥께써요] |
| Formal present | 춥습니다 | [춥씀니다] |
| Formal past | 추웠습니다 | [추웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 추울 것입니다 | [추울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 추웠어 | [추워써] |
| Past modifier | 추웠던 | [추웓떤] |
| Long negative | 춥지 않아요 | [춥찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 춥어요
Correct: ✓ 추워요
Why: 춥다 is a ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ turns into 워 before 어. Learners attach 어요 and keep the ㅂ. The ㅂ turns into 워 first.
Where Does 춥다 Turn up in Daily Talk?
Use it for winter talk and for feeling cold indoors. 따뜻하다 is the comfortable fix, and 차갑다 is for cold objects, not weather. 덥다 is the opposite, and the two share a pattern.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 춥다?
| Word | How to tell it from 춥다 |
|---|---|
| 차갑다 | 차갑다 describes cold objects or drinks, not the weather. |
| 시원하다 | 시원하다 is refreshingly cool, a positive feeling. |
A Cold Room before Class
A student and a teacher arrive in a classroom with an open window. The student describes the room, then the teacher checks how the student feels.
Student
교실이 추워요.
Gyosiri chuwoyo.
The classroom is cold.
Teacher
어제도 추웠어요?
Eojedo chuwosseoyo?
Was it cold yesterday too?
Student
네. 어제도 추웠어요.
Ne. Eojedo chuwosseoyo.
Yes. It was cold yesterday too.
Teacher
추우면 창문을 닫으세요.
Chuumyeon changmuneul dadeuseyo.
If you are cold, close the window.
The first line uses 추워요 for the temperature now. The middle lines use 추웠어요 for yesterday, and the teacher's 추우면 gives a condition. Korean does not need a separate verb for “feel” here. The classroom can be cold, and the person inside it can be cold, with the same adjective.
Cold-Weather Combinations You Will Hear
날씨가 춥다 means “the weather is cold”. 추운 날씨 means “cold weather”. The first is a complete dictionary-style statement; the second is a noun phrase that can sit inside a longer sentence. The modifier 추운 appears on travel pages and in advice about dressing for winter.
너무 추워요 means “it's very cold” or “it's too cold”, depending on the situation. Said while reaching for a coat, it may simply express strong discomfort. Said while asking to change rooms, it can explain why the room is unsuitable. 너무 alone does not tell you a temperature in degrees.
추위를 타다 means “to be sensitive to the cold”. The noun 추위 is “cold” or “cold weather”; 타다 in this expression describes susceptibility. The whole phrase concerns how easily someone feels cold. It is useful when one person wants a jacket while everyone else feels comfortable.
추위에 떨다 means “to shiver in the cold”. 떨다 describes trembling, so this phrase adds a visible physical reaction. 추워요 can be true without anyone shivering. Save the longer phrase for a scene where the movement matters, such as someone waiting outside without a coat.
Weather Reports, Rooms and Polite Questions
Weather forecasts use 춥다 to describe cold conditions. In conversation, a person may say 추워요 at a bus stop, inside an overcooled office, or beside an open window. The word concerns the surrounding temperature or the speaker's bodily sensation. A season is not required: air conditioning can make a room feel cold in summer.
추우세요 is the honorific polite form for asking a respected person whether they feel cold. It describes that person's state. It is not a command to become cold. When speaking about your own discomfort, 추워요 is enough. 추워 is the casual form you will hear between close friends or in a character's private reaction in a drama.
For a drink or an object that feels cold to the touch, choose 차갑다. A cold room and a cold glass point to different kinds of cold. 시원하다 usually presents coolness as refreshing, so it often fits a welcome breeze or a comfortable room on a hot day. The speaker's comfort helps determine the choice.
Related Words for a Cold Day
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 추위 | cold / cold weather | Use the noun in phrases such as 추위를 타다. |
| 기온 | air temperature | Read the number behind a forecast's description. |
| 바람 | wind | Explain why standing outdoors feels colder. |
| 난방 | heating | Name what a cold room may need. |
추운 겨울 means “a cold winter”. 추웠던 겨울 looks back at a winter remembered as cold. The modifier choice lets you name a season generally or recall a particular experience without changing the noun 겨울.
The weather vocabulary lesson teaches the wider forecast set. 기온 names a measurement; 춥다 evaluates the conditions or feeling. Two people can agree about the measured temperature and disagree about whether it feels cold.
Mini Drill: Keep or Change the ㅂ?
- Make the polite present of 춥다.
- Complete “cold weather”: ____ 날씨.
- Make the conditional “if it is cold”.
- Make the formal present of 춥다.
Show the cold-weather drill answers
- 추워요. 우 and 어 combine into 워.
- 추운 날씨.
- 추우면. Keep both 우 syllables in this form.
- 춥습니다. This consonant ending keeps ㅂ in the spelling.
Quick Self-Test
- Which adjective describes cold water: 춥다 or 차갑다?
- Can 추워요 describe how you feel inside an office in summer?
- What does 추위를 타다 tell you about a person?
Show self-test answers
- 차갑다.
- Yes. The room or your body can feel cold regardless of the season.
- They are sensitive to cold; it does not say they are shivering right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say "I Am Cold"?
저는 추워요. The same word describes the weather.
Why Is It 추워요 and Not 춥어요?
춥다 is a ㅂ-irregular. The ㅂ turns into 워 before an 어 ending.
Can I Use 춥다 for Cold Water?
No. Cold water uses 차갑다.
What Is the Opposite of 춥다?
덥다.
Which Words Are Related to 춥다?
The entries closest to 춥다 (cold, of weather) are 덥다 (hot, of weather), 차갑다 (cold to the touch), 시원하다 (cool/refreshing), 따뜻하다 (warm).
What Should You Learn Next?
덥다 is the opposite and follows the same rule. 차갑다 covers cold objects, and 따뜻하다 and 시원하다 cover the comfortable middle. To see why 'cold' (of weather) takes the form 추워요, read ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives; the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.