Key Facts
- Hangul: 다양하다 (dayanghada)
- Meaning: to be diverse
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 다양하
- Conjugation class: regular 하다 adjective
- Grammar: A descriptive word, so the subject takes 이/가 (메뉴가 다양해요).
- Polite present and past: 다양해요, 다양했어요
What Does 다양하다 Mean?
다양하다 describes variety, as in 다양한 음식 (diverse foods). It says there are many different kinds inside a group, not just many items.
It is common in speech and writing: 다양한 경험, 다양한 의견. The subject takes 이/가, as in 메뉴가 다양해요, and the adverb is 다양하게.
How Do You Pronounce 다양하다?
All the syllables are read as spelled. The formal present 다양합니다 is [다양함니다], the past 다양했어요 is [다양해써요], and the future 다양할 거예요 is [다양할꺼예요]. The long negative is [다양하지 아나요].
How Do You Use 다양하다 in a Sentence?
이 가게는 메뉴가 다양해요.
This restaurant has a varied menu.
이 가게는 메뉴가 다양해요 introduces a shop as the topic and gives its menu as the subject.
다양한 사람을 만났어요.
I met all kinds of people.
다양한 사람을 만났어요 places the modifier 다양한 before 사람을, and 만났어요 is the past of meeting.
선택이 다양해서 고르기 어려워요.
There are so many choices that it is hard to pick.
선택이 다양해서 고르기 어려워요 gives the reason: so many options make choosing hard.
You can see 다양해요, 다양한 and 다양해서 in the three lines.
How Does Dayanghada Conjugation Work?
다양하다 is a regular 하다 adjective. Before 아/어 endings the 하 turns into 해: 다양해요, 다양했어요, 다양해서. Before 으-type endings it is 하: 다양하면, 다양하세요. The modifier is 다양한. Consonant endings attach directly: 다양합니다, 다양하지 않아요.
Negatives: 안 다양해요 or 다양하지 않아요. The honorific polite form is 다양하세요.
다양하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 다양해요 | ||
| Polite past | 다양했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 다양할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 다양하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 다양합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 다양했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 다양할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 다양해 | ||
| Casual past | 다양했어 | ||
| Casual future | 다양할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 다양하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 다양해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 다양하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 다양한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 다양했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 다양할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 다양해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 다양하지 않아요 |
There is no want-to row for diverse: that ending attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 다양했어요 | [다양해써요] |
| Polite future | 다양할 거예요 | [다양할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 다양하겠어요 | [다양하게써요] |
| Formal present | 다양합니다 | [다양함니다] |
| Formal past | 다양했습니다 | [다양핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 다양할 것입니다 | [다양할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 다양했어 | [다양해써] |
| Casual future | 다양할 거야 | [다양할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 다양했던 | [다양핻떤] |
| Long negative | 다양하지 않아요 | [다양하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 다양 음식
Correct: ✓ 다양한 음식
Why: The bare root 다양 is not a modifier. Before a noun the adjective must take 한.
Is 다양하다 about Difference or about Quantity?
다양하다 is about kinds, so it sits between 다르다 and 많다. 다르다 says something is different from another thing, and 많다 says there is a large amount. Two other describing words worth learning with it are 비슷하다 (similar) and 특별하다 (special).
What Is Easy to Confuse with 다양하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 다양하다 |
|---|---|
| 다르다 | Different from something else. 다양하다 is having many different kinds within a group. |
| 많다 | A large amount or number. 다양하다 is a large variety of kinds. |
Choosing Lunch at a New Restaurant
Two coworkers are looking at a menu. The variety appeals to one of them, while the other finds it hard to decide.
Jisu
여기는 메뉴가 다양해요.
Yeogineun menyuga dayanghaeyo.
The menu here has a lot of variety.
Mina
지난번 가게도 메뉴가 다양했어요?
Jinanbeon gagedo menyuga dayanghaesseoyo?
Did the last restaurant have a lot of variety too?
Jisu
아니요. 여기는 다양해서 고르기 어려워요.
Aniyo. Yeogineun dayanghaeseo goreugi eoryeowoyo.
No. Here there is so much variety that it is hard to choose.
메뉴가 identifies what is varied. The second speaker uses 도, meaning “too,” to ask whether the previous restaurant offered a similar range. 다양해요 describes the current selection, 다양했어요 asks about the earlier restaurant, and 다양해서 explains why choosing takes effort. Variety can be welcome and still make a decision harder.
Common Combinations with 다양하다
다양한 메뉴 is a varied menu or a range of menu items. It says the choices differ in kind. Ten copies of the same dish would give you quantity, but they would not create a diverse menu. When reading an advertisement, look for the actual dishes to see what the claimed variety consists of.
다양한 경험 means varied experiences. In a personal introduction or job application, this phrase points to different kinds of experience, such as working in different settings or trying different activities. It does not by itself tell you how many years someone has worked. A long time doing one task and a wide range of tasks describe different strengths.
다양한 의견 means a range of opinions. A discussion can contain many comments that all agree; calling the opinions 다양한 emphasizes that different views are represented. 다양한 방법 similarly means different ways of doing something. These are literal collocations: the adjective consistently refers to variety within a set.
Where Will You See 다양하다?
Restaurant descriptions, travel information and course brochures often use 다양한 before a noun to present a selection. A travel description might emphasize activities; a course description might emphasize topics or learning materials. The noun after 다양한 tells you what varies. Without that noun, an isolated advertising claim can feel vague.
In news or meeting reports, 다양한 의견 often introduces the range of views under discussion. In everyday talk, 다양해요 is equally natural for a menu or a shop's selection. The word is not reserved for formal writing, even though the formal 다양합니다 is common in presentations and descriptive copy.
For a person, name the varied feature rather than calling the whole individual “diverse.” 다양한 경험 can describe someone's experience; 다양한 사람 refers to different kinds of people in a group. One person's many interests can be described as interests rather than treating the person as a collection of people.
다양한 Versus 다양하게
다양한 goes before a noun: 다양한 음식. 다양하게 describes how an action is done, as in 다양하게 준비하다, “to prepare a variety” or “to prepare in varied ways.” The first phrase describes the food; the second describes the preparation. The exact English wording depends on what is being prepared.
Keep the adjective together as one word in 다양해요 and 다양한. The syllables 한 at the end of 다양한 are part of the adjective's modifier form; they are not the separate number “one.” Before 아/어 endings, 하 changes to 해, but before the noun modifier ending, the form is 한. That is why a menu can be 다양해요 while a varied menu is 다양한 메뉴.
Words for Describing a Selection
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 종류 | kind; type | Names the categories whose variety you are describing. |
| 선택 | choice; selection | Useful when several options are available. |
| 많다 | to be many; much | Counts quantity without guaranteeing variety. |
| 다르다 | to be different | Compares one thing with another. |
The Korean shopping vocabulary lesson gives these distinctions a setting: comparing a large stock with a varied selection.
Mini Drill: Describe Variety
- Give the polite present for a varied menu.
- Complete “varied experiences”: ___ 경험.
- Give the form meaning “because it is varied.”
- Choose the adverb for describing how something is prepared.
Show drill answers
- 다양해요.
- 다양한 경험.
- 다양해서.
- 다양하게.
Quick Self-Test
- Do fifty identical notebooks prove that a selection is 다양하다?
- Which word follows 다양한: a noun or a sentence ending?
- What extra information does 다양한 의견 give beyond “many comments”?
Show self-test answers
- No. That is a large quantity, not a variety of kinds.
- A noun, such as 메뉴 or 경험.
- The views differ; they are not simply numerous.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 다양하다?
다양해요.
What Is the Adverb Form?
다양하게, which sits before a verb.
Can 다양하다 Describe a Person?
It can describe a group of people or their experiences, such as 다양한 사람. Describing one person as 다양하다 sounds odd.
What Is the Modifier?
다양한, which is required before a noun.
Which Words Are Related to 다양하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 다르다 and 많다 side by side with 다양하다, then explore 비슷하다 and 특별하다. The rule behind this entry is explained in 하다 to 해요. To test other words, use the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.