Key Facts
- Hangul: 둥글다 (dunggeulda)
- Meaning: to be round
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 둥글
- Conjugation class: ㄹ-class (ㄹ drops)
- Grammar: A descriptive word, so the subject takes 이/가 (달이 둥글어요).
- Polite present and past: 둥글어요, 둥글었어요
What Does 둥글다 Mean?
둥글다 describes a round shape or the roundness of a whole object, as in 둥근 달 (a round moon). It is the general word, covering tables, balls and moons.
It is not a high-frequency word, but its modifier 둥근 is the form you will meet. The subject takes 이/가: 달이 둥글어요.
How Do You Pronounce 둥글다?
Before a vowel the ㄹ moves over to start the next syllable, so 둥글어요 is heard as [둥그러요]. The formal present 둥급니다 is heard as [둥금니다], and the past 둥글었어요 as [둥그러써요]. Before ㅈ and ㄱ the ㄹ stays in the stem, so 둥글지 않아요 is [둥글지 아나요].
How Do You Use 둥글다 in a Sentence?
보름달은 둥글어요.
The full moon is round.
보름달은 둥글어요 names the full moon with the topic marker and uses the polite present.
둥근 식탁을 샀어요.
I bought a round table.
둥근 식탁을 샀어요 shows the modifier 둥근 before 식탁을, and the verb ends the sentence in the polite past.
둥글면 잘 굴러가요.
If it is round, it rolls well.
둥글면 잘 굴러가요 turns the shape into a condition: if it is round, it rolls well.
The same stem appears as 둥글어요, 둥근 and 둥글면: the ㄹ is present in two forms and gone in one.
How Does Dunggeulda Conjugation Work?
둥글다 is an ㄹ-class adjective: the ㄹ of the stem drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, and stays elsewhere. So you get 둥근, 둥급니다 and 둥그세요 without the ㄹ, but 둥글어요, 둥글었어요, 둥글어서 and 둥글면 with it. The future forms 둥글 거예요 and 둥글 keep the ㄹ, because the ending's own ㄹ merges with the stem's ㄹ.
Negatives: 안 둥글어요 or 둥글지 않아요. The honorific polite form is 둥그세요.
둥글다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 둥글어요 | ||
| Polite past | 둥글었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 둥글 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 둥글겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 둥급니다 | ||
| Formal past | 둥글었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 둥글 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 둥글어 | ||
| Casual past | 둥글었어 | ||
| Casual future | 둥글 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 둥그세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 둥글어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 둥글면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 둥근 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 둥글었던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 둥글 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 둥글어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 둥글지 않아요 |
There is no want-to row for round: that ending attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 둥글었어요 | [둥그러써요] |
| Polite future | 둥글 거예요 | [둥글꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 둥글겠어요 | [둥글게써요] |
| Formal present | 둥급니다 | [둥금니다] |
| Formal past | 둥글었습니다 | [둥그럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 둥글 것입니다 | [둥글꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 둥글었어 | [둥그러써] |
| Casual future | 둥글 거야 | [둥글꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 둥글었던 | [둥그럳떤] |
| Long negative | 둥글지 않아요 | [둥글지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 둥글는 달
Correct: ✓ 둥근 달
Why: 는 is the modifier ending for action verbs. A descriptive word takes -(으)ㄴ, and the stem's ㄹ drops before that ㄴ, so the modifier is 둥근.
Where Does 둥글다 Fit Among the Round Words?
둥글다 is the all-purpose round: a moon, a table, a ball. 동그랗다 is its cute, flat cousin for circles and wide eyes. If something is square or boxy, the opposite word is 네모나다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 둥글다?
| Word | How to tell it from 둥글다 |
|---|---|
| 동그랗다 | A small, cute, flat round shape like a circle. 둥글다 is round in a general or 3D sense. |
| 네모나다 | Square or boxy, the opposite of round. |
Choosing a Table at a Furniture Shop
A customer wants a table for a small dining area. The assistant describes its shape, the customer recalls an older table, and the conversation returns to the round design.
Customer
이 식탁은 둥글어요?
I siktageun dunggeureoyo?
Is this dining table round?
Assistant
네, 둥근 식탁이에요.
Ne, dunggeun siktagieyo.
Yes, it is a round dining table.
Customer
전에 쓰던 식탁도 둥글었어요.
Jeone sseudeon siktakdo dunggeureosseoyo.
The dining table I used before was round too.
Assistant
그럼 이 둥근 식탁은 어때요?
Geureom i dunggeun siktageun eottaeyo?
Then how about this round dining table?
The same shape appears as a sentence ending, a noun modifier and a past description. 둥근 식탁 names a type of table; 둥글었어요 reports the shape of the earlier table. Neither form means that an object became round. The assistant keeps 요 because this is a customer conversation.
Which Round Phrases Are Useful beyond the Moon?
둥근 얼굴 means a round face. Here 둥근 describes the outline, without saying anything about someone’s weight. 둥근 식탁 similarly describes a tabletop’s shape, rather than claiming the whole piece of furniture is a sphere. The noun tells you whether “round” concerns an outline or a solid object.
둥글게 means “in a round shape” or “in a circle”. In 둥글게 앉다, “sit in a circle”, people arrange themselves around a shared center. The word describes the arrangement, so it can appear in classroom instructions even when none of the individual objects is round.
성격이 둥글다 describes someone as easygoing and tolerant. The image is a personality without sharp corners: the person is not difficult to get along with. This is a figurative description, rather than a comment on body shape. 둥글게 살다 extends that image to living agreeably with others. The Korean Basic Dictionary entry for 둥글다 includes this personality sense.
Where Will You Meet 둥근 and 둥글어요?
Furniture descriptions and craft instructions often put 둥근 directly before an object. A shopping listing may name the shape with that modifier instead of writing a complete sentence. A teacher showing shapes, on the other hand, can use 둥글어요 as a full description while pointing.
In everyday descriptions, the moon and a person’s face are natural subjects. The personality use belongs to conversations about how someone gets along with people. Calling a person 둥근 is therefore ambiguous without context; adding 성격, “personality”, makes the intended compliment clearer.
Why Does 둥근 Lose ㄹ While 둥글면 Keeps It?
The modifier ending contributes ㄴ, which triggers the ㄹ drop. The conditional attaches as -면 to this ㄹ stem, so there is no extra 으 and the stem survives. Compare 둥근 식탁 with 둥글면: the difference comes from the ending, rather than from a different meaning of “round”.
Keep the written ㄹ in 둥글어요 even though the sound links into the next syllable. Pronunciation and conjugation are separate here: the spelling changes in 둥근, while the spelling of the stem survives in 둥글어요. For an object such as a table, ordinary polite 둥글어요 is enough; the honorific row is not needed just because the customer is older.
A Small Shape Vocabulary Set
| Korean | Meaning | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 원 | circle | A geometric noun for the shape itself. |
| 공 | ball | A concrete round object with volume. |
| 모양 | shape; appearance | Names the feature you are describing. |
| 네모나다 | to be square or rectangular | Useful when comparing round and boxy designs. |
The shapes vocabulary lesson develops this set. Learn the object noun with the modifier: a round face, a round table and a round ball do not all have the same dimensions.
Mini Drill: Choose the Form
- Make the polite present of 둥글다.
- Complete “a round moon”: ____ 달.
- Give the formal present for a shape presentation.
- Make “if it is round”.
Show drill answers
- 둥글어요. The stem retains ㄹ.
- 둥근 달. ㄹ drops before the modifier’s ㄴ.
- 둥급니다. ㄹ drops before ㅂ니다.
- 둥글면. This ending keeps the stem’s ㄹ.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 둥근 식탁 mean a spherical table?
- What does 성격이 둥글다 describe?
- Which form names a round object before a noun: 둥근 or 둥글어요?
Show answers
- No. It normally describes the round tabletop.
- An easygoing, tolerant personality.
- 둥근 is the modifier; 둥글어요 ends a polite sentence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Modifier of 둥글다?
둥근, as in 둥근 달. The form 둥글는 is wrong.
Why Does the Formal Form Lose Its ㄹ?
An ㄹ stem takes the ㅂ니다 ending, as a vowel stem does, and the ㄹ drops before that ㅂ, so 둥글 + ㅂ니다 gives 둥급니다.
Is 둥글어요 Correct?
Yes. Before 아/어 the ㄹ stays, so 둥글어요 is the polite present and it is read [둥그러요].
Which Words Follow the Same ㄹ Pattern?
알다 and 살다 are the most common; they drop the ㄹ in the same places.
Which Words Are Related to 둥글다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 둥글다 with 동그랗다, then practise the ㄹ pattern on 알다 and 살다. The rule behind this entry is explained in ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives. To test other words, use the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.