Key Facts
- Hangul: 간단하다 (gandanhada)
- Meaning: simple
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 간단하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the simple thing, as in 이 요리는 간단해요.
- Usage: The adverb 간단히 means briefly: 간단히 소개할게요.
What Does 간단하다 Mean?
간단하다 describes something short, plain or uncomplicated. 간단한 요리 is a dish that takes little effort and 간단한 질문 is a quick question.
It is about being uncomplicated rather than about being easy to do, which is a job for 쉽다.
How Do You Pronounce 간단하다?
The word is read as written: [간단하다]. The 하 + 여 contraction gives 해 in 간단해요 and 간단했어요; this is a change in the written form as well as the sound.
How Do You Use 간단하다 in a Sentence?
이 요리는 간단해요.
This dish is simple.
이 요리는 is the topic, and 간단해요 describes the dish.
간단한 질문이 있어요.
I have a simple question.
간단한 modifies 질문이, and 있어요 says the speaker has one.
방법이 간단하면 해 볼게요.
If the method is simple, I'll try it.
간단하면 is the conditional, and 해 볼게요 is the promise to try.
The examples apply the word to a dish, a question and a method, and the conditional 간단하면 is the one most often heard before an offer to try something.
How Does Gandanhada Conjugation Work?
간단하다 is a 하다 adjective, so 하 + 여 contracts to 해: 간단해요, 간단했어요. The modifier is 간단한 and the conditional 간단하면.
To say something is not simple, put 안 in front for 안 간단해요 or use the long negative 간단하지 않아요. The because-form is 간단해서, the if-form 간단하면, and the modifiers are 간단한 (now), 간단했던 (earlier) and 간단할 (later); the honorific polite form is 간단하세요.
간단하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 간단해요 | ||
| Polite past | 간단했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 간단할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 간단하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 간단합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 간단했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 간단할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 간단해 | ||
| Casual past | 간단했어 | ||
| Casual future | 간단할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 간단하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 간단해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 간단하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 간단한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 간단했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 간단할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 간단해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 간단하지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 간단했어요 | [간단해써요] |
| Polite future | 간단할 거예요 | [간단할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 간단하겠어요 | [간단하게써요] |
| Formal present | 간단합니다 | [간단함니다] |
| Formal past | 간단했습니다 | [간단핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 간단할 것입니다 | [간단할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 간단했어 | [간단해써] |
| Casual future | 간단할 거야 | [간단할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 간단했던 | [간단핻떤] |
| Long negative | 간단하지 않아요 | [간단하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 간단어요
Correct: ✓ 간단해요
Why: Dropping 하 gives 간단어요. The contraction of 하 + 여 is 해, so the form is 간단해요.
Simple Methods, Simple Answers
Recipes, forms and meals are the natural neighbours, and 간단히 appears in speeches when someone offers a short introduction. For what is easy to do, use 쉽다. 간단한 질문이 있어요 is a gentle way to open a request for a quick answer, since it promises that the question will not take long.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 간단하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 간단하다 |
|---|---|
| 쉽다 | 쉽다 means easy to do; 간단하다 means short, plain or uncomplicated. |
| 복잡하다 | 복잡하다 is the opposite. |
Choosing a Recipe with a Friend
Mina wants to cook dinner but has little experience. Jisu recommends a dish with few steps. The scene moves from the description 간단해요 to a reason with 간단해서 and then to the noun phrase 간단한 요리.
Mina
이 요리는 간단해요?
I yorineun gandanhaeyo?
Is this dish simple to make?
Jisu
네. 방법이 간단해서 자주 만들어요.
Ne. Bangbeobi gandanhaeseo jaju mandeureoyo.
Yes. The method is simple, so I make it often.
Mina
좋아요. 간단한 요리를 배우고 싶어요.
Joayo. Gandanhan yorireul baeugo sipeoyo.
Good. I want to learn some simple dishes.
The first question asks about the work involved, rather than the taste or price. In the second line, 방법 names the method, so 간단해서 explains why Jisu cooks the dish often. The final line asks for a kind of dish: 간단한 sits directly before 요리. These three forms all keep the meaning “uncomplicated”, while doing different jobs in the sentence.
Which Common Phrases Go with 간단하다?
간단한 식사 means a simple or light meal. The speaker may be thinking of something quick to prepare or modest to eat. The phrase does not name a particular dish, promise a small number of calories, or say the meal is free. A sandwich can fit the situation, but the surrounding conversation supplies the actual food.
간단히 말해서 means “to put it briefly”. Literally, it introduces saying something simply or briefly; in conversation, it signals a summary. A speaker might use it after a long explanation to give the main point. The adverb 간단히 describes how the person speaks, while 간단한 describes a noun such as 질문 or 설명.
간단한 설명 is a brief or simple explanation. Compare a short explanation with an easy explanation: a speaker can skip details and still leave the listener confused. This is one reason 간단하다 and 쉽다 overlap in some situations without meaning exactly the same thing. The first focuses on complexity or length; the second focuses on difficulty.
Where Will You Hear or See 간단하다?
Recipe introductions use 간단한 요리 to appeal to people who want fewer steps or less preparation. Product instructions and service explanations may describe a 방법, “method”, or 절차, “procedure”, as 간단하다. In these settings, look at what is being called simple: the cooking, the application process, or the explanation itself.
At work or in a classroom, 간단한 질문이 있어요 introduces a question as something that should take little time. It is a polite way to enter a conversation, but it still needs an appropriate moment. If the answer turns out to be long, the adjective does not force the other person to answer briefly.
간단합니다 fits a formal explanation, while 간단해요 fits everyday polite conversation. Neither form praises a person's intelligence. Calling a method simple is usually neutral or reassuring; calling someone's explanation too simple can suggest that it leaves out needed detail. The noun being described changes the implication.
Keep the Adjective and the Adverb Apart
Use 간단한 before a thing: 간단한 질문, “a simple question”. Use 간단히 before an action: 간단히 소개할게요, “I'll introduce myself briefly”. The ending 한 belongs to the adjective's noun modifier. The ending 히 makes an adverb, so it cannot replace 한 in the question phrase.
A further trap is to put the English verb “be” after 간단해요. Korean already has a complete description here. The 하다 part is built into the adjective, and its contraction produces 해요. For the same reason, the negative 간단하지 않아요 keeps 하 before 지 instead of attaching 지 to 간단 alone.
| Related word | Meaning | How it helps with 간단하다 |
|---|---|---|
| 방법 | method | Name the steps or approach that are uncomplicated. |
| 설명 | explanation | Distinguish a brief explanation from a difficult subject. |
| 절차 | procedure | Useful when asking about an application or service. |
| 요리 | cooking; dish | A natural partner when choosing something easy to prepare. |
The cooking vocabulary lesson supplies ingredients and actions for explaining what makes a recipe simple. Naming the steps gives more information than calling every dish 간단해요.
Mini Drill: Build a Simple Description
- Change 간단하다 to the polite past.
- Complete “a simple method”: ____ 방법.
- Give the reason form meaning “because it is simple”.
- Say “it is not simple” with the long negative.
Show drill answers
- 간단했어요.
- 간단한 방법.
- 간단해서.
- 간단하지 않아요. Keep 하 before 지.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word focuses on ease of doing something: 간단하다 or 쉽다?
- Does 간단한 식사 specify a particular food?
- Which describes an action: 간단한 or 간단히?
Show answers
- 쉽다 focuses on difficulty; 간단하다 focuses on being uncomplicated or brief.
- No. It describes the meal as simple or light; the food depends on the situation.
- 간단히, as in 간단히 소개할게요.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 간단하다 the Same as 쉽다?
No. 간단하다 is uncomplicated; 쉽다 is easy to do.
What Does 간단히 Mean?
Briefly, as in 간단히 소개할게요.
What Is the Polite Present?
간단해요.
How Do I Say a Simple Question?
간단한 질문.
Which Words Are Related to 간단하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 복잡하다 for contrast and 편리하다 for the practical side. Every form above follows how 하다 becomes 해요, so 간단하다 is a good first 하다 adjective to drill. Put 복잡하다 into the Korean verb conjugator to see the opposite built the same way, or open the Korean verb dictionary for more.