Key Facts
- Hangul: 괴롭다 (goeropda)
- Meaning: to be painful; to be distressing
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 괴롭
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Grammar: A descriptive word; the feeling or cause takes 이/가 (마음이 괴로워요).
- Polite present and past: 괴로워요, 괴로웠어요
What Does 괴롭다 Mean?
괴롭다 describes mental or physical suffering, as in 마음이 괴롭다 (to be troubled at heart). It has a heavier, more emotional tone than everyday complaints.
It also describes being bothered by a person, and the related verb 괴롭히다 means to bully or torment. The feeling or cause takes 이/가: 마음이 괴로워요.
How Do You Pronounce 괴롭다?
The dictionary form is read [괴롭따]. Before consonants the ㅂ stays, so 괴롭습니다 is [괴롭씀니다] and 괴롭지 않아요 is [괴롭찌 아나요]. Before a vowel it becomes 우, and 괴로웠어요 is [괴로워써요].
How Do You Use 괴롭다 in a Sentence?
요즘 일 때문에 괴로워요.
I am suffering because of work these days.
요즘 일 때문에 괴로워요 gives the cause with 때문에: because of work, I am suffering.
시험 전날이 괴로웠어요.
The day before the exam was miserable.
시험 전날이 괴로웠어요 uses the past to describe the day before an exam as miserable.
괴로운 기억을 잊고 싶어요.
I want to forget the painful memory.
괴로운 기억을 잊고 싶어요 places 괴로운 before 기억을, and 잊고 싶어요 expresses the wish to forget.
The ㅂ shows up as 우 in 괴로워요, 괴로웠어요 and 괴로운.
How Does Goeropda Conjugation Work?
괴롭다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. The final ㅂ of the stem becomes 우 before a vowel and combines with the ending: 괴로워요, 괴로웠어요, 괴로워서, 괴로우면, 괴로우세요. The modifier is 괴로운. Before consonants the ㅂ stays: 괴롭습니다, 괴롭지 않아요.
Negatives: 안 괴로워요 or 괴롭지 않아요. The honorific polite form is 괴로우세요.
괴롭다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 괴로워요 | ||
| Polite past | 괴로웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 괴로울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 괴롭겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 괴롭습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 괴로웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 괴로울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 괴로워 | ||
| Casual past | 괴로웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 괴로울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 괴로우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 괴로워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 괴로우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 괴로운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 괴로웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 괴로울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 괴로워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 괴롭지 않아요 |
There is no want-to row for 괴롭다: that ending attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 괴로웠어요 | [괴로워써요] |
| Polite future | 괴로울 거예요 | [괴로울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 괴롭겠어요 | [괴롭께써요] |
| Formal present | 괴롭습니다 | [괴롭씀니다] |
| Formal past | 괴로웠습니다 | [괴로웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 괴로울 것입니다 | [괴로울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 괴로웠어 | [괴로워써] |
| Casual future | 괴로울 거야 | [괴로울꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 괴로웠던 | [괴로웓떤] |
| Long negative | 괴롭지 않아요 | [괴롭찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 괴롭어요
Correct: ✓ 괴로워요
Why: Putting 어요 on the stem leaves the ㅂ in place. It must change to 우, giving 괴로워요.
How Heavy Is 괴롭다 Compared with 힘들다 and 아프다?
괴롭다 is more formal and literary than 힘들다, which is the everyday word for hard or tiring. 아프다 is physical pain or illness. 괴롭다 is deeper mental distress, though it can be physical too.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 괴롭다?
| Word | How to tell it from 괴롭다 |
|---|---|
| 아프다 | Physical pain or illness. 괴롭다 is deeper mental distress, though it can be physical too. |
| 힘들다 | Hard or tiring in everyday use. 괴롭다 is more emotional and heavier in tone. |
Talking after a Difficult Week
Two friends are talking quietly after work. One wants to explain that the problem has been more than ordinary tiredness.
Mina
요즘 일 때문에 괴로워요.
Yojeum il ttaemune goerowoyo.
Work has been making me miserable lately.
Jun
지난주에도 괴로웠어요?
Jinanjuedo goerowosseoyo?
Were you struggling last week too?
Mina
네, 괴로워서 잠을 못 잤어요.
Ne, goerowoseo jameul mot jasseoyo.
Yes, I was so distressed that I could not sleep.
Jun
그랬군요. 무슨 일이 있었어요?
Geuraetgunyo. Museun iri isseosseoyo?
I see. What happened?
괴로워요 names the present distress, 괴로웠어요 asks about an earlier period, and 괴로워서 connects the suffering with a consequence. Jun asks what happened instead of assuming that work itself is the whole explanation. The same word can cover several causes, so the surrounding conversation matters.
What Kind of Suffering Does 괴롭다 Describe?
괴롭다 fits an experience that is painful to endure. Regret, conflict, persistent worry or a painful memory can make the mind feel troubled. Physical discomfort can also be 괴롭다 when the speaker focuses on the suffering it causes, rather than simply locating a pain.
마음이 괴롭다 focuses on distress at heart. The noun 마음 is what is described, and 이 marks it as the subject. In 요즘 일 때문에 괴로워요, 때문에 introduces the reason, while the suffering person is understood from the conversation. The cause does not have to become the grammatical subject.
힘들다 is often a more natural first word for an exhausting day. 괴롭다 adds the sense that the experience is tormenting or hard to live with. There is no fixed scale that ranks every feeling: an ordinary sentence with 괴롭다 can be direct and conversational, even though it also appears in literary writing.
Collocations for Distress and Painful Memories
| Expression | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 마음이 괴롭다 | be troubled at heart | Emotional distress rather than a location of bodily pain. |
| 괴로운 기억 | a painful memory | The memory causes distress when recalled. |
| 괴로운 시간 | a difficult, painful period | Time experienced as suffering, not simply a busy schedule. |
| 괴로움을 겪다 | experience suffering | The noun 괴로움 combines with “go through.” |
괴로운 기억 is not a memory that feels pain itself. The adjective describes the effect of remembering it. 괴로운 시간 likewise describes how someone experienced that period. English often needs a phrase such as “a time of suffering” to make the meaning clear.
괴로움 is the noun “suffering” or “distress.” It lets a sentence discuss the feeling as a thing someone experiences. It is useful in essays, personal accounts and descriptions of a character's inner life. The ending differs from the adjective modifier 괴로운, which needs a noun after it.
Where Will You Hear or Read 괴롭다?
In dramas, 괴로워요 may appear when a character admits guilt, distress or a conflict they have kept hidden. Personal essays use 괴로운 기억 to look back on a difficult experience. In an everyday conversation, the word tells a friend that the problem is weighing on you.
괴롭습니다 is a formal statement, but formality does not make the feeling stronger. 괴로워 is the casual form. A direct question about whether someone is suffering may feel personal even with a polite ending; the relationship and situation still determine whether it is welcome.
괴롭다 and 괴롭히다: Who Is Suffering?
괴롭다 describes the state of suffering. 괴롭히다 is an action verb meaning to torment, bully or bother someone. With 괴롭히다, a person can be the object of the action. With 괴롭다, the sentence describes distress rather than someone carrying out that action.
The distinction matters in a scene involving harassment. A character's distress and another character's behaviour are related, but the verbs tell different parts of the story. The spelling 괴롭히다 contains 히 and follows its own conjugation; it is not another tense or politeness level of 괴롭다.
Why Do 괴로운 and 괴로워요 Look Different?
Both forms lose stem-final ㅂ and gain 우. In 괴로워요, 우 combines with 어 to make 워. In 괴로운, the modifier ending leaves 우 visible. Before a consonant ending, 괴롭습니다 and 괴롭지 않아요 keep ㅂ. Match the form to the ending rather than replacing every 괴롭 with 괴로워.
Words for Explaining the Feeling
| Word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 괴로움 | suffering; distress | The noun naming the experience. |
| 괴롭히다 | torment; bully; bother | Describes causing someone trouble. |
| 힘들다 | be hard; be exhausting | A broad everyday word for difficulty. |
| 아프다 | hurt; be ill | Often identifies bodily pain, but can also be emotional. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson gives you more words for describing the feeling and its cause.
Mini Drill: Choose the Form
- Make 괴롭다 polite present.
- Give the polite past.
- Complete ___ 기억 for “a painful memory.”
- Join the distress to a consequence with -어서.
Show drill answers
- 괴로워요. ㅂ changes to 우 and 우 plus 어 becomes 워.
- 괴로웠어요. Add the past marker to the changed base.
- 괴로운 기억. The modifier keeps 우.
- 괴로워서. This can introduce the result of distress.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb describes tormenting someone: 괴롭다 or 괴롭히다?
- Does 괴롭습니다 keep the stem-final ㅂ?
- Which is a noun: 괴로움 or 괴로운?
Show self-test answers
- 괴롭히다 describes causing the suffering.
- Yes. The following ending begins with a consonant.
- 괴로움 is the noun; 괴로운 describes a following noun.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 괴롭다?
괴로워요, not 괴롭어요.
Is 괴롭다 Stronger than 힘들다?
Yes in tone: 힘들다 is hard or tiring, while 괴롭다 is emotional and heavier.
What Does 괴롭히다 Mean?
It is the related verb for bullying or tormenting someone.
What Is the Modifier?
괴로운, as in 괴로운 기억.
Which Words Are Related to 괴롭다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 괴롭다 with 힘들다 and 아프다, then read about 슬프다 for the sad side of the same range. The rule behind this entry is explained in ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives. To test other words, use the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.