Key Facts
- Hangul: 굵다 (gukda)
- Meaning: to be thick (round things)
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 굵
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: A descriptive word, so the subject takes 이/가 (다리가 굵어요).
- Polite present and past: 굵어요, 굵었어요
What Does 굵다 Mean?
굵다 describes thick round objects such as rope, legs or raindrops, as in 굵은 빗방울 (thick raindrops). It is also used for coarse grains and a deep voice: 굵은 소금 (coarse salt) and 목소리가 굵다.
It measures thickness across, not flat thickness. For books and coats Korean uses 두껍다. The subject takes 이/가: 다리가 굵어요.
How Do You Pronounce 굵다?
The spelling 굵 holds two consonants, ㄹ and ㄱ. Before a consonant only the ㄱ is read, so 굵다 is [국따], 굵습니다 is [국씀니다], and 굵지 않아요 is [국찌 아나요]. Before a vowel the ㄱ moves across and the ㄹ is heard: 굵어요 is [굴거요] and 굵은 is [굴근]. Before ㄱ the ㄹ is the one heard, so 굵고 sounds like 굴꼬.
How Do You Use 굵다 in a Sentence?
이 나무는 아주 굵어요.
This tree is very thick.
이 나무는 아주 굵어요 describes a tree's trunk: 이 means this, 아주 means very.
빗방울이 굵었어요.
The raindrops were big.
빗방울이 굵었어요 describes big raindrops in the past.
굵은 소금을 쓰세요.
Use coarse salt.
굵은 소금을 쓰세요 uses the modifier before 소금을, with 쓰세요 as a polite instruction.
Because the word is regular, the stem 굵 never changes shape; only the ending moves, and you can see it in 굵어요, 굵었어요 and 굵은.
How Does Gukda Conjugation Work?
굵다 is regular: the stem 굵 stays whole before every ending. With 아/어 the ending is 어: 굵어요, 굵었어요, 굵어서. With 으-type endings the 으 is kept: 굵으면, 굵으세요, 굵은. The future modifier is 굵을. The only surprise is in sound, not in spelling.
Negatives: 안 굵어요 or 굵지 않아요. The honorific polite form is 굵으세요.
굵다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 굵어요 | ||
| Polite past | 굵었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 굵을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 굵겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 굵습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 굵었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 굵을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 굵어 | ||
| Casual past | 굵었어 | ||
| Casual future | 굵을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 굵으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 굵어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 굵으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 굵은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 굵었던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 굵을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 굵어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 굵지 않아요 |
There is no want-to row for 굵다: that ending attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 굵었어요 | [굴거써요] |
| Polite future | 굵을 거예요 | [굴글꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 굵겠어요 | [굴께써요] |
| Formal present | 굵습니다 | [국씀니다] |
| Formal past | 굵었습니다 | [굴걷씀니다] |
| Formal future | 굵을 것입니다 | [굴글꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 굵었어 | [굴거써] |
| Casual future | 굵을 거야 | [굴글꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 굵었던 | [굴걷떤] |
| Long negative | 굵지 않아요 | [국찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 굵은 책
Correct: ✓ 두꺼운 책
Why: Thickness has two words. 굵다 is only for round or long things; a flat object such as a book is 두껍다.
When Is It 굵다 and When 두껍다?
Picture the cross-section. A rope, a finger, a pen or a raindrop is thick through the middle, so it is 굵다. A book, a coat or a slice is thick as a layer, so it is 두껍다. The opposite of 굵다 is 가늘다; the opposite of 두껍다 is 얇다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 굵다?
| Word | How to tell it from 굵다 |
|---|---|
| 두껍다 | Thick for flat things like books, coats and slices. 굵다 is thick across a round or long object. |
| 가늘다 | The opposite: thin in girth, like a thread or a thin leg. |
Buying Salt for Cooking
A customer at a market wants salt with large grains. The seller checks which texture they mean. The conversation uses the present form, the modifier and the past form of 굵다.
Customer
이 소금은 알이 굵어요?
I sogeumeun ari gulgeoyo?
Does this salt have large grains?
Seller
네. 굵은 소금을 찾으세요?
Ne. Gulgeun sogeumeul chajeuseyo?
Yes. Are you looking for coarse salt?
Customer
네. 지난번 소금도 굵었어요.
Ne. Jinanbeon sogeumdo gulgeosseoyo.
Yes. The salt I bought last time was coarse too.
알 means an individual grain here. English often translates 굵은 소금 as “coarse salt”, not “thick salt”. The customer is checking grain size, so the adjective gives useful shopping information without saying anything about the salt’s flavour.
Which Combinations Extend the Meaning of 굵다?
굵은 소금 is coarse salt, while 굵은 빗방울 means large raindrops. A raindrop is not long like a rope, but it can still have a large diameter. Think about the size across an individual piece rather than treating “long object” as an absolute rule.
목소리가 굵다 describes a deep, full voice. The speaker is not measuring a physical voice with a ruler. This is an established extension of thickness to sound. It does not by itself mean the person is shouting; loudness and depth are different qualities.
굵은 글씨 means bold or thick lettering. On a notice or a worksheet, the strokes are heavy enough to stand out. The paper itself may be thin. The Korean Basic Dictionary entry for 굵다 includes uses for handwriting and pen strokes, alongside physical thickness.
Where Will You See or Hear 굵다?
In a stationery shop, a description of a pen may concern the width of the line it makes. 굵은 글씨 is useful when looking at a heading, label or handwritten sign. The object being described is the stroke of ink; using 두껍다 would shift attention toward thickness as a layer or solid object.
In weather talk, 굵은 빗방울 describes big drops. That is more specific than simply saying it is raining. In a description of a singer or actor, 목소리가 굵다 focuses on the depth or fullness of the voice. The same adjective works across these scenes because Korean extends thickness beyond solid cylinders.
Descriptions of legs or fingers can be grammatically ordinary but personally sensitive. Saying someone's legs are thick is still a comment about their body. Use objects such as rope, salt and pen strokes when practising the word with people you do not know well.
How Can the Spelling Stay Regular While the Sound Changes?
The ㄺ belongs to the stem in every form. In 굵어요, both consonants can be heard across the syllable boundary: [굴거요]. In 굵다 [국따], the cluster is reduced before ㄷ. The standard pronunciation rules also give 굵고 [굴꼬], where the following ㄱ changes which part of the cluster is heard.
These sound changes do not make 굵다 an irregular adjective. An irregular conjugation changes the stem spelling in particular forms, as happens with many ㅂ adjectives. Here you keep writing 굵- and choose the normal ending. This distinction helps when you recognise a spoken form but need to write it correctly.
Related Words for Size and Thickness
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 가늘다 | thin; slender | The direct opposite for thread, rope or strokes. |
| 두껍다 | thick | Describes books, coats and layers. |
| 얇다 | thin | The opposite of 두껍다 for flat objects or layers. |
| 크다 | big | Gives overall size without specifying thickness. |
The descriptive verb lesson teaches how these size descriptions work before nouns. Keep the comparison pairs together: 굵다 with 가늘다, and 두껍다 with 얇다.
Mini Drill: Choose the Form
- Describe a rope politely: 굵다 → ___.
- Describe yesterday’s large drops: 굵다 → polite past ___.
- Complete “coarse salt”: ___ 소금.
- Give the conditional form for “if it is thick”: ___.
Show drill answers
- 굵어요. Keep ㄺ in the spelling.
- 굵었어요. The stem remains 굵-.
- 굵은 소금. The modifier takes 은.
- 굵으면. The consonant stem takes 으면.
Quick Self-Test
- Which adjective describes a thick book?
- What does 굵은 글씨 tell you about the writing?
- Does the pronunciation [굴거요] make 굵다 irregular?
Show self-test answers
- 두껍다, giving 두꺼운 책.
- Its strokes are thick or bold.
- No. The written stem stays 굵-; the sound changes follow pronunciation rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Read 굵다?
It is read [국따]. Before ㄷ, ㅅ and ㅈ only the ㄱ of the cluster is heard; before ㄱ it is the ㄹ (굵고 [굴꼬]).
What Is the Polite Present of 굵다?
굵어요, read [굴거요].
Can I Say 굵은 책 for a Thick Book?
No. Use 두꺼운 책; 굵다 is for round or long things.
Is 굵다 Irregular?
No. The spelling looks odd but every ending attaches normally: 굵었어요, 굵은.
Which Words Are Related to 굵다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn its opposite 가늘다 next, then 두껍다 and 얇다 for flat things. The regular endings used here are explained in the polite present recipe. To test other words, use the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.