Key Facts
- Hangul: 흐리다 (heurida)
- Meaning: cloudy
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 흐리
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the weather takes 이/가 (날씨가 흐려요).
- Usage: Weather staple. Can also mean unclear or hazy (기억이 흐려요, memory is vague).
What Does 흐리다 Mean?
흐리다 means cloudy. 날씨가 흐려요 is the weather report in one phrase: the weather is cloudy. It can also mean unclear or hazy, so 기억이 흐려요 says a memory is vague. Weather takes 이/가, and 흐린 날 is a cloudy day.
How Do You Pronounce 흐리다?
흐리다 is read as written. In the polite forms, 리 + 어 fuses into 려, so you get 흐려요 and 흐렸어요, the second spoken [흐려써요]. In the formal style, the ㅂ of 립 meets ㄴ and turns into ㅁ: 흐립니다 is [흐림니다]. The formal past 흐렸습니다 is spoken [흐렫씀니다].
How Do You Use 흐리다 in a Sentence?
오늘은 날씨가 흐려요.
The weather is cloudy today.
오늘은 sets the day, and 날씨가 is the subject of 흐려요.
흐린 날에는 우산을 가져가요.
On cloudy days I take an umbrella.
흐린 is the present modifier. 흐린 날에는 means on cloudy days, and 우산을 is what the speaker brings.
어제는 하루 종일 흐렸어요.
It was cloudy all day yesterday.
하루 종일 means all day, and 흐렸어요 is the past.
The set shows the polite present 흐려요, the modifier 흐린 and the past 흐렸어요.
How Does Heurida Conjugation Work?
흐리다 is regular, but the stem ends in 리, and 리 + 어 contracts into 려: 흐려요, 흐렸어요, 흐려서. Before a consonant the stem is unchanged: 흐립니다 and 흐리지 않아요. The present modifier is 흐린 and the if-form is 흐리면. The rule behind this class is in the polite present recipe lesson.
흐리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 흐려요 | ||
| Polite past | 흐렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 흐릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 흐리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 흐립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 흐렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 흐릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 흐려 | ||
| Casual past | 흐렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 흐릴 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 흐리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 흐려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 흐리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 흐린 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 흐렸던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 흐릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 흐려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 흐리지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 흐렸어요 | [흐려써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 흐릴 거예요 | [흐릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 흐리겠어요 | [흐리게써요] |
| Formal present | 흐립니다 | [흐림니다] |
| Formal past | 흐렸습니다 | [흐렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 흐릴 것입니다 | [흐릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 흐렸어 | [흐려써] |
| Casual future | 흐릴 거야 | [흐릴꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 흐렸던 | [흐렫떤] |
| Long negative | 흐리지 않아요 | [흐리지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 흐리다
Wrong: ✗ 흐리는 날씨
Correct: ✓ 흐린 날씨
Why: In the weather sense 흐리다 is an adjective, so before a noun it takes -ㄴ: 흐린 날씨 (cloudy weather). The -는 modifier is for verbs.
Cloudy Skies and Hazy Memories
흐리다 is a weather staple, and its figurative sense is just as useful: 기억이 흐려요. Another word 흐리다 exists as a verb, as in 말끝을 흐리다, which means to trail off in speech; that is a separate entry. In this adjective sense, the opposite is 맑다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 흐리다?
| Word | How to tell it from 흐리다 |
|---|---|
| 맑다 | The opposite: 맑다 is clear, 흐리다 is cloudy or murky. |
| 어둡다 | 어둡다 is dark from lack of light; 흐리다 is overcast or unclear. |
어둡다 is about missing light, while 흐리다 is about cloud cover or a lack of clarity.
Checking the Sky before a Picnic
Two friends are deciding whether to take their picnic outside. They compare yesterday with today and discuss what to do if the sky stays overcast.
Jisu
오늘도 날씨가 흐려요?
Oneuldo nalssiga heuryeoyo?
Is it cloudy again today?
Alex
네. 어제도 흐렸어요.
Ne. Eojedo heuryeosseoyo.
Yes. It was cloudy yesterday too.
Jisu
흐리면 공원에 안 가요?
Heurimyeon gongwone an gayo?
If it is cloudy, are we not going to the park?
Alex
비가 안 오면 가요.
Biga an omyeon gayo.
We will go if it does not rain.
흐려요 describes the current sky, 흐렸어요 places the same condition yesterday, and 흐리면 makes cloud cover a condition. The last answer separates cloud from rain: an overcast day does not necessarily mean rain is falling. 도 in 오늘도 and 어제도 links the two days with “too” or “again”.
Weather Combinations That Change the Message
날씨가 흐리다 describes cloudy weather, while 하늘이 흐리다 focuses on the sky. 날이 흐리다 is another common way to describe an overcast day. These phrases share the same weather sense; choose the noun according to what you are describing. 흐린 날씨 and 흐린 하늘 put the description directly before the noun.
흐리고 비가 오다 means “to be cloudy and rain”. The rain is extra information supplied by 비가 오다, not part of the meaning of 흐리다. A forecast can therefore describe a cloudy day without predicting rain. The existing umbrella example describes someone's habit, rather than a rule that every cloudy day requires an umbrella.
기억이 흐리다 means that a memory is hazy. The person remembers something without a clear picture of it. This is different from saying they remember nothing at all. In a conversation about an old school trip, 흐리다 can describe the unclear details even if the speaker still remembers going on the trip.
How Does 흐리다 Appear in a Forecast?
Weather apps and forecast tables often use the compact label 흐림, “cloudy”. The ending -ㅁ turns the description into a noun-like label. In a full spoken forecast you can hear 흐립니다, while a friend looking out of the window is more likely to say 흐려요. Recognising the label and the sentence form helps you connect the screen with the spoken report.
흐리겠어요 expresses a prediction, such as a speaker's guess about the coming weather. The future row 흐릴 거예요 also describes expected conditions. Its table label includes “plan”, but the sky has no plan: for a weather adjective the future form predicts a state. The English translation should therefore concern what the weather will be like.
The subject can disappear once the weather is established. After someone asks about today's forecast, 흐려요 is a complete answer in context. In a fresh message with no weather context, adding 날씨가 makes the topic clearer and avoids the figurative “hazy” reading.
Nearby Words for a Weather Conversation
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 구름 | cloud | Names what is in the sky rather than describing the whole day. |
| 비 | rain | Cloud cover and rainfall are separate conditions. |
| 일기 예보 | weather forecast | The report you check before making outdoor plans. |
| 우산 | umbrella | The item in the existing cloudy-day example. |
Learn the rest through the weather vocabulary lesson, including the nouns you need around 흐려요.
Why Is 흐린 Correct for a Cloudy Day?
In this entry, 흐리다 describes a state, so 흐린 goes before 날 or 날씨. The stem ends in a vowel, and the describing ending adds ㄴ directly: 흐리 + ㄴ gives 흐린. The contraction in 흐려요 does not carry over to this modifier. Start from 흐리, rather than trying to add a noun to the polite sentence ending.
There is also an action verb spelled 흐리다, meaning to blur or make something unclear. 말끝을 흐리다 describes trailing off at the end of what you say. The object marker 을 in 말끝을 is a useful clue to that separate action sense. A cloudy sky takes a subject marker, as in 날씨가, so the sentence structure helps distinguish the two entries.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Give the polite present of 흐리다.
- Complete “cloudy sky”: ____ 하늘.
- Change 흐려요 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional meaning “if it is cloudy”.
Show drill answers
- 흐려요. 리 and 어 contract to 려.
- 흐린 하늘. This weather sense is descriptive.
- 흐렸어요.
- 흐리면. The stem stays 흐리 before 면.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 흐려요 mean it is raining?
- What does 흐림 on a weather display mean?
- Which phrase describes a hazy memory: 기억이 흐리다 or 날씨가 흐리다?
Show answers
- No. It describes cloud cover; rain needs its own expression.
- Cloudy. It is the short weather label.
- 기억이 흐리다. The subject 기억 means memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'It Is Cloudy Today'?
오늘은 날씨가 흐려요.
What Is the past of 흐리다?
흐렸어요, spoken [흐려써요].
What Does 기억이 흐려요 Mean?
It means the memory is vague or hazy.
Is It 흐린 날씨 or 흐리는 날씨?
Say 흐린 날씨. In the weather sense 흐리다 is an adjective, so its present modifier is 흐린. The polite present is 흐려요.
What Is the Opposite of 흐리다?
The opposite is 맑다, which means clear.
Which Words Are Related to 흐리다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair it with 맑다 first, then learn 어둡다 and 밝다 for the other light-related words. Once you know how to say "cloudy", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.