Key Facts
- Hangul: 자랑스럽다 (jarangseureopda)
- Meaning: proud
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 자랑스럽
- Class: ㅂ-irregular
- Dictionary-form sound: [자랑스럽따]
What Does 자랑스럽다 Mean?
자랑스럽다 is warm, positive pride in another person's achievement or in your own roots. 아들이 자랑스러워요 means "I'm proud of my son". The one you are proud of takes 이/가, as in 딸이 자랑스러워요, and the proud person takes 은/는. Phrases such as 자랑스러운 아들 or 한국인으로서 자랑스러워요 show where it fits best.
How Do You Pronounce 자랑스럽다?
The dictionary form is said [자랑스럽따], with 다 tensed after ㅂ. The formal 자랑스럽습니다 is [자랑스럽씀니다], and the guess form 자랑스럽겠어요 is [자랑스럽께써요]. The past 자랑스러웠어요 is read [자랑스러워써요].
How Do You Use 자랑스럽다 in a Sentence?
저는 우리 딸이 자랑스러워요.
I am proud of my daughter.
저는 우리 딸이 means "I, my daughter", with the child as the source of pride. 우리 here is the warm "my" used for family.
자랑스러운 졸업식이었어요.
It was a proud graduation.
The modifier 자랑스러운 sits before 졸업식이었어요, a graduation ceremony. The sentence closes with the past of the copula.
합격해서 자랑스러웠어요.
I was proud that I passed.
합격해서 gives the reason, passing an exam. The past tense reports that pride after the result.
Usage Notes for 자랑스럽다
The -스럽다 ending builds many ㅂ-irregular adjectives, so learning 자랑스럽다 prepares you for the whole family. The tone is positive and warm. Be careful not to confuse it with 자랑하다, which means to boast and takes an object. It pairs well with family members and with national or group identity.
How Does Jarangseureopda Conjugation Work?
자랑스럽다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 자랑스러워요 | ||
| Polite past | 자랑스러웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 자랑스러울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 자랑스럽겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 자랑스럽습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 자랑스러웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 자랑스러울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 자랑스러워 | ||
| Casual past | 자랑스러웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 자랑스러울 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 자랑스러워서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 자랑스러우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 자랑스러운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 자랑스러웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 자랑스러울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 자랑스러워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 자랑스럽지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 자랑스러워요 | — |
| Polite past | 자랑스러웠어요 | [자랑스러워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 자랑스러울 거예요 | [자랑스러울꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 자랑스럽겠어요 | [자랑스럽께써요] |
| Formal present | 자랑스럽습니다 | [자랑스럽씀니다] |
| Formal past | 자랑스러웠습니다 | [자랑스러웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 자랑스러울 것입니다 | [자랑스러울꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 자랑스러워 | — |
| Casual past | 자랑스러웠어 | [자랑스러워써] |
| Casual future | 자랑스러울 거야 | [자랑스러울꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 자랑스러워서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 자랑스러우면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 자랑스러운 | — |
| Modifier, past | 자랑스러웠던 | [자랑스러웓떤] |
| Modifier, future | 자랑스러울 | — |
| Short negative | 안 자랑스러워요 | — |
| Long negative | 자랑스럽지 않아요 | [자랑스럽찌 아나요] |
Is 자랑스럽다 Regular or Irregular?
자랑스럽다 is ㅂ-irregular like every adjective that ends in -스럽다. The final ㅂ of 자랑스럽 becomes 우 before a vowel and merges into 워: 자랑스러워요, 자랑스러워서 and 자랑스러운. Before a consonant it stays, giving 자랑스럽습니다 and 자랑스럽지 않아요. Only the last letter of this four-syllable stem ever moves. More adjectives with a final ㅂ are collected in the ㅂ-irregular guide.
Common Mistake with 자랑스럽다
Wrong: ✗ 자랑스럽어요
Correct: ✓ 자랑스러워요
Why: Like every -스럽다 adjective, 자랑스럽다 turns the ㅂ into 워 before 어. Keeping the ㅂ gives a form that does not exist.
자랑스럽다 Versus 자랑하다 and 기쁘다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 자랑하다 | 자랑하다 means to boast, as in 자랑을 해요. 자랑스럽다 is the feeling of pride. |
| 기쁘다 | 기쁘다 is joy. 자랑스럽다 is the pride you feel in an achievement. |
Talking after a Daughter's Graduation
Two coworkers are discussing a graduation ceremony. One parent describes pride now, recalls the previous day's feeling, and uses the modifier to describe her daughter.
Jisu
우리 딸이 정말 자랑스러워요.
Uri ttari jeongmal jarangseureowoyo.
I am really proud of my daughter.
Alex
어제 졸업식에서도 자랑스러웠어요?
Eoje joreopsigeseodo jarangseureowosseoyo?
Were you proud at the graduation ceremony yesterday too?
Jisu
네. 정말 자랑스러운 딸이에요.
Ne. Jeongmal jarangseureoun ttarieyo.
Yes. She is a daughter I am really proud of.
우리 딸 means “my daughter” in this family setting, even though 우리 literally means “our”. The daughter is the source of pride, so she takes 이. The speaker who feels proud can remain unstated once the conversation makes the relationship clear.
Alex's 졸업식에서도 means “at the graduation ceremony too”. The question changes the time and setting without changing who is proud of whom. 자랑스러웠어요 recalls that feeling at the ceremony; 자랑스러운 딸 turns the evaluation into a description before a noun.
Which Phrases Express Pride Naturally?
| Phrase | Meaning | How to understand it |
|---|---|---|
| 자랑스러운 딸 | a daughter one is proud of | The daughter inspires pride in someone. |
| 자랑스러운 아들 | a son one is proud of | The son is the source of the feeling. |
| 자랑스러운 성과 | an achievement to be proud of | The result is worthy of pride. |
| 한국인으로서 자랑스럽다 | to feel proud as a Korean | The speaker names the identity behind the pride. |
자랑스러운 딸 does not usually mean “a daughter who feels proud”. It describes the daughter as someone to be proud of. This is a useful translation check: identify who inspires the pride and who experiences it before choosing the English wording.
한국인으로서 means “as a Korean”. The ending 으로서 names a role or identity; it does not identify a tool or method. The phrase can express pride in something associated with that identity. The same pride word also fits a family's achievement or a team's success, so it is not limited to nationality.
Where Will You Hear 자랑스럽다?
Graduation speeches, award ceremonies and conversations about family achievements often use 자랑스럽다. A parent may praise a child's effort, and a teammate may express pride in the group. The word recognises something as worthy of pride; the particular achievement comes from the sentence around it.
In a speech, 자랑스럽습니다 sounds formal and suits a public statement of pride. In a personal conversation, 자랑스러워요 is the polite choice. 자랑스러워 is the casual form for close relationships. The feeling stays positive across these endings; the difference is how the speaker addresses the listener.
Self-directed pride is possible, as the existing exam example shows. Saying that you feel proud after passing an exam does not automatically mean boasting. 자랑하다 concerns telling or showing others what you are proud of, and can be neutral or boastful depending on context. 자랑스럽다 describes the evaluation or feeling itself.
How Do the Person Markers Work?
In 저는 우리 딸이 자랑스러워요, 저는 sets the person experiencing pride as the topic, and 딸이 marks its source. Replacing 이 with an object marker would copy the English structure “proud of my daughter” too closely. This Korean adjective does not take the daughter as a direct object.
The modifier also reveals the ㅂ change clearly. 자랑스러운 has 우 before ㄴ, while 자랑스러워요 has 워 because 우 combines with 어. Before the consonant ending in 자랑스럽습니다, ㅂ stays. These are spelling changes from conjugation, unlike the pronunciation change from ㅂ to ㅁ before 니다 in the formal ending.
The future 자랑스러울 거예요 predicts pride. It can describe how someone is likely to feel when a result arrives. It is a forecast about a feeling rather than a plan to carry out an action, even when a table groups it under a general future label.
Words for Explaining Why You Feel Proud
| Korean | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 딸 | daughter | A family member who may inspire pride. |
| 아들 | son | Another common person in family expressions of pride. |
| 졸업식 | graduation ceremony | The setting for the dialogue and an existing example. |
| 성과 | achievement / result | Names what a person or team accomplished. |
The family vocabulary lesson gives you the wider set of relationships to use when describing whose achievement matters to you.
Mini Drill: Express Pride
- Complete the source marker: 저는 우리 딸____ 자랑스러워요.
- Give the polite past of 자랑스럽다.
- Complete “an achievement to be proud of”: ____ 성과.
- Give the formal present, keeping or changing ㅂ as needed.
Show drill answers
- 딸이.
- 자랑스러웠어요.
- 자랑스러운 성과.
- 자랑스럽습니다. The consonant ending keeps ㅂ.
Quick Self-Test
- In 자랑스러운 딸, who is usually the source of pride?
- Which word describes expressing pride or boasting: 자랑스럽다 or 자랑하다?
- Does 우리 딸 necessarily refer to a daughter shared by both speakers?
Show answers
- The daughter.
- 자랑하다.
- No. 우리 is commonly used for one's own family members.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I'm Proud of My Daughter?
Say 저는 우리 딸이 자랑스러워요. The daughter takes 이.
Is 자랑스럽다 the Same as Boasting?
No. Boasting is 자랑하다. 자랑스럽다 is the feeling of pride itself.
What Is the past Tense?
The polite past is 자랑스러웠어요, said [자랑스러워써요].
How Do I Use It before a Noun?
Use the modifier 자랑스러운, as in 자랑스러운 아들.
Which Words Are Related to 자랑스럽다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next look at 부끄럽다, its emotional opposite, then 기쁘다 for joy and 행복하다, another word ending in 하다 for happiness. Type any other stem into the Korean verb conjugator to compare, and find the rest of the family in the Korean verb dictionary.