Key Facts
- Hangul: 젊다 (jeomda)
- Meaning: young
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 젊
- Class: regular
- Spoken as: [점따]
What Does 젊다 Mean?
젊다 is used for adults and for how they look. 젊은 사람 means a young person, usually someone between youth and middle age. A common compliment is 젊어 보이다, 'you look young'. For a child or a teenager the right word is 어리다, not 젊다. The word is about the subject's age, so the person takes 이/가.
How Do You Pronounce 젊다?
In the dictionary form only the ㅁ of the final cluster is pronounced, so 젊다 is said [점따]: the ㄹ is silent and the ㄷ is tense. Before a vowel the ㄻ cluster splits, and the ㅁ moves over, so 젊어요 is [절머요] and the modifier 젊은 is [절믄]. The formal 젊습니다 is [점씀니다].
How Do You Use 젊다 in a Sentence?
할머니는 정말 젊어 보여요.
Grandmother looks really young.
할머니는 정말 젊어 보여요 uses 보이다 to say how someone looks. 정말 adds emphasis, and the line is a warm compliment.
젊은 사람들이 많아요.
There are many young people.
젊은 사람들이 많아요 uses the modifier before 사람들이, with 많아요 giving the quantity.
십 년 전에는 저도 젊었어요.
Ten years ago I was young too.
십 년 전에는 저도 젊었어요 sets the age in the past with 전에는 and the past form 젊었어요. 저도 means 'me too'.
How Does Jeomda Conjugation Work?
젊다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 젊어요 | ||
| Polite past | 젊었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 젊을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 젊겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 젊습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 젊었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 젊을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 젊어 | ||
| Casual past | 젊었어 | ||
| Casual future | 젊을 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 젊어서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 젊으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 젊은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 젊었던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 젊을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 젊어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 젊지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 젊어요 | [절머요] |
| Polite past | 젊었어요 | [절머써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 젊을 거예요 | [절믈꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 젊겠어요 | [점께써요] |
| Formal present | 젊습니다 | [점씀니다] |
| Formal past | 젊었습니다 | [절먿씀니다] |
| Formal future | 젊을 것입니다 | [절믈꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 젊어 | [절머] |
| Casual past | 젊었어 | [절머써] |
| Casual future | 젊을 거야 | [절믈꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 젊어서 | [절머서] |
| Conditional (if) | 젊으면 | [절므면] |
| Modifier, present | 젊은 | [절믄] |
| Modifier, past | 젊었던 | [절먿떤] |
| Modifier, future | 젊을 | [절믈] |
| Short negative | 안 젊어요 | [안 절머요] |
| Long negative | 젊지 않아요 | [점찌 아나요] |
Is 젊다 Regular or Irregular?
젊다 is regular. The stem 젊 ends in a double consonant, but nothing in it changes: 젊 + 어요 gives 젊어요 and 젊 + 은 gives 젊은. What looks unusual is only the sound, because the cluster ㄻ splits when a vowel follows. Because the written stem never changes, the present-tense conjugation recipe is all you need.
Common Mistake with 젊다
Wrong (said of a child): ✗ 젊어요
Correct: ✓ 어려요
Why: 젊다 is for people in the prime of adult life. A child is 어려요; 어리다 covers children and very young people.
젊다 Versus 어리다 and 늙다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 어리다 | 어리다 means young in age, so it fits children and teenagers. 젊다 means being in the prime of adulthood. |
| 늙다 | 늙다 is the opposite, but it is blunt about people. 젊다 is the safer word to use of someone. |
Looking at an Old Family Photograph
Mina and her mother are looking at a photograph from their mother's university days. The conversation moves from the past to a present compliment.
Mina
엄마도 정말 젊었어요.
Eommado jeongmal jeolmeosseoyo.
You were really young too, Mom.
Mother
지금도 마음은 젊어요.
Jigeumdo maeumeun jeolmeoyo.
I am still young at heart.
Mina
맞아요. 젊은 사람들하고도 잘 어울려요.
Majayo. Jeolmeun saramdeulhagodo jal eoullyeoyo.
That is true. You get along well with young people too.
The mother's reply shifts from age to attitude. 마음은 marks “as for my heart,” so the sentence can be affectionate or playful even when the speaker is older. Mina uses polite endings with her mother; families differ in how formally children speak to parents.
Common Phrases about Youth
마음이 젊다 means “to be young at heart.” Literally, the heart or mind is young. The expression praises someone's outlook rather than claiming that their birth date has changed. It fits an older relative who enjoys trying new activities or spending time with younger friends.
젊은 시절 means “one's younger days.” 시절 is a period of life, so the phrase belongs naturally in memories and personal stories. It does not automatically mean childhood. In an interview with a retired athlete, it might refer to the years when the person competed.
젊은 세대 means “the younger generation.” You will see it in reporting about work, housing and social attitudes. 세대 groups people by generation; 젊은 사람들 simply identifies young people. Choose the first when the shared age group matters and the second when you are describing the people present.
Where Will You Hear 젊다?
Family photo conversations often contrast 젊었어요 with 젊어요. Interviews and television documentaries use the word when looking back at someone's career. Advertising may use youth as a positive image, but 젊다 itself gives no exact age boundary. A speaker's own age and the situation affect who counts as young.
With adults, 젊어 보여요 comments on appearance, while 젊어요 describes age or youth more directly. The first can be a friendly compliment when age has already come up. Avoid assuming everyone welcomes comments about looking younger, especially when meeting someone at work for the first time.
An older person may describe themself as no longer young without inviting anyone else to call them old. 늙다 is particularly direct when aimed at another person. Knowing the opposite word helps you understand a remark; it does not make the opposite a suitable compliment or greeting.
Why Does a Regular Adjective Have Changing Sounds?
The spelling 젊 remains in 젊어요, 젊으면 and 젊은. The two consonants in ㄻ become easier to notice before these vowel endings. In 젊다, only one part of the cluster is heard. This is a pronunciation pattern, so keep the full written stem even when your ear seems to hear only ㅁ.
As an adjective, 젊다 uses 젊은 before a noun in the present: 젊은 사람. The table's future forms express a prediction about youth, rather than a plan someone deliberately carries out. The English label “plan” on a general table is less useful for this adjective than for an action such as buying a ticket.
| Related word | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 나이 | age | Names the age you ask about or compare. |
| 청년 | young adult | Names a person or social group, rather than describing youth. |
| 어리다 | to be young | Fits children and can describe being younger in age. |
| 젊음 | youth | A noun for the state or quality of being young. |
The family vocabulary lesson supplies the relationship words for conversations about relatives of different ages.
Mini Drill: Keep the Written Cluster
- Describe yourself ten years ago: 저도 ____ — use the polite past.
- Put 젊다 before 사람 to say “a young person.”
- Give the polite conditional form meaning “if young.”
- Give the formal present without dropping a written consonant.
Show drill answers
- 저도 젊었어요.
- 젊은 사람.
- 젊으면. The ㄻ cluster stays in the spelling.
- 젊습니다. The sound change does not make the stem irregular.
Quick Self-Test
- Which adjective is the usual choice for a six-year-old: 젊다 or 어리다?
- Does 마음이 젊다 tell you someone's numerical age?
- Which phrase refers specifically to appearance: 젊어요 or 젊어 보여요?
Reveal the self-test answers
- 어리다, because the subject is a child.
- No. It describes a youthful attitude.
- 젊어 보여요 means “looks young.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Pronounce 젊다?
Say [점따]. The ㄹ drops out in the dictionary form and the ㄷ becomes tense.
Is 젊다 Only for People?
It is mainly for people and their appearance, as in 젊은 사람. For a child use 어리다.
How Do I Compliment Someone on Looking Young?
Say 젊어 보여요, built from 젊다 and 보이다.
Why Is 젊어요 Said [절머요]?
The ㅁ of the final cluster moves onto the next syllable when a vowel follows.
Which Words Are Related to 젊다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 젊다 with 어리다 in the next entry, then 늙다 to see why Koreans prefer indirect wording about elders, and 새롭다 for a different kind of fresh. The Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.