Key Facts
- Hangul: 지루하다 (jiruhada)
- Meaning: to be boring
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 지루하
- Conjugation class: regular 하다 adjective
- Grammar: A descriptive word; the thing that bores takes 이/가 (수업이 지루해요).
- Polite present and past: 지루해요, 지루했어요
What Does 지루하다 Mean?
지루하다 describes dull things or times, as in 지루한 영화 (a boring movie). It stresses slow, tedious boredom more than a plain lack of fun.
It is a common complaint about movies, lectures and long trips, and the thing that bores takes 이/가: 수업이 지루해요. A noun-like form is 지루함. The word works for the thing that is boring and also for the feeling of boredom.
How Do You Pronounce 지루하다?
Every syllable is read as spelled. The formal present 지루합니다 is [지루함니다], the past 지루했어요 is [지루해써요], and the long negative 지루하지 않아요 is [지루하지 아나요].
How Do You Use 지루하다 in a Sentence?
이 영화는 너무 지루해요.
This movie is too boring.
이 영화는 너무 지루해요 pairs the movie with 너무 (too) to complain that it drags.
수업이 지루했어요.
The class was boring.
수업이 지루했어요 sets the class as subject and the past 지루했어요 as the verdict.
지루하면 음악을 들어요.
When I am bored, I listen to music.
지루하면 음악을 들어요 says what to do when bored: listen to music.
The stem appears as 지루해요, 지루했어요 and 지루하면 in these sentences.
How Does Jiruhada Conjugation Work?
지루하다 is a regular 하다 adjective. Before 아/어 the 하 becomes 해: 지루해요, 지루했어요, 지루해서. Before 으-type endings it stays 하: 지루하면, 지루하세요. The modifier is 지루한. Consonant endings attach directly: 지루합니다, 지루하지 않아요.
Negatives: 안 지루해요 or 지루하지 않아요. The honorific polite form is 지루하세요.
지루하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 지루해요 | ||
| Polite past | 지루했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 지루할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 지루하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 지루합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 지루했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 지루할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 지루해 | ||
| Casual past | 지루했어 | ||
| Casual future | 지루할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 지루하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 지루해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 지루하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 지루한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 지루했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 지루할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 지루해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 지루하지 않아요 |
There is no want-to row for boring: that ending attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 지루했어요 | [지루해써요] |
| Polite future | 지루할 거예요 | [지루할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 지루하겠어요 | [지루하게써요] |
| Formal present | 지루합니다 | [지루함니다] |
| Formal past | 지루했습니다 | [지루핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 지루할 것입니다 | [지루할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 지루했어 | [지루해써] |
| Casual future | 지루할 거야 | [지루할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 지루했던 | [지루핻떤] |
| Long negative | 지루하지 않아요 | [지루하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Meaning contrast (not a grammar error): 저는 지루해요 vs 저는 지루한 사람이에요
For 'I am a boring person', say: ✓ 저는 지루한 사람이에요.
Why: 저는 지루해요 is correct Korean, but it normally means 'I am bored'. To call a person boring, put the modifier 지루한 before 사람.
Do 지루하다, 심심하다 and 재미없다 Mean the Same?
심심하다 is boredom because there is nothing to do. 지루하다 is boredom because something is dull. 재미없다 simply means not fun or uninteresting. 재미있다 is the positive counterpart and 피곤하다 often follows a long, dull day.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 지루하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 지루하다 |
|---|---|
| 심심하다 | Bored because there is nothing to do. 지루하다 is bored because something is dull. |
| 재미없다 | Not fun or uninteresting in general. 지루하다 stresses slow, tedious boredom. |
Taking a Break during a Long Journey
Two friends have been on a bus for hours. One asks about the journey so far; the other suggests something to make the remaining time less tedious.
Mina
여기까지 오는 길이 지루했어요?
Yeogikkaji oneun giri jiruhaesseoyo?
Was the journey here boring?
Alex
네. 오래 앉아 있으면 지루해요.
Ne. Orae anja isseumyeon jiruhaeyo.
Yes. Sitting for a long time is boring.
Mina
지루하면 같이 음악을 들어요.
Jiruhamyeon gachi eumageul deureoyo.
If you are bored, let us listen to music together.
지루했어요 evaluates the earlier journey. 지루해요 describes Alex's general experience of sitting for a long time. In the suggestion, 지루하면 leaves the feeling as a condition: music is one possible response when the time starts to drag.
Collocations for Time That Drags
지루한 수업 means “a boring class.” The phrase evaluates the experience of the lesson, rather than the learner's timetable. Someone may have plenty to do and still find the class tedious. That is why 지루하다 can fit a busy day, while 심심하다 often points to having nothing engaging to do.
지루한 기다림 means “a tedious wait.” 기다림 is the noun for waiting. The phrase describes the feeling of the wait, not its measured length. Ten minutes may feel tedious when nothing happens; a longer wait with an absorbing conversation may not feel that way.
지루한 이야기 means “a boring story” or “a tedious account.” 이야기 can be a fictional story or something a person tells you. Context identifies which. Calling someone's account 지루하다 directly can sound dismissive, especially if they care about what they are explaining.
지루함 means “boredom” or “tedium.” This noun is useful in descriptions of a mood or experience. It does not conjugate in place of 지루하다. A sentence reporting that a class was boring still needs the adjective form 지루했어요, rather than using the noun as though it were a past tense.
Where Will You Hear 지루하다?
Film reviews, comments about lectures and complaints during long trips use 지루하다. The common link is sustained lack of interest: the experience seems to take too long or offers too little variety. The word does not say whether a film is confusing, badly acted or technically poor. A film review needs other words for those claims.
지루해요 is polite to the listener, but the criticism remains. A learner telling a teacher that a class is 지루해요 makes a direct negative judgment. In feedback, identifying the slow or repetitive part gives the teacher more useful information than applying the adjective to the whole lesson.
In a conversation between friends, 지루해 can simply report your mood. It does not automatically blame your companion. If a friend is telling an important story, however, that same line may be understood as a reaction to the story. The activity happening at the time shapes the interpretation.
Bored Person or Boring Experience?
The English pair “bored” and “boring” does not map onto two separate forms of 지루하다. 수업이 지루해요 evaluates the class. 저는 지루해요 usually reports the speaker's boredom. The noun or topic and the surrounding activity tell you which English translation fits.
Before 사람, 지루한 describes a boring person. This is a stronger personal judgment than reporting boredom during a wait. Before 영화 or 수업, the same modifier describes an experience. Learn the whole noun phrase rather than assuming that 지루한 always translates as “bored.”
The 하다 ending contracts to 해 in 지루해요 and 지루했어요, but stays 하 in 지루하면 and 지루합니다. 지루하다 is one adjective, so keep 지루 and 하다 together. The space in 안 지루해요 belongs after the separate negative 안.
| Related word | Meaning | What causes the feeling? |
|---|---|---|
| 심심하다 | to be bored | Often a lack of anything to do. |
| 재미없다 | to be uninteresting | A general absence of fun or interest. |
| 피곤하다 | to be tired | Fatigue, which can coexist with boredom. |
| 기다림 | waiting | A situation that may feel tedious. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson adds words for explaining how an experience leaves you feeling.
Mini Drill: Choose the Viewpoint
- Say “a boring movie” using the present modifier.
- Change 지루해요 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional used before a suggestion.
- Write the short polite negative, including the space.
Show boredom drill answers
- 지루한 영화.
- 지루했어요.
- 지루하면.
- 안 지루해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Can someone have many tasks and still feel 지루해요?
- Does 지루한 사람 mean a person who happens to feel bored right now?
- Does 요 remove criticism from a comment about a teacher's class?
Reveal the self-test answers
- Yes. A repetitive task can be tedious even when you are busy.
- No. It describes the person as boring.
- No. It makes the sentence polite to the listener, but the evaluation is still negative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 지루하다?
지루해요.
Can 저는 지루해요 Mean I Am Boring?
No. It means I am bored. For a boring person say 지루한 사람이에요.
What Is the Noun Form?
지루함, the state of boredom.
How Do I Say a Boring Movie?
지루한 영화, with the modifier 지루한.
Which Words Are Related to 지루하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Sort 지루하다 from 심심하다 and 재미없다, then look at 재미있다 and 피곤하다. The rule behind this entry is explained in 하다 to 해요. To test other words, use the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.