Key Facts
- Hangul: 깨끗하다 (kkaekkeutada)
- Meaning: clean
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 깨끗하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the clean thing or place, as in 방이 정말 깨끗해요.
- Usage: Also fine for a tidy look or a clean public image: 깨끗한 이미지.
What Does 깨끗하다 Mean?
깨끗하다 describes anything free of dirt. 깨끗한 방 is a clean room and 깨끗한 수건 is a fresh towel. The idea can stretch to a tidy look or a clean image.
For clear water, air and sky, Korean also has 맑다, which means clear rather than tidy.
How Do You Pronounce 깨끗하다?
The spelling and the sound differ in the middle: the ㅅ of 끗 meets the ㅎ of 하, and the pair becomes an aspirated ㅌ, so the lemma is read [깨끄타다]. The same merger stays in the conjugated forms, and the sound-change table below lists each one.
How Do You Use 깨끗하다 in a Sentence?
방이 정말 깨끗해요.
The room is really clean.
정말 strengthens 깨끗해요, and 방이 is the clean thing.
방이 깨끗해서 기분이 좋아요.
The room is clean, so I feel good.
깨끗해서 gives the reason; the second clause 기분이 좋아요 is the result.
깨끗한 수건을 주세요.
Please give me a clean towel.
깨끗한 sits before 수건을, and 주세요 turns the sentence into a request.
The same room appears twice, first described with 깨끗해요 and then as the reason for a good mood with 깨끗해서, and the towel request shows 깨끗한 before a noun.
How Does Kkaekkeutada Conjugation Work?
깨끗하다 is a 하다 adjective. 하 + 여 contracts to 해, which gives 깨끗해요 and 깨끗했어요. Before a noun use 깨끗한. The ㅅ and ㅎ meet in every form that keeps the 하, so the aspirated ㅌ sound stays in speech.
To say something is not clean, put 안 in front for 안 깨끗해요 or use the long negative 깨끗하지 않아요. The because-form is 깨끗해서, the if-form 깨끗하면, and the modifiers are 깨끗한 (now), 깨끗했던 (earlier) and 깨끗할 (later); the honorific polite form is 깨끗하세요.
깨끗하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 깨끗해요 | ||
| Polite past | 깨끗했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 깨끗할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 깨끗하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 깨끗합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 깨끗했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 깨끗할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 깨끗해 | ||
| Casual past | 깨끗했어 | ||
| Casual future | 깨끗할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 깨끗하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 깨끗해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 깨끗하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 깨끗한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 깨끗했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 깨끗할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 깨끗해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 깨끗하지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 깨끗해요 | [깨끄태요] |
| Polite past | 깨끗했어요 | [깨끄태써요] |
| Polite future | 깨끗할 거예요 | [깨끄탈꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 깨끗하겠어요 | [깨끄타게써요] |
| Formal present | 깨끗합니다 | [깨끄탐니다] |
| Formal past | 깨끗했습니다 | [깨끄탣씀니다] |
| Formal future | 깨끗할 것입니다 | [깨끄탈꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 깨끗해 | [깨끄태] |
| Casual past | 깨끗했어 | [깨끄태써] |
| Casual future | 깨끗할 거야 | [깨끄탈꺼야] |
| Honorific | 깨끗하세요 | [깨끄타세요] |
| Because form | 깨끗해서 | [깨끄태서] |
| Conditional | 깨끗하면 | [깨끄타면] |
| Present modifier | 깨끗한 | [깨끄탄] |
| Past modifier | 깨끗했던 | [깨끄탣떤] |
| Future modifier | 깨끗할 | [깨끄탈] |
| Short negative | 안 깨끗해요 | [안 깨끄태요] |
| Long negative | 깨끗하지 않아요 | [깨끄타지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 깨끗어요 / 깨끗하어요
Correct: ✓ 깨끗해요
Why: Learners attach 어 to the stem and write 깨끗어요, or think 하어요 is right. The 하 contracts with 여 into 해.
What Can Be 깨끗하다?
Rooms, bathrooms, plates and clothes are the first picks, and the word reaches abstract uses such as a public image. The opposite is 더럽다. Words of cleaning, such as 청소하다, usually come next.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 깨끗하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 깨끗하다 |
|---|---|
| 더럽다 | 더럽다 is the opposite, dirty. |
| 맑다 | 맑다 is clear or clean in the sense of water, air or sky, not tidy. |
Checking a Room before Unpacking
Two friends have just entered their hotel room. One describes its present condition; the other compares it with yesterday's room.
Mina
방이 정말 깨끗해요.
Bangi jeongmal kkaekkeutaeyo.
The room is really clean.
Jisu
어제 방도 깨끗했어요.
Eoje bangdo kkaekkeutaesseoyo.
Yesterday’s room was clean too.
Mina
깨끗한 수건도 있어요.
Kkaekkeutan sugeondo isseoyo.
There are clean towels too.
The ending changes what Mina and Jisu are doing with the description. 깨끗해요 evaluates the room now, 깨끗했어요 recalls an earlier room, and 깨끗한 identifies the kind of towels available. 도 means “too” in both replies. Neither friend needs to name the hotel again because the setting is already clear.
Which Phrases Go beyond a Clean Room?
| Phrase | Literal idea | What it means in use |
|---|---|---|
| 깨끗한 수건 | A clean towel | A towel ready to use, without dirt or stains. |
| 깨끗한 이미지 | A clean image | A public reputation without scandal or dishonesty. |
| 깨끗하게 씻다 | To wash cleanly | To wash thoroughly, with a clean result. |
| 깨끗이 잊다 | To forget cleanly | To forget completely, leaving the matter behind. |
깨끗한 이미지 does not refer to washing someone's photograph. In entertainment reporting or talk about a public figure, 이미지 means the impression people have of that person. The adjective describes that reputation, rather than proving anything about the person's private life.
깨끗하게 and 깨끗이 both work as adverbs, words that describe how an action happens. You can meet both with washing or cleaning. Treat 깨끗이 as a complete spelling: its final 이 belongs to the adverb. In 깨끗이 잊다, the clean result is figurative: nothing of the old memory or attachment remains.
Where Will You See or Hear 깨끗하다?
Accommodation reviews use 깨끗해요 and 깨끗했어요 to describe rooms, bathrooms and bedding. The past form often evaluates a completed stay. A review calling a room 깨끗하다 tells you about cleanliness; it does not by itself promise a large room, new furniture or a quiet street.
In a shared kitchen, 깨끗하게 is useful with instructions about washing dishes or leaving a surface clean. A notice may focus on the desired result rather than naming the person who must clean. The adjective itself is neutral: it works in conversation, written instructions and a formal description.
When someone shows you their home, 방이 정말 깨끗해요 can be a compliment. Adding 요 makes the comment polite to the listener. You do not need the honorific 깨끗하세요 simply because the room belongs to an older person; 깨끗해요 is the straightforward description of the room.
Clean Condition or Cleaning Action?
깨끗하다 describes a condition. 청소하다 names the action that may produce it. A room can already be clean before anyone starts cleaning today, so the two words answer different questions: “What is the room like?” and “What is someone doing?”
Keep 깨끗하다 together as one word. In 안 깨끗해요, only 안 is separate. Changing the 하다 ending gives 깨끗해요; it does not turn the adjective into an instruction to clean. To ask someone to clean, use a cleaning verb such as 청소하다 with a request ending.
Household Words to Use with 깨끗하다
| Korean | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 방 | room | A place you can describe as 깨끗해요. |
| 수건 | towel | Use 깨끗한 to request a clean one. |
| 화장실 | bathroom; toilet | Cleanliness often matters in accommodation reviews. |
| 청소하다 | to clean | Names the work, rather than the resulting condition. |
The home vocabulary lesson places these words among the rooms and objects you describe at home.
Mini Drill: Describe the Result
- Change 깨끗하다 to the polite present.
- Describe yesterday's room with the polite past.
- Fill the gap before “towel”: ____ 수건.
- Give the long negative meaning “is not clean”.
Show drill answers
- 깨끗해요: 하 + 여 contracts to 해.
- 깨끗했어요: the past keeps the contracted 해 sound.
- 깨끗한 수건: the adjective modifies the noun with 한.
- 깨끗하지 않아요: keep the adjective intact before 지.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 깨끗한 이미지 describe physical dirt?
- Which word describes the cleaning action: 깨끗하다 or 청소하다?
- What does 깨끗이 add to 잊다?
Show answers
- No. It describes a clean public reputation.
- 청소하다 names the action.
- Completeness: to forget entirely or put something completely behind you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is 깨끗하다 Pronounced?
[깨끄타다]. The ㅅ and ㅎ merge into an aspirated sound.
Can It Describe a Clean Reputation?
Yes. 깨끗한 이미지 is a clean public image, free of scandal.
What Is the Polite Present?
깨끗해요.
Is 깨끗하어요 Correct?
No. A 하다 adjective uses 해, so 깨끗해요.
Which Words Are Related to 깨끗하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at its opposite 더럽다, then at 청소하다 for the action of cleaning. The 하 to 해 change is set out in how 하다 becomes 해요. Run 청소하다 through the Korean verb conjugator to see the same pattern on a verb, or look up more household words in the Korean verb dictionary.