Key Facts
- Hangul: 못생기다 (motsaenggida)
- Meaning: ugly
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 못생기
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the person or thing that is ugly.
- Usage: Blunt about a person; the state is said with 못생겼어요.
What Does 못생기다 Mean?
못생기다 describes an unattractive face or object: 못생긴 얼굴 is an ugly face. About a person it can be rude, so speakers use it for dolls, vegetables or themselves more often than for someone present.
Like its opposite 잘생기다, it is listed as a verb. The present state is expressed with the past form 못생겼어요; the present form 못생겨요 exists but is much rarer.
How Do You Pronounce 못생기다?
못 ends in ㅅ, which is read as a ㄷ stop, and the following ㅅ of 생 is tensed: the lemma is [몯쌩기다]. In the polite present the sound continues: 못생겨요 is [몯쌩겨요], and the past 못생겼어요 is [몯쌩겨써요].
How Do You Use 못생기다 in a Sentence?
그 인형은 좀 못생겼어요.
That doll is a bit ugly.
인형은 is the topic, and 좀 softens 못생겼어요 to a bit ugly.
못생긴 강아지가 귀여워요.
The ugly puppy is cute.
못생긴 modifies 강아지가, and the second part says the puppy is cute anyway.
저는 못생기지 않아요.
I'm not ugly.
못생기지 않아요 is the long negative; 저는 marks the speaker as the topic.
The examples move from a soft judgment with 좀 to a modifier (못생긴) and a denial with the long negative 못생기지 않아요, which shows how the word is usually hedged.
How Does Motsaenggida Conjugation Work?
못생기다 is regular. 기 + 어 gives 겨, so 못생겨요 and 못생겼어요. The modifier is 못생긴, the same past-looking shape as 잘생긴, because the verb names a state.
To say something is not ugly, put 안 in front for 안 못생겨요 or use the long negative 못생기지 않아요. The because-form is 못생겨서, the if-form 못생기면, and the modifiers are 못생긴 (now), 못생겼던 (earlier) and 못생길 (later); the honorific polite form is 못생기세요.
못생기다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 못생겨요 | ||
| Polite past | 못생겼어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 못생길 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 못생기겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 못생깁니다 | ||
| Formal past | 못생겼습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 못생길 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 못생겨 | ||
| Casual past | 못생겼어 | ||
| Casual future | 못생길 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 못생기고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 못생기세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 못생겨서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 못생기면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 못생긴 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 못생겼던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 못생길 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 못생겨요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 못생기지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 못생겨요 | [몯쌩겨요] |
| Polite past | 못생겼어요 | [몯쌩겨써요] |
| Polite future | 못생길 거예요 | [몯쌩길꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 못생기겠어요 | [몯쌩기게써요] |
| Formal present | 못생깁니다 | [몯쌩김니다] |
| Formal past | 못생겼습니다 | [몯쌩겯씀니다] |
| Formal future | 못생길 것입니다 | [몯쌩길꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 못생겨 | [몯쌩겨] |
| Casual past | 못생겼어 | [몯쌩겨써] |
| Casual future | 못생길 거야 | [몯쌩길꺼야] |
| Want-to form | 못생기고 싶어요 | [몯쌩기고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 못생기세요 | [몯쌩기세요] |
| Because form | 못생겨서 | [몯쌩겨서] |
| Conditional | 못생기면 | [몯쌩기면] |
| Present modifier | 못생긴 | [몯쌩긴] |
| Past modifier | 못생겼던 | [몯쌩겯떤] |
| Future modifier | 못생길 | [몯쌩길] |
| Short negative | 안 못생겨요 | [안 몯쌩겨요] |
| Long negative | 못생기지 않아요 | [몯쌩기지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 못생기는 얼굴
Correct: ✓ 못생긴 얼굴
Why: Because it is a verb, learners attach the present modifier 는. The attributive is the -ㄴ form, 못생긴.
How Careful Should You Be with 못생기다?
Calling a person 못생겼어요 is direct and can hurt. The word is safest for objects and for self-deprecating humour. 더럽다 sometimes gets confused with it, but that word means dirty.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 못생기다?
| Word | How to tell it from 못생기다 |
|---|---|
| 잘생기다 | 잘생기다 is the opposite, good-looking. |
| 더럽다 | 더럽다 means dirty, not ugly, even though both can feel unpleasant. |
Choosing an Unusual Stuffed Toy
Two friends are looking at a toy shop display. One dislikes a doll’s face; the other finds it charming. The scene uses 못생겼어요, 못생긴 and 못생기지 않아요.
Jisu
이 인형은 좀 못생겼어요.
I inhyeongeun jom motsaenggyeosseoyo.
This doll is a bit ugly.
Alex
저는 못생긴 인형도 좋아해요.
Jeoneun motsaenggin inhyeongdo joahaeyo.
I like ugly dolls too.
Jisu
이건 못생기지 않아요.
Igeon motsaenggiji anayo.
This one isn’t ugly.
Alex
그럼 이 인형을 사요.
Geureom i inhyeongeul sayo.
Then let’s buy this doll.
The speakers are judging toys, so the exchange avoids a personal insult. 좀 makes the first judgment less absolute. In the second line, 도 means “too” or “even”: an unconventional face does not stop Alex from liking the toy. The third line uses the long negative to reject the label for another doll.
Why Does 못생겼어요 Describe a Face Now?
못생기다 describes how someone or something has turned out in appearance. The form 못생겼어요 commonly describes the resulting appearance visible now. Without a past-time context, it need not mean that a person used to be ugly and later changed.
The same pattern appears in its opposite 잘생겼어요. Learn the pair as practical appearance descriptions. The ordinary negative for a current appearance is also often 못생기지 않았어요. The shorter table form 못생기지 않아요 is grammatical; the version with 않았어요 follows the result-state pattern of 못생겼어요.
Before a noun, 못생긴 can likewise describe a face or toy you are looking at now. The modifier’s ㄴ does not force an English past translation. 못생긴 인형 means “an ugly doll”, with no claim about whether it looked different yesterday.
Which Collocations Will You Actually Meet?
못생긴 얼굴 is “an ugly face”. 얼굴 makes the target explicit, and the wording is a direct negative judgment about appearance. Adding a polite ending to a sentence with this phrase does not remove that judgment.
못생긴 인형 means “an ugly doll”. The description may concern a crooked smile, exaggerated features or an intentionally odd design. A speaker can dislike the appearance but still like the object. This is why 못생기다 and 귀엽다 can both appear in a description of the same toy or animal.
못생긴 감자 means “an ugly potato”. In produce discussions, 못생긴 can describe an irregular shape or an unattractive surface. It describes looks; the adjective by itself tells you nothing about freshness, flavor or whether the food is safe to eat.
These combinations keep the literal appearance meaning. There is no need to invent an idiom to make the word useful: the nouns show how the same verb applies beyond judgments about people.
Where Will You Hear 못생기다, and When Does It Hurt?
Drama dialogue may use 못생겼어 as an insult, a joke or insecure self-talk. The relationship and tone matter, but a learner should recognize the negative judgment in all three. A joke about someone’s looks may hurt even when the speaker intends affection.
In a photo conversation, someone may use the word about their own image. That can express disappointment with the photograph or insecurity about their appearance. It is not an invitation to agree. A helpful response can focus on another photo or a feature they like rather than repeating the label.
In toy reviews and produce descriptions, the target is an object. That changes the social effect, though the meaning remains unattractive. 좀 makes the degree milder; it does not turn the word into a compliment about a person.
Why Is 못생기다 Written Together?
못생기다 is a single dictionary word. Keep 못 attached when you mean “be ugly”. Unlike the separate negative 못 before an ordinary action verb, this word has its own established meaning about appearance. Its opposite is 잘생기다, not a command to try harder at an action called 생기다.
The contraction 기 + 어 gives 겨 in 못생겨요 and 못생겼어요. That vowel change is regular. The tense ㅆ sound heard near the start comes from the consonants in 못생-, while the ㅆ written in 못생겼어요 belongs to the ending. They have different sources.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 얼굴 | face | Names the part most often judged in a personal appearance comment. |
| 외모 | appearance | A broader noun for how a person looks. |
| 잘생기다 | to be good-looking | The direct positive counterpart. |
| 멋있다 | to be stylish / impressive | Can praise presence or conduct beyond facial features. |
The personality and appearance vocabulary lesson gives more precise alternatives for describing people.
Mini Drill: Appearance as a Resulting State
- Give the usual polite description of an ugly doll now.
- Complete “an ugly face”: ____ 얼굴.
- Does the spelling keep 못 attached in this dictionary word?
- Give the polite result-state negative with 않았어요.
Show drill answers
- 못생겼어요.
- 못생긴 얼굴.
- Yes: 못생기다 is one word.
- 못생기지 않았어요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 못생겼어요 necessarily mean “used to be ugly”?
- Can a toy be both 못생긴 and 귀여운?
- Does 못생긴 감자 tell you the potato tastes bad?
Show answers
- No. It commonly describes appearance now.
- Yes. Unattractive features and cuteness can coexist.
- No. The phrase describes its appearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 못생기다 Rude?
About a person it is quite blunt and can be rude, so take care.
What Is the Modifier before a Noun?
못생긴, as in 못생긴 얼굴.
How Do I Say I Am Not Ugly?
저는 못생기지 않아요.
Why Is the past Form Used for a Present State?
The look is treated as a result, as with 잘생기다.
Which Words Are Related to 못생기다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair it with 잘생기다 and keep 더럽다 apart in your mind. The contraction behind 못생겨요 is the same as in any 이 stem, as the present-tense recipe shows. Try 잘생기다 next to it in the Korean verb conjugator, or find more words for looks in the Korean verb dictionary.