Key Facts
- Hangul: 낮다 (natda)
- Meaning: low
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 낮
- Class: regular
- Spoken as: [낟따]
Low in Korean: What Does 낮다 Mean?
낮다 describes height or level: 천장이 낮다 (the ceiling is low), 온도가 낮다 (the temperature is low). The thing described takes 이/가. It is the opposite of 높다. The noun 낮 (daytime) is spelled the same way but is a separate word. Use 짧다 for length and 낮다 for height or level.
How Do You Pronounce 낮다?
The dictionary form is said [낟따]: the final ㅈ has an unreleased ㄷ sound, and the following ㄷ turns tense. Before a vowel the ㅈ is heard in full and moves to the next syllable, so 낮아요 is said [나자요], the past 낮았어요 is said [나자써요], and the 으-forms are said [나즈면] and [나즌].
How Do You Use 낮다 in a Sentence?
이 의자는 너무 낮아요.
This chair is too low.
이 의자는 is the topic and 너무 (too) shows an excess. The polite present 낮아요 gives the complaint.
어제는 기온이 낮았어요.
The temperature was low yesterday.
어제는 sets the day and 기온이 is the subject. The past 낮았어요 gives the polite past of the adjective.
낮은 산이라서 쉽게 올라가요.
It is a low mountain, so it is easy to climb.
The modifier 낮은 sits before 산이라서. The ending -이라서 gives a reason, so the low height explains the easy climb.
How Does Natda Conjugation Work?
낮다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 낮아요 | ||
| Polite past | 낮았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 낮을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 낮겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 낮습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 낮았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 낮을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 낮아 | ||
| Casual past | 낮았어 | ||
| Casual future | 낮을 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 낮아서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 낮으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 낮은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 낮았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 낮을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 낮아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 낮지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 낮아요 | [나자요] |
| Polite past | 낮았어요 | [나자써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 낮을 거예요 | [나즐꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 낮겠어요 | [낟께써요] |
| Formal present | 낮습니다 | [낟씀니다] |
| Formal past | 낮았습니다 | [나잗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 낮을 것입니다 | [나즐꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 낮아 | [나자] |
| Casual past | 낮았어 | [나자써] |
| Casual future | 낮을 거야 | [나즐꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 낮아서 | [나자서] |
| Conditional (if) | 낮으면 | [나즈면] |
| Modifier, present | 낮은 | [나즌] |
| Modifier, past | 낮았던 | [나잗떤] |
| Modifier, future | 낮을 | [나즐] |
| Short negative | 안 낮아요 | [안 나자요] |
| Long negative | 낮지 않아요 | [낟찌 아나요] |
Is 낮다 Regular or Irregular?
낮다 is regular. The stem 낮 stays unchanged, and the usual vowel harmony chooses 아 after ㅏ: 낮아요, 낮았어요. Before consonant-initial endings nothing changes, and 으-endings add a linking vowel: 낮으면, 낮은. The regularity matters because the lookalike 낫다 (recover) is irregular. The lesson on how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense explains the full pattern.
Common Mistake with 낮다
Wrong: ✗ 낫아요
Correct: ✓ 낮아요
Why: 낮 and 낫 sound the same at the end of a syllable (both [낟]), so learners spell the polite form as 낫아요. The stem of this adjective ends in ㅈ, so the right form is 낮아요. Only 낫다 is irregular.
낮다 Versus 낫다 and 짧다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 낫다 | 낫다 (to recover or be better) is ㅅ-irregular, while 낮다 is regular. The dictionary forms sound the same, [낟따], but before a vowel they differ: 나아요 (recover) versus 낮아요 [나자요]. |
| 짧다 | 짧다 is short in length; 낮다 is low in height or level. |
Trying a Chair in a Furniture Shop
A customer compares two chairs with a shop assistant. The exchange uses the present, the past, and the noun modifier of 낮다.
Customer
이 의자는 너무 낮아요.
I uijaneun neomu najayo.
This chair is too low.
Assistant
아까 의자도 낮았어요?
Akka uijado najasseoyo?
Was the earlier chair low too?
Customer
네. 낮은 의자는 불편해요.
Ne. Najeun uijaneun bulpyeonhaeyo.
Yes. Low chairs are uncomfortable.
The customer evaluates the height of the seat, not the chair's total size. 너무 makes the first line a complaint: the seat is lower than the customer wants. 낮은 의자 names the category in the last line. Its English translation uses an adjective before a noun, just as Korean uses the modifier 낮은.
What Kinds of Levels Can Be 낮다?
| Combination | Meaning | How to understand “low” |
|---|---|---|
| 천장이 낮다 | the ceiling is low | The ceiling is close overhead. |
| 기온이 낮다 | the air temperature is low | The measured temperature is low. |
| 가격이 낮다 | the price is low | The amount sits low on a price scale. |
| 가능성이 낮다 | the likelihood is low | Something is unlikely to happen. |
These combinations extend physical height to a scale. 가능성이 낮다 is not about an object's position; it evaluates the chance of an event. A low probability is still a probability, so the phrase does not mean “impossible”. The noun tells you which scale the adjective describes.
목소리가 낮다 is another common combination. It usually describes a low-pitched voice. English “a low voice” can also suggest quietness, but Korean can use 목소리가 작다 for a quiet or soft voice. Decide whether you mean pitch or volume before choosing the adjective.
Where Will You See 낮다?
Weather forecasts use 낮다 with 기온 when comparing temperatures. 낮다 does not by itself mean freezing: a temperature can be lower than yesterday's while still being warm. A comparison point, season or actual temperature makes the practical meaning clearer. 춥다, “cold”, describes the cold condition more directly.
Product comparisons and financial news use it with prices, rates and percentages. 가격이 낮다 compares a price level, while 싸다 directly calls something inexpensive. The two can fit the same product, but 가격이 낮다 is useful when the discussion focuses on a comparison or a price scale.
Furniture shopping uses 낮다 for seat height and 높다 for a higher seat. A small chair could still have a high seat, so 작다 and 낮다 answer different questions. Likewise, a short table is ambiguous in English: if the tabletop is close to the floor, 낮다 fits; if you mean its length, 짧다 fits.
What Does 낮다 Leave Unchanged?
The ㅈ belongs to the stem in every form. 낮아요, 낮았어요, 낮으면 and 낮은 all keep it. The pronunciation changes when the next syllable begins with a vowel, but the written stem stays 낮. A change in sound is not a reason to switch to the lookalike 낫.
This is especially useful in messages about health and measurements. 나아요 reports recovery or a better option, while 낮아요 describes a low level. The two dictionary forms sound alike, but the vowel-ending forms separate clearly. If you mean that a temperature is low, choose 낮아요 with ㅈ; if a cold has cleared up, choose 나았어요 from 낫다.
낮은 also belongs directly before a noun, as in 낮은 산. The sentence form 낮아요 cannot occupy that slot. Keep this distinction when comparing products: the modifier identifies a low item, while the sentence ending states that the item is low. The dialogue uses both jobs without adding an English-style linking verb.
Related Words for Height and Level
| Korean | Meaning | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| 높이 | height | Names the measurement rather than describing it. |
| 천장 | ceiling | A household feature often described as high or low. |
| 기온 | air temperature | Common in weather forecasts. |
| 가격 | price | Lets you describe a product's price level. |
The furniture vocabulary lesson gives names for items you can compare by height. The weather vocabulary lesson helps with temperature reports. In both settings, naming the measured thing prevents “low” from becoming an unclear judgment about the whole object or day.
Mini Drill: Protect the ㅈ
- Give the polite present of 낮다.
- Complete “a low mountain”: ____ 산.
- Give the conditional form, “if it is low”.
- Choose the adjective for a low ceiling: 낮다 or 짧다?
Show drill answers
- 낮아요, keeping ㅈ.
- 낮은 산.
- 낮으면. The linking 으 follows the consonant stem.
- 낮다. 짧다 describes length.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 가능성이 낮다 mean an event is impossible?
- Is a low-pitched voice necessarily quiet?
- Which word is the opposite of 낮다 on a height scale?
Show answers
- No. It means the likelihood is low.
- No. Pitch and volume are different qualities.
- 높다, high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is 낮아요 Not 낫아요?
The stem ends in ㅈ. 낫아요 mixes it up with the irregular verb 낫다.
Is 낮다 the Opposite of 높다?
Yes. 높다 is high; 낮다 is low.
Is 낮 (daytime) Related?
The noun 낮 is a separate word with the same spelling.
Can I Use 낮다 for Prices?
Yes. 낮다 works for levels such as price and temperature as well as physical height.
Which Words Are Related to 낮다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 낮다 beside 높다, then separate it from 낫다 and compare 짧다 and 작다. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.