Nopda Conjugation: 높다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 높다 (nopda)
• Meaning: high
• Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
• Level: A1
• Stem: 높
• Class: regular
• Spoken as: [놉따]

What Does 높다 Mean?

높다 covers three uses: a high place (산이 높다), a tall building (건물이 높다) and a high level (가격이 높다, 점수가 높다). The thing described takes 이/가. A person's height is the one place it does not work: use 크다 for how tall someone is. The honorific 높으시다 is not used for physical heights.

How Do You Pronounce 높다?

Before a consonant the final ㅍ is said as ㅂ and makes the next consonant tense, so the dictionary form is said [놉따]. Before a vowel the ㅍ returns, which gives the polite present 높아요 as [노파요] and the past 높았어요 as [노파써요]. The formal present 높습니다 is said [놉씀니다], and the modifier 높은 is said [노픈].

How Do You Use 높다 in a Sentence?

이 산은 is the topic and 정말 (really) adds emphasis. The polite present 높아요 describes the mountain.

The ending 높아서 gives the reason that moving is hard. 집값이 is the subject.

The modifier 높은 곳이 means 'high places', and 무서워요 expresses the speaker's own fear.

How Does Nopda Conjugation Work?

Is 높다 Regular or Irregular?

높다 is regular. The stem 높 never changes, and vowel harmony gives 아: 높아요, 높았어요. Consonant-initial endings attach directly, and 으-endings use the linking vowel, as in 높으면 and 높은. The lesson on how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense explains the full pattern.

Common Mistake with 높다

Wrong: ✗ 키가 높아요

Correct: ✓ 키가 커요

Why: Learners say 키가 높아요 for a person's height. Korean uses 크다 and 작다 for people, so the correct sentence is 키가 커요. 높다 is for places, buildings and levels.

높다 Versus 크다 and 비싸다

A Dialogue before a Mountain Walk

A visitor asks a guide about a mountain and the difficulty of the route. 높다 describes the mountain's height; the guide can then suggest a lower path.

Visitor

Guide

Visitor

Guide

높아요 is a complete polite description. 높은 modifies 산 directly, and 높아서 gives the reason for the visitor's concern. The adjective describes the mountain in all three forms. It does not need an extra verb meaning “is” after 높아요.

Which Nouns Commonly Go with 높다?

• 기온이 높다 — the air temperature is high. This describes a reading or level. Everyday 덥다 describes how hot the weather feels, while 기온이 높다 focuses on temperature.
• 점수가 높다 — the score is high. The noun supplies the scale. A high score can be a test result or a rating; the adjective does not specify how many points were earned.
• 목소리가 높다 — the voice is high. This concerns pitch. A loud voice is usually described with 크다, so distinguish pitch from volume when translating English “high” or “loud.”
• 가능성이 높다 — the possibility is high. In natural English, “it is likely” often fits better than a literal translation. The expression describes likelihood rather than a location above the ground.

높다 can describe an existing level without saying that it increased. A score can remain high from one test to the next. If you want to say someone raises a score or level, you need a verb that expresses a change or an action.

What Does 눈이 높다 Mean?

눈이 높다 literally gives someone “high eyes,” but its usual figurative meaning is having high standards or being hard to satisfy. It can concern taste in products or expectations about a partner. Depending on tone, it can sound admiring or critical. It does not describe a person's physical height.

The National Institute of Korean Language's learner dictionary includes 눈이 높다 among expressions with 눈. Learn the whole phrase: replacing 눈 with another body part does not preserve the same meaning.

Where Will You Hear 높다?

높다 appears in weather forecasts, property discussions, test feedback and descriptions of buildings or mountains. 높은 followed by a noun is especially useful in writing: the reader gets the description before learning which place, price or level is being discussed.

높습니다 sounds natural in a formal report because it states a condition. In ordinary conversation, 높아요 is enough. The adjective does not become an instruction just because the sentence is polite. If you want someone to raise an object, 높다 alone cannot express that action.

What Makes 높다 Tricky?

The final consonant is ㅍ, which stays in the spelling before every ending. Before a vowel you hear it at the start of the next syllable, as in 높아요. Keep that spelling even when the dictionary form sounds as though it ends in ㅂ.

높다 is regular despite that ㅍ. It does not follow the ㅂ-irregular pattern you may have learned from other adjectives. The conditional is 높으면 and the noun modifier is 높은, both with the linking vowel 으 after the consonant stem. Compare their jobs: one introduces a condition, while the other describes a noun.

Related Words for Height and Level

The size adjective lesson helps you choose between height, overall size and depth.

Mini Drill: Describe a High Place

1. Give the polite present of 높다.
2. Put 높다 before 곳: ____ 곳.
3. Give the conditional form.
4. Change 높아요 to the polite past.

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 목소리가 높다 refer primarily to pitch or volume?
2. Does 눈이 높다 usually describe physical eye position?
3. Can a score be 높다 without having increased recently?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use 높다 for a Tall Person?

No. A person's height uses 크다: 키가 커요. 높다 is for mountains, buildings and levels.

Can 높다 Describe a Price?

Yes, as in 가격이 높다. In everyday shopping talk, 비싸다 (expensive) is more common.

What Is the Opposite of 높다?

낮다, low. It works the same way for places, prices and temperatures.

Why Is 높다 Said [놉따]?

Before a consonant the final ㅍ is said as ㅂ, and the next ㄷ turns tense. Before a vowel the full ㅍ is heard: 높아요 [노파요].

Which Words Are Related to 높다?

• 낮다
• 크다
• 깊다
• 비싸다
• Korean verb dictionary

What Should You Learn Next?

Learn 높다 beside 낮다, then compare 크다, 깊다 (deep) and 비싸다. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.