Key Facts
- Hangul: 빨갛다 (ppalgata)
- Pronunciation: [빨가타]
- Meaning: to be red
- Level: A1
- Stem: 빨갛
- Conjugation class: ㅎ-irregular
- Grammar: descriptive
What Does 빨갛다 Mean?
빨갛다 describes red things: 빨간 사과 (a red apple). In the example sentences it covers fruit, a bag and a face reddened by embarrassment. The colour as a noun is 빨강 or 빨간색, and you can attach 빨갛다 to a noun with the modifier, as in 빨간 가방.
This is the A1 colour word to learn first. The same pattern repeats in 노랗다 and 파랗다. Because it is descriptive, the subject takes 이/가: 사과가 빨개요.
Colour words come in two shapes. The noun (빨강 or 빨간색) names the colour itself, while 빨갛다 describes a thing as red. In a sentence the verb ends with 빨개요, and in front of a noun the modifier 빨간 does the job. Choosing between them is the first decision you make with any Korean colour.
How Do You Pronounce 빨갛다?
빨갛다 is read [빨가타]. The ㅃ is a tense consonant, written pp in Revised Romanization, and ㅎ + ㄷ merge into ㅌ. 빨갛습니다 is [빨가씀니다], 빨갰어요 is [빨개써요] and 빨갛지 않아요 is [빨가치 아나요].
How Do You Use 빨갛다 in a Sentence?
이 사과는 빨개요.
This apple is red.
빨개요 with 이 사과는: an everyday colour statement.
부끄러워서 얼굴이 빨갰어요.
My face was red because I was embarrassed.
빨갰어요 with 부끄러워서 얼굴이: a face went red from embarrassment, so the past is a single event.
빨간 가방을 샀어요.
I bought a red bag.
빨간 stands before 가방을. This is the colour used as an adjective before a noun.
How Does Ppalgata Conjugation Work?
Before 아/어 the stem 빨갛 loses ㅎ and ㅏ + 아 contracts into ㅐ: 빨개요, 빨갰어요, 빨개서. Before 으 the ㅎ drops with no vowel change: 빨가면, 빨가세요, 빨간. The future is 빨갈 거예요. Consonant endings keep ㅎ: 빨갛습니다, 빨갛지 않아요.
빨갛다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 빨개요 | ||
| Polite past | 빨갰어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 빨갈 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 빨갛겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 빨갛습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 빨갰습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 빨갈 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 빨개 | ||
| Casual past | 빨갰어 | ||
| Casual future | 빨갈 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 빨가세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 빨개서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 빨가면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 빨간 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 빨갰던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 빨갈 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 빨개요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 빨갛지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 빨갰어요 | [빨개써요] |
| Future plan | 빨갈 거예요 | [빨갈꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 빨갛겠어요 | [빨가케써요] |
| Formal now | 빨갛습니다 | [빨가씀니다] |
| Formal past | 빨갰습니다 | [빨갣씀니다] |
| Formal future | 빨갈 것입니다 | [빨갈꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 빨갰어 | [빨개써] |
| Casual future | 빨갈 거야 | [빨갈꺼야] |
| Modifier past | 빨갰던 | [빨갣떤] |
| Long negative | 빨갛지 않아요 | [빨가치 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 빨갛어요
Correct: ✓ 빨개요
Why: 빨갛다 is a ㅎ irregular adjective: ㅎ drops and the vowel changes to ㅐ, giving 빨개요 and 빨간. Notice that the vowel in the stem is ㅏ and the result has ㅐ, which makes the difference visible on paper.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 빨갛다 |
|---|---|
| 붉다 | 붉다 is a more literary, deeper red (붉은 노을); 빨갛다 is the everyday word for red. |
| 분홍색 | 분홍색 is pink; do not use 빨갛다 for light pink. |
Talking about a Red Face after a Walk
Two friends meet after Jisu has been outside. Minho notices the colour of Jisu’s face.
Minho
얼굴이 빨개요.
Eolguri ppalgaeyo.
Your face is red.
Jisu
아까는 더 빨갰어요.
Akkaneun deo ppalgaesseoyo.
It was even redder earlier.
Minho
빨간 모자는 어디 있어요?
Ppalgan mojaneun eodi isseoyo?
Where is your red hat?
Jisu
가방에 있어요.
Gabange isseoyo.
It’s in my bag.
The scene uses 빨개요 for a current description, 빨갰어요 for an earlier appearance and 빨간 before 모자. The face and hat can both be red, but only the face’s colour is presented as having changed over time.
What Do the Common Combinations Mean?
얼굴이 빨갛다 means that a face is red. Embarrassment is one possible reason, as in the earlier example, but heat, exercise and other situations can produce the same description. The colour statement by itself does not explain the cause. Look for the rest of the sentence or the scene before translating it as “blushing”.
빨간불 means a red light and is a familiar traffic word. It can also be used figuratively for a warning sign in a situation, especially in news headlines about a problem. A literal traffic light concerns stopping at a signal; a figurative red light points to danger or trouble in the topic being discussed.
빨간 거짓말 means an outright lie, rather than a lie that has a colour. You may also meet the emphatic expression 새빨간 거짓말. These are fixed combinations, so translating each colour word literally misses the accusation. The National Institute of Korean Language’s explanation of 빨간 거짓말 identifies it as a fixed expression. Calling someone’s statement a 빨간 거짓말 challenges its truth directly, so the phrase can sound confrontational in a conversation.
Where Will You See or Hear 빨갛다?
Fruit descriptions use 빨간 before words such as 사과, “apple”. The phrase identifies the visible colour rather than guaranteeing a particular flavour. A red apple can still be sour, and a red food is not automatically spicy. The colour word alone cannot supply those extra meanings.
A clothing description might identify a red hat or bag with 빨간. A product filter is more likely to give the colour noun 빨간색 or a short colour label. The adjective and noun refer to the same colour, but they fit different grammatical slots: a description before the item versus the name of the colour itself.
In drama dialogue, a remark about someone’s red face may be teasing, concerned or simply descriptive. The adjective is an ordinary word with no rude meaning built into it. Tone and the relationship between the speakers determine whether pointing out somebody’s appearance feels welcome.
How Do You Keep the ㅎ Forms Straight?
빨개요 has ㅐ, but 빨간 has ㅏ. Both forms lose the stem’s ㅎ, and the ending determines the vowel outcome. The conditional 빨가면 belongs with 빨간 in keeping ㅏ. The past 빨갰어요 belongs with 빨개요 in using ㅐ. Grouping these forms in pairs can make the pattern easier to recognize on the page.
빨갛지 않아요 keeps the original stem spelling before 지. The short negative 안 빨개요 instead uses the ordinary polite present after 안, with a space between the two words. Both describe something as not red. Neither negative tells the listener what colour it actually is.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 빨간색 | red | The noun used to name the colour. |
| 분홍색 | pink | Useful for a lighter pink colour rather than red. |
| 붉다 | to be red / reddish | Common in descriptions of sunsets and red tones. |
| 새빨갛다 | to be bright / intensely red | A stronger related adjective, also found in fixed phrases. |
Use the colours vocabulary lesson to compare red with pink and other nearby colour names.
Mini Drill: Red Now, Red before a Noun
- Give the polite present of 빨갛다.
- Give its polite past.
- Complete “a red bag”: ____ 가방.
- Give the short negative, keeping the spacing.
Show drill answers
- 빨개요.
- 빨갰어요.
- 빨간 가방.
- 안 빨개요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 얼굴이 빨갛다 always mean someone is embarrassed?
- Is 빨간 거짓말 a literal colour description?
- What does a figurative 빨간불 suggest?
Show answers
- No. The scene or explanation supplies the cause.
- No. It means an outright lie.
- A warning sign or trouble in the situation being discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 빨갛다?
It is 빨개요.
How Do I Say 'a Red Bag'?
Use the modifier before the noun: 빨간 가방을 샀어요.
Is 붉다 the Same as 빨갛다?
Both mean red. 붉다 is more literary and deeper, as in a red sunset; 빨갛다 is the everyday word.
Can I Use 빨갛다 for Pink?
No. Light pink is 분홍색.
Which Words Are Related to 빨갛다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Continue with 노랗다, 파랗다, 하얗다 and 까맣다 for the rest of the colour set, and the pink-in-Korean page for pink.
The ㅎ-irregular lesson explains the pattern behind 빨개요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.