Key Facts
- Hangul: 싱겁다 (singgeopda)
- Meaning: bland
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 싱겁
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Grammar: Takes 이/가 for the food that is bland.
- Usage: Also used, in an extended sense, for a lame joke or a person who says odd, unfunny things (싱거운 농담). For food, it is only mildly negative.
What Does 싱겁다 Mean?
The food that is bland takes 이/가: 국이 조금 싱거워요 says the soup is a little bland, and 싱거운 국 is bland soup. For food it is only mildly negative; a salt shaker is the usual fix.
An extended sense describes a lame, flat joke or a person who says odd, unfunny things, as in 싱거운 농담.
Senses:
- bland, not salty enough: Describes food lacking salt or seasoning, e.g. 싱거운 국.
How Do You Pronounce 싱겁다?
Say 싱겁다 as [싱겁따]; the ㅂ closes the syllable and the ㄷ after it turns tense. The same happens before 습 and 겠: 싱겁습니다 [싱겁씀니다], 싱겁겠어요 [싱겁께써요]. After the ㅂ turns into 우/워, the past 싱거웠어요 is [싱거워써요].
How Do You Use 싱겁다 in a Sentence?
국이 조금 싱거워요.
The soup is a bit bland.
국이 조금 싱거워요 uses 조금 to soften the remark and 싱거워요 as the polite present.
싱거우면 소금을 더 넣으세요.
If it is bland, add more salt.
싱거우면 소금을 더 넣으세요 pairs the conditional 싱거우면 with a polite instruction to add more salt.
저는 싱거운 음식을 좋아해요.
I like lightly seasoned food.
저는 싱거운 음식을 좋아해요 uses the modifier 싱거운 and states a preference for lightly seasoned food.
How Does Singgeopda Conjugation Work?
싱겁다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. Before a vowel ending, the ㅂ turns into 우 and 우 + 어 merges to 워: 싱거워요, 싱거웠어요, 싱거워서. The 으 endings give 싱거우세요, 싱거우면 and 싱거운. Consonant endings keep the ㅂ: 싱겁습니다, 싱겁지, 싱겁겠어요.
싱겁다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 싱거워요 | ||
| Polite past | 싱거웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 싱거울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 싱겁겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 싱겁습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 싱거웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 싱거울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 싱거워 | ||
| Casual past | 싱거웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 싱거울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 싱거우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 싱거워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 싱거우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 싱거운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 싱거웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 싱거울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 싱거워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 싱겁지 않아요 |
For a word meaning 'bland', -고 싶다 has no cell, because that ending attaches to action verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 싱거웠어요 | [싱거워써요] |
| Polite future | 싱거울 거예요 | [싱거울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 싱겁겠어요 | [싱겁께써요] |
| Formal present | 싱겁습니다 | [싱겁씀니다] |
| Formal past | 싱거웠습니다 | [싱거웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 싱거울 것입니다 | [싱거울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 싱거웠어 | [싱거워써] |
| Past modifier | 싱거웠던 | [싱거웓떤] |
| Long negative | 싱겁지 않아요 | [싱겁찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 싱겁어요
Correct: ✓ 싱거워요
Why: 싱겁다 is a ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ turns into 워 before 어. Learners attach 어요 and keep the ㅂ. The ㅂ must turn into 워 first.
Where Does 싱겁다 Turn up in Daily Talk?
Use it when you want to say why food is not tasty: 싱겁다 specifically blames the lack of salt, whereas 맛없다 says only that the food is not tasty. 짜다 is the opposite, and 맵다 and 달다 cover other tastes.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 싱겁다?
| Word | How to tell it from 싱겁다 |
|---|---|
| 짜다 | 짜다 is the opposite, too salty. |
| 맛없다 | 맛없다 means not tasty for any reason; 싱겁다 specifically blames the lack of salt. |
Adjusting Soup at the Dinner Table
Two housemates taste a pot of soup before serving dinner. The cook checks the seasoning, and the other person compares it with the previous batch.
Cook
국이 싱거워요?
Gugi singgeowoyo?
Is the soup bland?
Housemate
네. 조금 싱거워요.
Ne. Jogeum singgeowoyo.
Yes. It’s a little bland.
Cook
싱거우면 소금을 더 넣으세요.
Singgeoumyeon sogeumeul deo neoeuseyo.
If it’s bland, add more salt.
Housemate
어제 국도 싱거웠어요.
Eoje gukdo singgeowosseoyo.
Yesterday’s soup was bland too.
싱거워요 asks about the present taste, 싱거우면 makes adding salt conditional, and 싱거웠어요 evaluates yesterday’s soup. The housemate uses 조금 to make the criticism smaller. The suggestion to add salt follows naturally because 싱겁다 identifies an issue with seasoning.
Useful Combinations at the Table
싱거운 국 means “bland soup”. 싱거운 음식 means food with little salt or seasoning. Both use the modifier 싱거운 before a noun. The phrase can sound negative when the speaker wanted stronger seasoning, but someone who prefers mild food can use it approvingly, as in the existing preference example above.
간 means the seasoning level of food, especially its saltiness. Talking about 간 helps keep the discussion specific: a dish may be well cooked but need a little more seasoning. 싱겁다 gives a more useful explanation than 맛없다 when the problem can be fixed with salt or soy sauce.
조금 싱거워요 is a mild comment about the taste. 너무 싱거워요 means it is too bland for the speaker. Neither phrase measures the actual amount of sodium in a dish. A taste judgment reflects what someone notices and prefers, so it is not a substitute for nutritional information on a label.
Bland Does Not Always Mean Bad
A broth can taste weak even when it has a pleasant smell and texture. 싱겁다 points toward the seasoning that seems insufficient. 맛없다 gives a broader negative verdict: the food does not taste good, whatever the reason. If you ask someone to fix a dish, the more specific word helps them understand what to change.
짜다 is the other end of this particular contrast: salty. A dish can also be spicy and bland at the same time, because heat from chili and saltiness are different qualities. 맵다 answers a different question. Adding chili does not necessarily solve the problem described by 싱겁다.
When someone has cooked for you, a bare negative evaluation may sound ungrateful. 조금 makes the description less strong, but does not turn it into a compliment. The dialogue works between housemates who are actively checking a pot before dinner; the same sentence needs more care when responding to a host’s finished meal.
Where Will You Meet 싱겁다 outside Meals?
Recipe discussions, home cooking, and restaurant reviews use 싱겁다 to talk about seasoning. In a review, it explains one eater’s experience of the food rather than naming a cooking method. At the stove, it can be a practical cue to taste and adjust before serving.
싱거운 농담 extends the food image to a flat or unfunny joke. The joke lacks impact in the way under-seasoned soup lacks flavor. In this phrase there is no literal salt to add. Calling a person 싱겁다 can similarly criticize their odd or unamusing remarks, so the extended use is more personal than a comment about soup.
Two Vowel Patterns from One ㅂ Stem
싱거워요 and 싱거우면 share the same irregular change, but their endings produce different visible forms. Before 어요, 우 combines with 어 into 워. Before 면, the 우 remains: 싱거우면. The noun modifier is 싱거운. Learning just the polite present can hide this useful connection.
Before 습니다 or 지, keep the original ㅂ: 싱겁습니다 and 싱겁지 않아요. The stem has not permanently become 싱거우-. The next ending decides which shape appears. This is the same contrast you need when moving between a spoken taste comment and a formal description.
Words That Help You Adjust Seasoning
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 간 | seasoning level | Focuses the discussion on how strongly food is seasoned. |
| 소금 | salt | The ingredient suggested in the conditional example. |
| 간장 | soy sauce | Adds saltiness as well as its own flavor. |
| 짜다 | salty | The contrasting taste judgment. |
The cooking vocabulary lesson connects ingredients and cooking actions with the seasoning discussion. Use an ingredient name when explaining what to add, and 싱겁다 when describing the taste that prompted the change.
Mini Drill: 워 or 우
- Give the polite present of 싱겁다.
- Complete “if it is bland”: ____.
- Complete “bland food”: ____ 음식.
- Give the formal present without dropping ㅂ.
Show drill answers
- 싱거워요.
- 싱거우면.
- 싱거운 음식.
- 싱겁습니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Can food be both 맵다 and 싱겁다?
- Does 싱거운 농담 describe the salt in a meal?
- Which is more specific about insufficient seasoning: 싱겁다 or 맛없다?
Show answers
- Yes. Spiciness and saltiness are different qualities.
- No. It means a flat or unfunny joke.
- 싱겁다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say "It Is Bland"?
싱거워요. For a soup: 국이 조금 싱거워요.
Why Is It 싱거워요 and Not 싱겁어요?
싱겁다 is a ㅂ-irregular. The ㅂ turns into 워 before an 어 ending.
What Does 싱겁다 Say about a Person?
In an extended sense it describes a person who says odd, unfunny things, or a lame joke, as in 싱거운 농담.
Does 싱겁다 Mean the Same as 맛없다?
맛없다 means not tasty for any reason. 싱겁다 blames a lack of salt.
Which Words Are Related to 싱겁다?
The entries closest to 싱겁다 (bland) are 짜다 (salty), 맛없다 (not tasty), 맵다 (spicy), 달다 (sweet).
What Should You Learn Next?
짜다 is the opposite, and 맛없다 is the general not-tasty word. 맵다 and 달다 fill in the other tastes. To see why 'bland' takes the form 싱거워요, read ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives; the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.