Key Facts
- Hangul: 시원하다 (siwonhada)
- Meaning: cool/refreshing
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 시원하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: Takes 이/가 for the cool thing.
- Usage: Also expresses relief: 국물이 시원해요 for a hot soup that refreshes, or 시원하게 말하다 (speak frankly). Very common with drinks.
What Does 시원하다 Mean?
시원하다 is cool in a pleasant way: 시원한 바람 is a cool breeze, and 시원한 물 좀 주세요 asks for cold water. The cool thing takes 이/가, as in 바람이 시원해요.
It also expresses relief. A hot soup can be 시원하다 when it refreshes you, and 시원하게 말하다 means to speak frankly. It is very common with drinks.
Senses:
- cool, refreshing: Describes pleasantly cool air or drinks, e.g. 시원한 바람.
How Do You Pronounce 시원하다?
시원하다 is read as spelled, [시원하다]. The past 시원했어요 is [시원해써요], and 시원했습니다 is [시원핻씀니다], because the doubled ㅆ is a plain stop at the end of a syllable. The formal present 시원합니다 is [시원함니다].
How Do You Use 시원하다 in a Sentence?
바람이 시원해요.
The breeze is cool.
바람이 시원해요 names the breeze as the subject and uses 시원해요 as the polite present.
시원한 물 좀 주세요.
Please give me some cold water.
시원한 물 좀 주세요 uses the modifier 시원한 before 물 and 좀 to soften the request.
방이 시원하면 좋겠어요.
I hope the room is cool.
방이 시원하면 좋겠어요 pairs the conditional 시원하면 with a wish.
How Does Siwonhada Conjugation Work?
시원하다 is a 하다-type adjective. The 하 of the stem 시원하 plus 여 becomes 해: 시원해요, 시원했어요, 시원해서. Before 으 endings and consonants the stem stays whole: 시원하세요, 시원하면, 시원합니다, and the modifier is 시원한.
시원하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 시원해요 | ||
| Polite past | 시원했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 시원할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 시원하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 시원합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 시원했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 시원할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 시원해 | ||
| Casual past | 시원했어 | ||
| Casual future | 시원할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 시원하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 시원해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 시원하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 시원한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 시원했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 시원할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 시원해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 시원하지 않아요 |
For a word meaning 'cool', -고 싶다 has no cell, because that ending attaches to action verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 시원했어요 | [시원해써요] |
| Polite future | 시원할 거예요 | [시원할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 시원하겠어요 | [시원하게써요] |
| Formal present | 시원합니다 | [시원함니다] |
| Formal past | 시원했습니다 | [시원핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 시원할 것입니다 | [시원할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 시원했어 | [시원해써] |
| Past modifier | 시원했던 | [시원핻떤] |
| Long negative | 시원하지 않아요 | [시원하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 시원 해요 (spacing)
Correct: ✓ 시원해요
Why: 시원하다 is one word: 시원하 + 여 becomes 시원해요 with no space.
Where Does 시원하다 Turn up in Daily Talk?
Think of drinks, breezes and relief. 차갑다 is just cold, 춥다 is unpleasantly cold weather, and 따뜻하다 is the opposite pleasant temperature. 덥다 is the weather you want a 시원한 drink in.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 시원하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 시원하다 |
|---|---|
| 차갑다 | 차갑다 is plainly cold to touch; 시원하다 is cold in a pleasant, refreshing way. |
| 춥다 | 춥다 is unpleasantly cold weather. |
Cooling down after a Walk
Two coworkers come inside after walking in the heat. They discuss the room, remember the weather outside and choose a drink.
Jisu
여기는 정말 시원해요.
Yeogineun jeongmal siwonhaeyo.
It is really cool in here.
Alex
밖은 안 시원했어요.
Bakkeun an siwonhaesseoyo.
It was not cool outside.
Jisu
시원한 물 좀 드릴까요?
Siwonhan mul jom deurilkkayo?
Shall I get you some cool water?
Alex
네, 감사합니다.
Ne, gamsahamnida.
Yes, thank you.
시원해요 describes the room now, 시원했어요 looks back at the air outside, and 시원한 describes water before the noun. The second speaker uses 안 to deny a pleasant coolness. That does not necessarily mean the weather was dangerously hot; it simply was not refreshing.
Refreshing Air, Soup and a Sense of Relief
속이 시원하다 literally describes the inside as cool. In conversation it can mean feeling relieved after saying something that was bothering you or seeing a frustrating problem resolved. 속 refers to your insides or inner feelings here. A subtitle may translate the phrase as “That is a relief” rather than anything about temperature.
시원섭섭하다 combines relief with sadness. You might use it when leaving a job or finishing a long project: the burden is gone, but you will miss people or the routine. It is a separate adjective, so it expresses mixed feelings rather than stronger physical coolness.
시원한 국물 can describe refreshing, satisfying broth even when it is served hot. The speaker is evaluating the sensation and relief it brings. A menu or a diner’s comment using 시원하다 therefore does not tell you whether soup arrives chilled. Check the dish and the serving temperature separately.
Where Will You Hear 시원하다?
In summer conversation, 시원해요 often praises air conditioning, shade or a breeze. A room can feel 시원하다 to someone entering from outside, while someone who has been sitting there for hours may feel 춥다. The first describes pleasant relief; the second describes feeling cold and uncomfortable.
Drink advertisements and cafe conversations use 시원한 to promise refreshment. When asking for water, 시원한 물 좀 주세요 is a natural polite request. At a restaurant, the staff may still ask whether you want water with ice. The adjective itself does not specify ice.
In a drama, a character who finally speaks openly may sound 시원하다 to the listener. The phrase 시원하게 말하다 suggests speaking freely, clearly or without holding back. 솔직하게 말하다 focuses more directly on honesty. Someone can give a clear, satisfying answer without revealing every private feeling.
A weather forecast gives temperatures, but 시원하다 gives a person’s experience of the air. After a walk, a breeze may feel refreshing even on a warm day. For a drink, the same adjective emphasizes the pleasant effect of cooling down. It is an evaluation of comfort, so a thermometer reading alone does not decide whether every speaker will use it.
What Makes the Forms Tricky?
Keep the whole stem 시원하 when choosing a modifier or a conditional: 시원한 and 시원하면. The 해 in 시원해요 comes from the 하다 ending pattern; it does not replace 하 in every form. The sentence about a hoped-for cool room uses 시원하면 because the room’s condition is still uncertain.
The table’s 시원하세요 honors the person experiencing the coolness or relief. For a bottle of water itself, use 시원해요. Politeness toward a customer does not make water a respected person. A question addressed to a guest can use the honorific form when it asks about that guest’s comfort.
| Related word | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 바람 | wind / breeze | Names the moving air that feels refreshing. |
| 그늘 | shade | Explains why one place feels cooler than another. |
| 에어컨 | air conditioner | Names the source of cool air indoors. |
| 국물 | broth | Helps you recognize the food-related sense of refreshment. |
Compare the temperature words in hot and cold adjectives, especially when choosing between a refreshing room and an uncomfortably cold one.
Mini Drill: Build the Right Form
- Describe a cool room politely, using the present form.
- Complete “refreshing water”: ____ 물.
- Give the conditional “if it is cool.”
- Make 시원해요 negative with 안.
Show drill answers
- 시원해요.
- 시원한 물.
- 시원하면.
- 안 시원해요. Keep a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 시원한 국물 guarantee cold soup?
- Which word describes uncomfortable cold weather: 시원하다 or 춥다?
- What feeling can 속이 시원하다 express?
Show self-test answers
- No. The broth can be hot and still feel refreshing.
- 춥다.
- Relief after frustration or worry is released.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say "the Breeze Is Cool"?
바람이 시원해요.
Is 시원하다 the Same as 차갑다?
No. 차갑다 is plainly cold to touch. 시원하다 is cold in a pleasant, refreshing way.
Why Do Koreans Say 시원하다 about Hot Soup?
It expresses relief: a hot soup that refreshes can be 시원해요.
Should I Write 시원 해요 with a Space?
No. 시원하다 is a single word, so write 시원해요 with no space.
Which Words Are Related to 시원하다?
The entries closest to 시원하다 (cool/refreshing) are 차갑다 (cold to the touch), 따뜻하다 (warm), 춥다 (cold, of weather), 덥다 (hot, of weather).
What Should You Learn Next?
따뜻하다 is the warm side, and 차갑다, 춥다 and 덥다 complete the scale. To see why 'cool' takes the form 시원해요, read how 하다 verbs and adjectives conjugate; the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.