Key Facts
- Hangul: 싸다 (ssada)
- Meaning: cheap
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 싸
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the cheap thing takes 이/가 or 은/는 (과일이 싸요).
- Usage: A1 shopping word, spelled the same as the verb 싸다 (to wrap). Common in 싸게 사다 (buy cheaply) and 값이 싸다.
How Do You Say Cheap in Korean?
싸다 means cheap, so 가격이 싸요 says the price is cheap. The cheap thing takes 이/가 or 은/는, as in 과일이 싸요. It is an A1 shopping word, and it is spelled exactly like the verb 싸다, to wrap. Context separates them: a price word nearby means cheap.
How Do You Pronounce 싸다?
싸다 is read as written, with a tense ㅆ at the start, said with a tight throat and no puff of air. In the past, 싸 + 았어요 fuses into 쌌어요, which is spoken [싸써요]. The formal present 쌉니다 is [쌈니다], and the formal past 쌌습니다 is [싿씀니다].
How Do You Use 싸다 in a Sentence?
시장 과일은 싸요.
Market fruit is cheap.
시장 과일은 means fruit at the market, which is the thing that is cheap.
싼 가게를 찾았어요.
I found a cheap shop.
싼 is the present modifier and goes before 가게를.
싸서 많이 샀어요.
It was cheap, so I bought a lot.
싸서 gives the reason, and 많이 샀어요 is the result.
They show the polite present 싸요, the modifier 싼 and the because-form 싸서.
How Does Ssada Conjugation Work?
싸다 is regular. The stem 싸 ends in ㅏ, so 아 contracts into it: 싸요, 싸서. In the past, the past ending merges into the last syllable and makes 쌌: 쌌어요. The formal present is 쌉니다, the present modifier is 싼, and the if-form is 싸면. The rule behind this class is in the polite present recipe lesson.
싸다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 싸요 | ||
| Polite past | 쌌어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 쌀 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 싸겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 쌉니다 | ||
| Formal past | 쌌습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 쌀 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 싸 | ||
| Casual past | 쌌어 | ||
| Casual future | 쌀 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 싸세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 싸서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 싸면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 싼 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 쌌던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 쌀 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 싸요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 싸지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 쌌어요 | [싸써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 쌀 거예요 | [쌀꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 싸겠어요 | [싸게써요] |
| Formal present | 쌉니다 | [쌈니다] |
| Formal past | 쌌습니다 | [싿씀니다] |
| Formal future | 쌀 것입니다 | [쌀꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 쌌어 | [싸써] |
| Casual future | 쌀 거야 | [쌀꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 쌌던 | [싿떤] |
| Long negative | 싸지 않아요 | [싸지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 싸다
Wrong: ✗ 싸는 옷
Correct: ✓ 싼 옷
Why: 싸다 (cheap) is an adjective, so before a noun it takes -ㄴ: 싼 옷 (cheap clothes). 싸는 belongs to the verb 싸다, "to pack or wrap", so 싸는 옷 would sound like clothes that someone is packing.
싸게 사다 and 값이 싸다
Common phrases are 싸게 사다, buy cheaply, and 값이 싸다, the price is low. 싸다 works both for an item (시장 과일은 싸요) and for a price itself (가격이 싸요). In more formal or written settings, 저렴하다 is the more polished choice.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 싸다?
| Word | How to tell it from 싸다 |
|---|---|
| 비싸다 | The opposite: 비싸다 is expensive, 싸다 is cheap. |
| 저렴하다 | 저렴하다 is the more formal, written word for a low price (저렴한 가격); 싸다 is the everyday spoken word. |
저렴하다 sounds more formal and polite about the price. 싸다 is the everyday spoken word.
Comparing Fruit Prices at the Market
A shopper notices a low price, and the seller explains that the fruit was cheap yesterday too. The conversation keeps the focus on the price of the fruit.
Shopper
이 사과는 정말 싸요.
I sagwaneun jeongmal ssayo.
These apples are really cheap.
Seller
어제도 쌌어요.
Eojedo ssasseoyo.
They were cheap yesterday too.
Shopper
싸서 두 개 살게요.
Ssaseo du gae salgeyo.
They are cheap, so I will buy two.
싸요 comments on the current price, 쌌어요 reports the earlier price, and 싸서 gives the reason for buying. 두 개 counts two individual items. The seller’s past-tense answer is about yesterday’s price; it does not itself promise a discount today.
Useful Phrases for Low Prices
값이 싸다 and 가격이 싸다 both describe a low price. 값 and 가격 name the cost, so the meaning is explicit even though 싸다 has other dictionary entries. In quick conversation, a shopper can simply point at an item and say 싸요. The setting supplies the missing subject.
싸게 사다 means “to buy cheaply” or “to get something at a low price.” The -게 form tells you how the purchase happened. It describes the result of buying, whereas 싼 물건 describes an inexpensive item before saying anything about a purchase. You can recognize the same relationship between an item’s price and the price someone paid.
싼 게 비지떡 is a familiar proverb warning that something cheap may be poor quality: roughly, “You get what you pay for.” 비지떡 is a cake made with soybean pulp. Speakers use the saying after a bargain disappoints them. It is a warning about false economy, not a factual claim that every inexpensive product is bad.
What Does 싸다 Imply in a Shop?
싸다 often expresses pleasure at a bargain. It does not automatically mean badly made. If a shopper says that the market fruit is 싸요, the comment can simply praise its affordability. Quality has to come from another description or from the situation.
저렴하다 is common in sales writing, product descriptions and polite service conversation. It presents affordability in a more polished way. 싸다 remains natural in everyday speech, including a polite sentence ending in 요. Choosing 저렴하다 changes the wording and tone; it does not necessarily mean a different price.
A low listed price is different from a request to lower it. 가격이 싸요 reports your judgment of the price. It does not ask the seller to reduce the amount. In a shop with fixed prices, treat the shelf label as the stated price rather than assuming that the adjective opens a negotiation.
Why Do 싼 and 쌌어요 Look Different?
싼 is the adjective modifier for a currently inexpensive item. 쌌어요 carries the past ending, including the final ㅆ. A missing ㅆ changes the time reference from a past statement to 싸요 in the present. The modifier 싼 does not mean “was cheap” simply because it ends in a consonant.
Keep the two initial consonants apart in 싸다 and 사다. 싸다 describes a low price; 사다 means to buy. The collocation 싸게 사다 contains both, so a learner has to recognize two separate words rather than one repeated root. The tense ㅆ belongs to the adjective.
The honorific cell 싸세요 is not the default description of merchandise. For apples or a shirt, 싸요 is the useful choice even when talking politely to a shopkeeper. The table lists possible forms, while the subject and situation determine which ones fit a real purchase.
| Related word | Meaning | Shopping use |
|---|---|---|
| 가격 | price | Names the amount you are evaluating. |
| 할인 | discount | A reduction from an earlier or listed price. |
| 비싸다 | expensive | The direct opposite judgment about cost. |
| 사다 | to buy | The action in 싸게 사다. |
Learn the surrounding price and purchase words in shopping vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Build the Right Form
- Put 싸다 before 옷, “clothes.”
- Give the polite past for an earlier low price.
- Complete the phrase for “buy cheaply”: ____ 사다.
- Give the formal present of 싸다.
Show drill answers
- 싼 옷.
- 쌌어요.
- 싸게 사다.
- 쌉니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 싸다 always criticize quality?
- Does 가격이 싸요 request a discount?
- Which word means “to buy”: 싸다 or 사다?
Show self-test answers
- No. It can simply mean inexpensive.
- No. It comments on the price.
- 사다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'Market Fruit Is Cheap'?
시장 과일은 싸요.
What Is the past of 싸다?
쌌어요, spoken [싸써요].
Is the Cheap 싸다 the Same Word as 'to Wrap'?
They have the same spelling, but they are different words. The meaning comes from the context.
How Do You Say 'Buy Cheaply'?
싸게 사다.
What Is the Opposite of 싸다?
The opposite is 비싸다, which means expensive.
Which Words Are Related to 싸다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 비싸다 as the opposite, then 저렴하다 for the formal register and 사다 and 팔다 for shopping verbs. Once you know how to say "cheap", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.