Key Facts
- Hangul: 얇다 (yalda)
- Meaning: thin
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 얇
- Class: regular
- Objects: n/a
What Does 얇다 Mean?
얇다 describes thickness, not width. The thing described takes 이/가, as in 종이가 얇다 or 옷이 얇아요. The second sense is 'light' for clothing: 얇은 옷 is a light, thin garment. For long, slender things such as thread or hair, Korean uses 가늘다, and the opposite of 얇다 is 두껍다 (thick). It is a B1 adjective, and as an adjective it has no 'want to' form.
Senses:
- thin. Small in thickness, as in 종이가 얇다.
- light (clothing). Of fabric or coverings, as in 얇은 옷.
How Do You Pronounce 얇다?
The stem 얇 ends in two consonants, ㄹ and ㅂ, and only one of them is said in the dictionary form: 얇다 is said [얄따]. Before a vowel the ㅂ comes back, so the polite present 얇아요 is said [얄바요]. Before ㅅ it is not heard: the formal present 얇습니다 is said [얄씀니다]. The long negative 얇지 않아요 is said [얄찌 아나요].
How Do You Use 얇다 in a Sentence?
이 종이는 아주 얇아요.
This paper is very thin.
이 종이는 아주 얇아요 uses 아주 (very) and 이 종이는 as the topic. The polite present 얇아요 describes what the paper is like now.
옷이 얇아서 추워요.
My clothes are thin, so I am cold.
옷이 얇아서 추워요 links two ideas with 얇아서 ('because it is thin'): the clothes are thin, so the speaker is cold.
얇은 책을 한 권 샀어요.
I bought a thin book.
얇은 책을 한 권 샀어요 uses the modifier 얇은 before the noun 책, and the counter 권 goes with books.
How Does Yalda Conjugation Work?
얇다 is regular: the stem 얇, which ends in the two-letter cluster ㄼ, stays whole and takes 아 after the vowel ㅑ, giving 얇아요, 얇았어요 and 얇아서. Consonant-start endings attach directly: 얇습니다, 얇지 않아요. With 으 endings the connector appears: 얇으면, 얇으세요, 얇은. The modifier 얇은 means 'thin' before a noun, and 얇았던 looks back at a thin thing in the past.
얇다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 얇아요 | ||
| Polite past | 얇았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 얇을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 얇겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 얇습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 얇았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 얇을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 얇아 | ||
| Casual past | 얇았어 | ||
| Casual future | 얇을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 얇으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 얇아서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 얇으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 얇은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 얇았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 얇을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 얇아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 얇지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 얇아요 | [얄바요] |
| Polite past | 얇았어요 | [얄바써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 얇을 거예요 | [얄블꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 얇겠어요 | [얄께써요] |
| Formal present | 얇습니다 | [얄씀니다] |
| Formal past | 얇았습니다 | [얄받씀니다] |
| Formal future | 얇을 것입니다 | [얄블꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 얇아 | [얄바] |
| Casual past | 얇았어 | [얄바써] |
| Casual future | 얇을 거야 | [얄블꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | No standard form | -고 싶다 attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words like this one. |
| Honorific polite | 얇으세요 | [얄브세요] |
| Because / and then | 얇아서 | [얄바서] |
| Conditional (if) | 얇으면 | [얄브면] |
| Modifier, present | 얇은 | [얄븐] |
| Modifier, past | 얇았던 | [얄받떤] |
| Modifier, future | 얇을 | [얄블] |
| Short negative | 안 얇아요 | [안 얄바요] |
| Long negative | 얇지 않아요 | [얄찌 아나요] |
Is 얇다 Regular or Irregular?
얇다 is regular. Nothing drops or changes; the ㅂ that disappears in the dictionary form is written every time. The vowel ㅑ takes 아, so the polite forms are 얇아요 and 얇았어요. The pattern is shown in the polite present recipe.
Common Mistake with 얇다
Wrong: ✗ 얄아요
Correct: ✓ 얇아요
Why: The ㅂ is silent in 얇다 before ㄷ, but it is heard in 얇아요 before the vowel ending. Keep the full stem 얇 in both spellings. Writing 얄아요 loses part of the stem.
얇다 Compared with 가늘다 and 두껍다
English 'thin' needs different Korean words depending on the shape of the thing, so pick the adjective by what is thin.
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 가늘다 | 가늘다 is for slender things like thread or hair; 얇다 is for flat things like paper and clothes. A thin thread or a thin line is 가늘다; a thin sheet or garment is 얇다. |
| 두껍다 | 두껍다 is the opposite: thick. 얇은 책 is a thin book; for a thick book, use 두껍다. |
Choosing a Jacket in a Clothing Shop
Customer
이 옷은 너무 얇아요.
I oseun neomu yalbayo.
These clothes are too thin.
Assistant
얇은 옷은 여름에 좋아요.
Yalbeun oseun yeoreume joayo.
Thin clothes are good for summer.
Customer
어제도 옷이 얇아서 추웠어요.
Eojedo osi yalbaseo chuwosseoyo.
Yesterday my clothes were thin too, so I was cold.
The customer evaluates the garment with 얇아요. The assistant puts 얇은 before 옷, and the last line uses 얇아서 to explain being cold. The thinness belongs to the clothes; the person feels the resulting cold. Korean can leave out “my” when everyone knows whose clothes are meant.
Thin Fabric, Thin Books and Thin Slices
얇은 옷 usually means clothing made from thin material or suitable for light coverage. It does not tell you the garment's size. A large shirt can still be 얇은 옷. When shopping, distinguish the fabric's thickness from how tightly the garment fits.
얇은 책 describes a book with little thickness, often one with relatively few pages. It does not promise easy language or a simple topic. A short technical booklet can be physically thin and still difficult to read. 얇다 gives a physical property rather than a reading level.
얇게 썰다 means “to slice thinly”. 얇게 changes the adjective into a description of how to cut. The thickness of each slice matters here, so 얇다 is the useful word even when the original ingredient is round. This helps explain why “flat things” is a useful starting point rather than a rule about an object's original shape.
Where Will You Hear 얇다?
Clothing shops and product descriptions use 얇다 for fabric, layers and coverings. Stationery descriptions use it for paper, and book recommendations may mention a thin volume. Recipes use 얇게 when the cook needs thin slices. In each case, ask which dimension is small: the depth through a layer or slice.
The set phrase 귀가 얇다 literally means “to have thin ears”. Its everyday meaning is to be easily persuaded by what other people say. In a conversation about changing one's mind after hearing a recommendation, this phrase concerns influence rather than the physical shape of an ear. It can sound critical or self-deprecating, so it is different from a neutral description of paper.
Why the Final ㅂ Must Stay in the Spelling
얇다 is regular even though its pronunciation changes with the next sound. In 얇다, the cluster ㄼ is reduced in speech; in 얇아요 and 얇은, the ㅂ is heard before the following vowel. Both letters belong to the written stem throughout. A pronunciation change is not a reason to delete a letter from the conjugated form.
The contrast with 두껍다 is especially useful. Although both adjectives contain ㅂ, 얇다 keeps its full stem in 얇아요. Its opposite has a different conjugation pattern. Learn each adjective's present form with the dictionary form rather than assuming that every written ㅂ behaves alike.
For an ordinary statement before a noun, use 얇은: 얇은 종이, “thin paper”. This is an adjective modifier. The present action ending 는 used by many verbs is not the pattern for this meaning. 얇았던 looks back at something that was thin; it adds a past viewpoint that 얇은 alone does not express.
The table includes 얇으세요 as an honorific form, but an ordinary garment does not need an honorific. Use 얇아요 when describing the fabric to a shop assistant. The ending 요 already makes that sentence polite to the listener.
Related Descriptions for Shopping
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 두껍다 | thick | The opposite of 얇다 for thickness. |
| 가늘다 | slender | Useful for thread and narrow, long shapes. |
| 가볍다 | light in weight | A thin item is not automatically light. |
| 옷 | clothes | The noun in 얇은 옷. |
The clothing vocabulary lesson gives the garment names to combine with these descriptions.
Mini Drill: Keep the Written Stem
- Describe something as thin with polite 얇다.
- Complete “thin paper”: ____ 종이.
- Give the “because it is thin” form.
- Give the long negative, “it is not thin”.
Show drill answers
- 얇아요.
- 얇은 종이.
- 얇아서.
- 얇지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 얇은 옷 describe fabric thickness or clothing size?
- Which adjective describes a slender thread?
- What does 귀가 얇다 mean in a discussion about persuasion?
Show answers
- Fabric thickness.
- 가늘다.
- To be easily influenced by what others say.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'This Paper Is Thin'?
Say 이 종이는 아주 얇아요.
Why Is 얇다 Pronounced [얄따]?
Of the two final consonants in 얇, only ㄹ is said before the next consonant, so the word sounds like [얄따].
Does 얇다 Mean 'Thin' for People?
No. 얇다 is for flat things such as paper, clothes and books. A slim person is described with a different word, and 가늘다 is for slender things like thread or hair.
What Is the Opposite of 얇다?
두껍다, which means thick.
Which Words Are Related to 얇다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn the opposite pair 두껍다 first, then 가늘다 and its opposite 굵다 for thread-like things. Other adjectives are quick to test in the Korean verb conjugator, and the Korean verb dictionary lists them all.