Key Facts
- Hangul: 얕다 (yatda)
- Meaning: shallow
- Level: B2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 얕
- Conjugation class: regular
- Dictionary form sounds like: [얃따]
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the shallow thing takes 이/가 (바다가 얕아요).
- Usage: Less common than 깊다 but useful for water and knowledge. Pronounced with ㅌ: 얕아요 [야타요].
What Does 얕다 Mean?
얕다 means shallow. 얕은 물 is shallow water and 바다가 얕아요 says the sea is shallow. It can also mean superficial, as in 얕은 지식, shallow knowledge. The shallow thing takes 이/가.
How Do You Pronounce 얕다?
The spelling ends in ㅌ. Before 다 the ㅌ is read as ㄷ and the 다 is tensed, so 얕다 is [얃따]. Before a vowel the ㅌ is heard as ㅌ and moves onto the next syllable: 얕아요 is [야타요], and 얕은 is [야튼]. The formal 얕습니다 is [얃씀니다].
How Do You Use 얕다 in a Sentence?
이 수영장은 얕아요.
This swimming pool is shallow.
이 수영장은 얕아요 is a plain description with 이 수영장은 as the topic.
얕은 물에서 놀아요.
We play in shallow water.
얕은 is the present modifier before 물에서, and 놀아요 says what you do there.
강이 얕아서 건널 수 있었어요.
The river was shallow, so we could cross it.
강이 얕아서 gives the reason, and 건널 수 있었어요 says crossing was possible.
They give a plain description, a modifier and a reason leading to a result.
How Does Yatda Conjugation Work?
얕다 is regular, and its stem 얕 stays the same. The last vowel is ㅑ, which takes 아: 얕아요, 얕았어요, 얕아서. With a consonant ending the stem is unchanged: 얕습니다 and 얕지 않아요. The if-form is 얕으면, the present modifier is 얕은, and the future modifier is 얕을. The rule behind this class is in the polite present recipe lesson.
얕다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 얕아요 | ||
| Polite past | 얕았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 얕을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 얕겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 얕습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 얕았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 얕을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 얕아 | ||
| Casual past | 얕았어 | ||
| Casual future | 얕을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 얕으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 얕아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 얕으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 얕은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 얕았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 얕을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 얕아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 얕지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 얕아요 | [야타요] |
| Polite past | 얕았어요 | [야타써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 얕을 거예요 | [야틀꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 얕겠어요 | [얃께써요] |
| Formal present | 얕습니다 | [얃씀니다] |
| Formal past | 얕았습니다 | [야탇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 얕을 것입니다 | [야틀꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 얕아 | [야타] |
| Casual past | 얕았어 | [야타써] |
| Casual future | 얕을 거야 | [야틀꺼야] |
| Honorific polite | 얕으세요 | [야트세요] |
| Because / and then | 얕아서 | [야타서] |
| If (conditional) | 얕으면 | [야트면] |
| Present modifier | 얕은 | [야튼] |
| Past modifier | 얕았던 | [야탇떤] |
| Future modifier | 얕을 | [야틀] |
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 얕아요 | [안 야타요] |
| Long negative | 얕지 않아요 | [얃찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 얕다
Wrong: ✗ 얄아요
Correct: ✓ 얕아요
Why: Learners misspell the ㅌ as ㄹ because the stem looks like 얄. The final consonant of 얕다 is ㅌ, so write 얕아요, which is pronounced [야타요].
Shallow Water and Shallow Knowledge
얕다 is less common than 깊다, but it is useful for water and knowledge. The ㅌ shows in every vowel form: 얕아요 [야타요]. Once you know the spelling, 얕은 물 and 얕은 지식 follow the same pattern as the forms of 깊다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 얕다?
| Word | How to tell it from 얕다 |
|---|---|
| 깊다 | The opposite: 깊다 is deep, 얕다 is shallow. |
| 낮다 | 낮다 is low in height; 얕다 is shallow in depth. |
낮다 measures height from the ground, while 얕다 measures depth from the surface. 얕다 is for water; 낮다 is for walls and ceilings.
Choosing a Shallow Place to Play
Two adults are choosing where to play in a pool. The exchange describes the water, names a shallow area and gives a reason for liking it.
Mina
이쪽 물은 얕아요?
Ijjok mureun yatayo?
Is the water shallow on this side?
Jun
네, 여기는 얕아요.
Ne, yeogineun yatayo.
Yes, it is shallow here.
Mina
그럼 얕은 곳에서 놀아요.
Geureom yateun goseseo norayo.
Then let’s play in the shallow area.
Jun
네, 어제도 여기서 놀았어요. 물이 얕아서 좋았어요.
Ne, eojedo yeogiseo norasseoyo. Muri yataseo joasseoyo.
Yes, I played here yesterday too. I liked it because the water was shallow.
얕아요 is a complete description, 얕은 modifies 곳, “place”, and 얕아서 connects shallowness to the positive reaction. The speakers use polite endings without adding an honorific marker to the water. Describing the water as shallow does not by itself establish that a location is safe for a particular swimmer.
What Makes 얕다 Tricky?
얕다 is a descriptive word, the Korean category corresponding here to an English adjective. It already means “be shallow”, so 얕아요 forms a complete predicate without adding a separate word for “is”. When it comes before a noun, use 얕은, as in 얕은 물. The present modifier for this adjective is not the action-verb ending 는.
The stem’s ㅌ stays in the spelling. In 얕아요 and 얕은 it links to the following vowel, giving the pronunciations shown above. This is not the ㄷ-irregular pattern: there is no change to ㄹ. The wrong spelling 얄아요 would erase the consonant that identifies the stem.
The future form 얕을 거예요 predicts a state: the water will probably be shallow. It does not describe the water’s plan or intention. Likewise, the table’s honorific form is a grammatical possibility, not the normal choice for describing a pool, river or someone’s knowledge. Politeness toward your listener is already expressed by the 요 in 얕아요.
Which Combinations Go beyond Water Depth?
| Combination | Literal idea | Meaning in context |
|---|---|---|
| 얕은 물 | water with little depth | Water whose bottom is close to the surface. |
| 얕은 지식 | knowledge with little depth | Superficial knowledge, lacking detailed understanding. |
| 얕은 생각 | thought with little depth | Thinking that does not consider a matter deeply. |
With knowledge or thought, 얕다 usually carries criticism. Calling someone’s knowledge shallow can sound dismissive, even with a polite sentence ending. It is different from saying that a person is a beginner: the phrase judges the depth of their understanding, rather than simply naming their learning stage.
Keep the physical and figurative readings connected. Water has measurable depth; knowledge has depth as an image for understanding. You do not need a separate conjugation pattern for the figurative sense. The same 얕은 that describes water can modify 지식.
Where Will You Encounter 얕다?
얕다 occurs in descriptions of pools, rivers and coastal water. A swimming conversation may compare a shallow area with a deep one rather than describe the whole body of water. Pay attention to a location word such as 여기, “here”: the speaker may only be describing the spot beside them.
In essays, discussions and drama dialogue, 얕은 지식 or 얕은 생각 can evaluate a person’s understanding. These are more judgmental uses than a neutral water description. The noun beside 얕은 is the strongest clue: 물 points to physical depth; 지식 points to understanding.
| Related word | Meaning | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 깊다 | deep | The opposite end of the depth scale. |
| 낮다 | low | Height or level, rather than depth below a surface. |
| 넓다 | wide | Space from side to side. |
| 물 | water | A common subject of 얕다. |
The geography vocabulary lesson provides the landscape words these descriptions attach to. A river can be wide and shallow at the same time; width does not tell you its depth.
Mini Drill: Build the Shallow Description
- Complete “shallow water”: ____ 물.
- Give the polite past of 얕다.
- Give the form meaning “because it is shallow”.
- Make 얕아요 negative with 지 않아요.
Show drill answers
- 얕은 물. Use the adjective’s present modifier.
- 얕았어요. The stem takes 아, then the past ending.
- 얕아서.
- 얕지 않아요. Keep a space before 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Is 얕다 a ㄷ-irregular word?
- Which describes a low ceiling: 낮다 or 얕다?
- Is 얕은 지식 normally praise?
Show answers
- No. It is regular and its stem ends in ㅌ.
- 낮다; the comparison concerns height.
- No. It usually criticizes superficial understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'This Swimming Pool Is Shallow'?
이 수영장은 얕아요.
Is 얄아요 Correct?
No. The spelling is 얕아요, with a final ㅌ.
How Is 얕아요 Pronounced?
It is spoken [야타요].
Can 얕다 Mean Superficial?
Yes. 얕은 지식 is shallow knowledge.
How Is 얕다 Different from 낮다?
낮다 is low in height, while 얕다 is shallow in depth.
Which Words Are Related to 얕다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 깊다 as the pair, then 낮다, 높다 and 넓다 for other measurement words. Once you know how to say "shallow", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.