Key Facts
- Hangul: 용감하다 (yonggamhada)
- Meaning: brave
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 용감하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: Describes a person or animal; the adverb 용감하게 modifies actions.
- Usage: Used for people, soldiers, children and animals.
What Does 용감하다 Mean?
용감하다 describes someone who faces danger or difficulty with courage, as in 용감한 소방관 (a brave firefighter). It is about acting bravely, not merely feeling brave.
It is used for people, soldiers, children and animals. The adverb 용감하게 is common, as in 용감하게 싸웠어요.
How Do You Pronounce 용감하다?
The final ㅇ of 용 and the ㅁ of 감 are read as spelled. The formal present 용감합니다 is [용감함니다], and the formal past 용감했습니다 is [용감핻씀니다].
How Do You Use 용감하다 in a Sentence?
소방관은 정말 용감해요.
Firefighters are truly brave.
소방관은 is the topic and 정말 intensifies 용감해요.
용감한 아이가 친구를 도왔어요.
A brave child helped a friend.
용감한 modifies 아이가, and 도왔어요 shows the brave act.
그 아이는 용감하지 않아요.
That child is not brave.
The negative 용감하지 않아요 is simply a plain denial about that child.
How Does Yonggamhada Conjugation Work?
용감하다 is a 하다 adjective: 용감해요, 용감했어요, 용감해서. The modifier is 용감한, and the negative is 용감하지 않아요.
용감하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 용감해요 | ||
| Polite past | 용감했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 용감할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 용감하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 용감합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 용감했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 용감할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 용감해 | ||
| Casual past | 용감했어 | ||
| Casual future | 용감할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 용감하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 용감해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 용감하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 용감한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 용감했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 용감할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 용감해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 용감하지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 용감했어요 | [용감해써요] |
| Polite future | 용감할 거예요 | [용감할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 용감하겠어요 | [용감하게써요] |
| Formal present | 용감합니다 | [용감함니다] |
| Formal past | 용감했습니다 | [용감핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 용감할 것입니다 | [용감할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 용감했어 | [용감해써] |
| Casual future | 용감할 거야 | [용감할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 용감했던 | [용감핻떤] |
| Long negative | 용감하지 않아요 | [용감하지 아나요] |
용감하다 Forms to Reach for First
- Politely (brave): 용감해요
- Earlier, in the past (brave): 용감했어요
- Giving the reason (brave): 용감해서
- If the condition holds (brave): 용감하면
- Before a noun (brave): 용감한, or 용감했던 for the past
- Denying it (brave): 용감하지 않아요
- Honorific, about a respected person (brave): 용감하세요
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 용감 사람이에요
Correct: ✓ 용감한 사람이에요
Why: English 'brave' needs no ending, so learners drop 한 before a noun. In Korean the noun requires the modifier form: 용감한 사람이에요.
When Does 용감하다 Fit Best?
Use 용감하다 for brave actions. For fear itself, 무섭다 is the opposite feeling. The word pairs with people who act, such as 소방관, and the adverb 용감하게 attaches to action verbs like 싸웠어요. Because the focus is on action, it says more than 'not afraid'. It also fits animals that stand up to danger, and children who speak up for a friend.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 용감하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 용감하다 |
|---|---|
| 무섭다 | The feeling opposite: 무섭다 means scary or frightened, while 용감하다 describes acting with courage. |
| 조심하다 | 조심하다 is to be careful; 용감하다 is to be bold, so they can pull in opposite directions. |
After Speaking up for a Friend
A student has spoken up when a classmate was treated unfairly. After class, a friend recognises the courage that took.
Jisu
오늘 정말 용감했어요.
Oneul jeongmal yonggamhaesseoyo.
You were really brave today.
Mina
고마워요. 사실 좀 무서웠어요.
Gomawoyo. Sasil jom museowosseoyo.
Thank you. Actually, I was a little scared.
Jisu
그래도 용감한 행동이었어요.
Geuraedo yonggamhan haengdongieosseoyo.
Still, it was a brave thing to do.
Mina
다음에도 용감할 거예요.
Daeumedo yonggamhal geoyeyo.
I’ll be brave next time too.
용감했어요 praises a particular past moment. 용감한 describes 행동, “action”, while 용감할 거예요 looks ahead. The admission of fear does not cancel the compliment: the praise concerns acting despite a difficult situation.
Common Combinations with 용감하다
| Combination | Meaning | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 용감한 소방관 | a brave firefighter | A person facing danger in their work. |
| 용감한 행동 | a brave act | A particular action rather than a whole personality. |
| 용감하게 싸우다 | to fight bravely | The manner of fighting. |
| 용감하게 나서다 | to step forward bravely | Taking action when hesitation would be understandable. |
These combinations are literal. 용감하게 is an adverb: it tells you how the action happens. In a story, 용감한 사람 identifies the brave person, while 용감하게 나서다 highlights the moment that person steps forward. An account can praise one action without claiming that the person is fearless in every situation.
A related set phrase is 용기를 내다, “to gather courage” or “to work up the courage”. Literally, the verb suggests bringing courage out. It fits the effort before a difficult conversation or first attempt. 용감하다 describes bravery; 용기를 내다 focuses on overcoming hesitation so you can act.
Where Will You Hear 용감하다?
Rescue reports and stories about firefighters or soldiers use 용감하다 for facing physical danger. Children's stories may use it for a character protecting a friend or standing up to a threat. In each case, a concrete challenge makes the praise understandable. “Brave” means more when the reader knows what the person faced.
Everyday conversation also uses the word for social courage. Speaking honestly in a tense meeting can be 용감한 행동. The scale of the situation changes, but the focus stays on meeting a challenge. A risky choice alone does not earn the compliment: 용감하다 expresses a favourable judgment about the person's courage.
용감했어요 can therefore praise someone's conduct after an event. Calling someone 용감하지 않아요 is a personal criticism and may be discouraging. If you only mean that the person felt frightened at one moment, describe the fear rather than concluding that they lack bravery as a trait.
Can Someone Be Brave and Careful?
A person can be both 용감하다 and careful. 조심하다 describes taking care, while 용감하다 praises courage. A firefighter using protective equipment still acts bravely. The two ideas answer different questions: whether someone faces a challenge, and how they manage the risk.
Likewise, 무섭다 can describe a person's feeling of fear or something that causes fear. A frightening situation and a brave response can appear in the same story. The student in the dialogue admits being scared while their friend praises the response. Use the surrounding sentence to identify who feels afraid and what action deserves praise.
What Makes the Adjective Forms Tricky?
용감한 belongs before a noun, while 용감해요 finishes a statement. The 하다 ending does not make this an action verb, so the ordinary modifier is 한. In 용감한 행동이었어요, the past ending belongs to the final “was” expression; the adjective modifier stays 용감한.
The future form 용감할 거예요 can express a prediction about someone's response. It does not describe a scheduled activity in the way a travel plan does. In the dialogue it expresses the speaker's determination about next time. Context supplies that intention; the future row alone does not tell you what courageous act will happen.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 용기 | courage | The noun used in 용기를 내다. |
| 두려움 | fear | Names the feeling someone may overcome. |
| 위험 | danger | Names the threat, rather than the response. |
| 행동 | action, behaviour | Lets you praise one specific act. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson gives you words for feelings around a difficult event. Combining an emotion with a description of the response makes a story more precise than calling everyone simply brave or scared.
Mini Drill: Praise the Action
- Complete “a brave act”: ___ 행동.
- Give the polite past of 용감하다.
- Make the adverb that means “bravely”.
- Give the long polite negative.
Show drill answers
- 용감한 행동.
- 용감했어요.
- 용감하게.
- 용감하지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does feeling fear automatically prevent someone from being brave?
- What does 용기를 내다 mean?
- Does 용감한 행동 praise a particular act or every aspect of a personality?
Show answers
- No. Someone may act bravely despite fear.
- To gather courage or work up the courage.
- A particular act.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 용감하다?
용감해요.
How Do I Say 'a Brave Child'?
용감한 아이.
What Is the Difference from 조심하다?
조심하다 is to be careful; 용감하다 is to be bold, so they can pull in opposite directions.
What Is the Opposite Feeling?
무섭다, which means scary or frightened.
Which Words Are Related to 용감하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 용감하다 with 무섭다 and 조심하다, then read 위험하다 to describe what brave people face. The pattern is explained in how 하다 words become 해요. Then run another word through the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.