Key Facts
- Word: 불안 (buran), noun, Sino-Korean origin
- Register: Neutral to formal; used in everyday and medical contexts.
- Hanja: 不安 (不 not + 安 peaceful)
- Senses: anxiety; unease
Anxiety in Korean: What Does 불안 Mean?
불안 can name general unease or anxiety about a particular situation. The register is neutral to formal, which is why it appears in conversations about exams as well as in health writing. The adjective 불안하다 describes the person or situation, and 불안감 is the feeling of unease.
How Do You Pronounce 불안?
Say buran as two syllables. The ㄹ at the end of 불 slides across to start the next syllable, so the word is heard as bu-ran, not bul-an. With particles the same link happens: 불안이 sounds like bu-ra-ni.
Example Sentences with 불안
시험 때문에 불안해요.
siheom ttaemune buranhaeyo
I am anxious because of the exam.
시험 때문에 gives the cause: because of the exam. 불안해요 is the adjective form in the polite present.
불안이 커졌어요.
burani keojyeosseoyo
My anxiety grew.
불안이 is the subject, and 커졌어요 says that it grew.
그는 불안을 느꼈어요.
geuneun buraneul neukkyeosseoyo
He felt anxiety.
Here 불안을 is the thing felt, and 느꼈어요 is the past of feeling.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Three patterns turn up again and again.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 불안을 느끼다 | to feel anxiety |
| 불안하다 | to be anxious |
| 불안감 | feeling of unease |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners stretch 불안 to cover 'unsafe'.
Meaning contrast (not a grammar error): 불안하다 vs 위험하다
For physical danger, as in 'this road is dangerous', say: ✓ 위험하다
불안하다 means anxious, or unsettled when it describes a situation. It describes how something feels, not whether it can hurt you. For dangerous, use 위험하다.
불안 Compared with Similar Words
Anxiety words differ by cause and size.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 걱정 | worry | 걱정 is everyday worry about something specific. |
| 긴장 | tension / nervousness | 긴장 is nervousness before an event. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
불안 is Sino-Korean, written 不安 in hanja: 不 means not and 安 means peaceful. The word literally means a lack of peace.
Waiting for Interview Results
Two friends talk after a job interview. One is uneasy because the company has not replied. The other asks about the wait rather than assuming what the result will be.
Jisu
아직 연락이 없어서 불안해요.
Ajik yeollagi eopseoseo buranhaeyo.
I am anxious because I have not heard back yet.
Minho
면접 결과를 기다리고 있어요?
Myeonjeop gyeolgwareul gidarigo isseoyo?
Are you waiting for the interview result?
Jisu
네. 계속 걱정이 돼요.
Ne. Gyesok geokjeongi dwaeyo.
Yes. I keep worrying.
Minho
언제 연락을 준다고 했어요?
Eonje yeollageul jundago haesseoyo?
When did they say they would contact you?
연락이 없어서 gives the reason: there has been no contact. 불안해요 describes the speaker's unsettled feeling, and 걱정이 돼요 adds that they keep worrying. Both words fit the same situation. The distinction is useful, but 불안 does not require a completely unknown cause.
How Do You Build a Sentence around 불안?
불안을 느끼다 treats anxiety as something someone feels. The noun takes 을, the object marker. 불안하다 instead describes being anxious, and its everyday polite form is 불안해요. Compare the existing examples: 그는 불안을 느꼈어요 reports a feeling, while 시험 때문에 불안해요 directly describes the speaker's state and gives the reason.
불안감 adds 감, meaning a feeling or sense. 불안감을 느끼다 is therefore “to feel a sense of unease”. Although English may translate 불안 and 불안감 with the same word, the latter explicitly names the feeling. Neither expression by itself identifies a diagnosis or tells you how long the experience has lasted.
불안한 마음 means “an anxious heart” literally, or more naturally “an anxious feeling” or “an uneasy state of mind”. 마음 refers to the inner feeling here rather than the physical heart. 불안한 modifies the following noun. This pattern is useful in a story describing someone waiting for a result or heading into an uncertain situation.
What Set Phrases Describe Anxiety Changing?
불안에 떨다 means “to tremble with anxiety”. It presents the feeling vividly and may describe someone consumed by fear or uncertainty. You are more likely to meet this dramatic wording in a story or a report than in a simple answer about how an exam went.
불안을 떨치다 means “to shake off anxiety”. The movement is figurative: someone tries to get rid of the uneasy feeling. 불안이 커지다 goes in the other direction, describing anxiety growing. Compare the markers: in 불안을 떨치다 someone acts on the feeling, while in 불안이 커지다 the feeling itself changes.
Where Is 불안 Used outside Personal Feelings?
A news report may discuss 고용 불안, “job insecurity”, or 경제 불안, “economic instability”. Here 불안 concerns an uncertain or unsettled situation. Translate the whole phrase in context: “job anxiety” may miss the point when the subject is the security of employment rather than one person's mood.
In everyday conversation, 불안해요 can describe a temporary feeling before results arrive. Health writing also uses the same word, but encountering 불안 does not automatically make the passage clinical. Look at the surrounding words and the situation before deciding how strongly to translate it.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 걱정 | worry | Often points toward what someone is worried about. |
| 긴장 | tension; nervousness | Useful before an interview, performance or exam. |
| 안심 | relief; peace of mind | A useful contrast when uncertainty is resolved. |
| 안정 | stability | Helps with descriptions of settled situations. |
Compare these neighbours in the emotions vocabulary lesson to choose between a feeling, a worry and a situation.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 불안해요 necessarily mean the speaker has a diagnosed condition?
- Which phrase describes getting rid of unease: 불안을 떨치다 or 불안이 커지다?
- In 고용 불안, is 불안 necessarily one person's feeling?
Show answers
- No. It can describe temporary everyday unease.
- 불안을 떨치다. 커지다 means the feeling grows.
- No. The phrase can describe job insecurity as a situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anxiety in Korean?
It is 불안, a noun for anxiety or unease.
How do I say I feel anxious?
Use 불안을 느끼다, or the adjective 불안하다.
Does 불안 mean unsafe?
Not in the sense of physical danger. A dangerous road is 위험하다. 불안하다 is mainly about the feeling of unease, and it can also describe an unsettled situation.
What is 불안감?
It is a collocation meaning a feeling of unease, built on 불안.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Emotions vocabulary groups 불안 with its neighbours.
- Index: browse Korean words A to Z for more words like anxiety.
- Practice: add anxiety to your cards in the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word: happiness in Korean, a positive feeling to set beside this one.