좋다 (joh-da, johda) · 나쁘다 (na-ppeu-da, nappeuda)
좋다 and 나쁘다 are adjectives expressing positivity and negativity respectively, and must be clearly distinguished depending on the situation.
One lane per word — no nested boxes, just the gist.
An adjective indicating a positive or satisfactory state
When to use
Expressing feelings, Evaluating things, Judging situations
The nuance
Use 좋다 when something is positive or satisfactory. It can be used for people, things, or situations, mainly to express feelings or evaluations.
An adjective indicating a negative or unsatisfactory state
When to use
Expressing negative feelings, Negative evaluation of things, Negative judgment of situations
The nuance
Use 나쁘다 when something is negative or unsatisfactory. Opposite to 좋다, it is used to express negative evaluations of people, things, or situations.
이 영화가 정말 좋아요.
i yeong-hwa-ga jeong-mal joh-a-yo., i yeong hwa ga jeong mal joh a yo.
Correct sentence using 좋다 to express a positive feeling about a movie.
이 음식은 나빠요.
i eum-sik-eun na-ppa-yo., i eum sik eun na ppa yo.
Correct sentence using 나쁘다 to give a negative evaluation of food.
그 사람은 정말 좋아요.
geu sa-ram-eun jeong-mal joh-a-yo., geu sa ram eun jeong mal joh a yo.
Natural sentence using 좋다 to express positive feelings about a person.
그 사람은 나빠요.
geu sa-ram-eun na-ppa-yo., geu sa ram eun na ppa yo.
Appropriate sentence using 나쁘다 to express negative evaluation of a person.
오늘 날씨가 나빠요.
o-neul nal-ssi-ga na-ppa-yo., o neul nal ssi ga na ppa yo.
Correct example using 나쁘다 to express bad weather.
오늘 날씨가 좋아요.
o-neul nal-ssi-ga joh-a-yo., o neul nal ssi ga joh a yo.
Natural sentence using 좋다 to express good weather.
이 문제는 좋아요.
i mun-je-neun joh-a-yo., i mun je neun joh a yo.
Unnatural to say a problem is 좋다; better to use 괜찮다 or easier expressions.
그 영화는 나빠요.
geu yeong-hwa-neun na-ppa-yo., geu yeong hwa neun na ppa yo.
Correct sentence using 나쁘다 to negatively evaluate a movie.
When do you use '좋다'?
Which sentence correctly uses '나쁘다'?
Which sentence cannot use '좋다'?
