What does 멋있다 mean?

멋있다 (meos-iss-da, meosissda)

멋있다 (meos-itta) means 'cool' or 'stylish' in Korean, used to praise someone's style or vibe.

Cool Korean word 멋있다 meaning stylish or attractive

Definition & nuance

Core meaning and shades learners miss.

멋있다(meos-iss-da, meosissda)

멋있다 is an adjective that describes someone or something as stylish, cool, or attractive in appearance or attitude.

Nuances

  • Used not only for looks but also attitude or vibe
  • A positive expression of admiration
  • Commonly used among friends in casual speech
  • In formal settings, '멋지다' or other expressions may be better

When to use

Complimenting friends, Fashion talk, Movie actors, Musician style

In context

멋있다 is mainly used to express a positive impression of people or things, commonly in the descriptive form. It's frequent in spoken Korean but less formal, so it's rare in very formal contexts.

Real-world examples

  • 그 배우 정말 멋있다.

    geu bae-u jeong-mal meos-iss-da., geu bae u jeong mal meos iss da.

    '멋있다' naturally expresses a positive impression of 'that actor'.

  • 이 옷은 멋있다 보여요.

    i os-eun meos-iss-da bo-yeo-yo., i os eun meos iss da bo yeo yo.

    '멋있다' is an adjective and cannot be combined redundantly with '보여요' (looks).

  • 너 오늘 정말 멋있다!

    neo o-neul jeong-mal meos-iss-da!, neo o neul jeong mal meos iss da!

    A natural and common expression to compliment a friend.

  • 멋있다 사람이 왔어요.

    meos-iss-da sa-ram-i wass-eo-yo., meos iss da sa ram i wass eo yo.

    '멋있다' must be used as a predicate, so it cannot directly modify a noun.

  • 그 가수는 무대에서 멋있다.

    geu ga-su-neun mu-dae-e-seo meos-iss-da., geu ga su neun mu dae e seo meos iss da.

    Used naturally with a location phrase to give a positive impression.

  • 멋있다 스타일 좋아요.

    meos-iss-da seu-ta-il joh-a-yo., meos iss da seu ta il joh a yo.

    '멋있다' must be changed to '멋있는' when directly modifying a noun.

Quick quiz

  1. What does '멋있다' mean?

    '멋있다'는 무슨 뜻인가요?('meos-iss-da'neunmu-seuntteus-in-ga-yo?, 'meosissda'neunmuseuntteusingayo?)
  2. Which sentence is correct?

    다음 중 올바른 문장은?(da-eumjungol-ba-reunmun-jang-eun?, daeumjungolbareunmunjangeun?)
  3. How do you change '멋있다' when modifying a noun?

    '멋있다'를 명사를 수식할 때 어떻게 변형하나요?('meos-iss-da'reulmyeong-sa-reulsu-sik-halttaeeo-tteoh-gebyeon-hyeong-ha-na-yo?, 'meosissda'reulmyeongsareulsusikhalttaeeotteohgebyeonhyeonghanayo?)

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