The Korean grammar pattern ‘-기 + Adjective’ is a must-know expression for beginners. It allows you to describe whether something is easy, hard, fun, or even uncomfortable to do. This pattern appears very often in everyday conversations, making it practical and essential for real communication. By learning how to use ‘-기 + Adjective’, you will be able to express your thoughts more naturally and understand Korean speakers more easily.
Contents
1. Definition
The grammar pattern ‘-기 + Adjective’ is formed by attaching -기 to the verb stem, followed by an adjective that describes the action.
- English equivalents include: “to be easy to…,” “to be hard to…,” “to be fun to…,” “to be convenient to….”
- It expresses the speaker’s evaluation or feeling about doing an action.
2. Form (Structure)
Verbs
- Vowel ending: Verb stem + 기 + adjective
- 가다 → 가기 쉽다 (It is easy to go)
- Consonant ending: Verb stem + 기 + adjective
- 먹다 → 먹기 어렵다 (It is hard to eat)
- ㄹ ending: ㄹ remains + 기 + adjective
- 살다 → 살기 편하다 (It is comfortable to live)
Adjectives
Since adjectives cannot directly attach to -기, only verbs are used with this pattern. The adjective comes after -기.
Nouns
Nouns do not directly combine with -기. Instead, actions expressed with verbs are needed.
3. Meaning & Usage
1. Expressing Ease
Use this pattern to describe that an action is easy to do.
- 이 책은 읽기 쉬워요. (This book is easy to read.)
- 길이 넓어서 걷기 편해요. (The road is wide, so it is comfortable to walk.)
- 한국어 발음은 생각보다 익히기 쉬워요. (Korean pronunciation is easier to master than expected.)
- 이 문제는 풀기 쉬워요. (This problem is easy to solve.)
- 음식이 부드러워서 먹기 편해요. (The food is soft, so it’s easy to eat.)
2. Expressing Difficulty
This usage highlights when something is hard or inconvenient.
- 이 글씨는 읽기 어려워요. (This handwriting is hard to read.)
- 오늘 날씨 때문에 운동하기 힘들어요. (Because of today’s weather, exercising is difficult.)
- 한국어 쓰기 어려워요. (Writing Korean is difficult.)
- 복잡한 길이라 찾기 어려워요. (Because the road is complicated, it’s hard to find.)
- 아이들과 여행하기는 쉽지 않아요. (It’s not easy to travel with children.)
3. Expressing Feelings or Evaluation
It can describe subjective feelings like fun, convenience, or discomfort.
- 영화관에서 영화 보기 재미있어요. (It’s fun to watch a movie at the theater.)
- 버스에서 잠 자기 불편해요. (It’s uncomfortable to sleep on the bus.)
- 집에서 요리하기 즐거워요. (It’s enjoyable to cook at home.)
- 공원에서 운동하기 좋아요. (It’s nice to exercise in the park.)
- 스마트폰으로 사진 찍기 편리해요. (It’s convenient to take pictures with a smartphone.)
4. Key Points to Remember
- Attach -기 to the verb stem before adding the adjective.
- The adjective (e.g., 쉽다, 어렵다, 좋다) describes the action, not the subject.
- This pattern is used only with verbs, not with nouns or adjectives alone.
- It often expresses subjective evaluation (easy, hard, fun, uncomfortable, convenient).
- Common adjectives with this pattern: 쉽다, 어렵다, 힘들다, 재미있다, 좋다, 싫다, 즐겁다, 편하다, 편리하다, 불편하다.
- Works across past, present, and future tenses.
5. Practice Exercises
- 이 문제는 너무 __________ 어려워요. (This problem is too difficult to solve.)
- 한국어 발음은 __________ 쉬워요. (Korean pronunciation is easy to learn.)
- 오늘은 날씨가 더워서 운동 __________ 힘들어요. (Today it’s too hot, so exercising is hard.)
- 지하철에서 책 __________ 쉬워요. (It’s easy to read a book on the subway.)
- 밤에는 길이 어두워서 집을 __________ 어려워요. (At night, the street is dark, so it’s hard to find the house.)
- 아이들과 놀이터에서 __________ 재미있어요. (It’s fun to play with children at the playground.)
- 스마트폰으로 길 __________ 편리해요. (It’s convenient to find directions with a smartphone.)
- 버스에서 잠 __________ 불편해요. (It’s uncomfortable to sleep on the bus.)
- 새 단어를 __________ 어려워요. (It’s difficult to memorize new words.)
- 여행 가방이 가벼워서 __________ 쉬워요. (The travel bag is light, so it’s easy to carry.)
6. Answers
- 풀기
- 배우기
- 하기
- 읽기
- 찾기
- 놀기
- 찾기
- 자기
- 외우기
- 들기
7. Common Mistakes and Tips
⚠️ Mistake 1: Forgetting to add -기
- Incorrect: 한국어 배우 쉬워요. ❌ (Korean learn easy.)
- Correct: 한국어 배우기 쉬워요. ✅ (Learning Korean is easy.)
💡 Tip: Always attach -기 to the verb stem before the adjective.
⚠️ Mistake 2: Using with nouns
- Incorrect: 영화기 재미있어요. ❌ (Movie + -기 fun.)
- Correct: 영화 보기 재미있어요. ✅ (Watching a movie is fun.)
💡 Tip: This pattern works only with verbs, not plain nouns.
⚠️ Mistake 3: Mixing subject with action evaluation
- Incorrect: 저는 재미있어요 먹기. ❌ (I am fun eating.)
- Correct: 먹기 재미있어요. ✅ (Eating is fun.)
💡 Tip: The adjective always describes the action (verb+기), not the subject.
The grammar pattern ‘-기 + Adjective’ is simple but powerful. It allows you to express whether actions are easy, hard, fun, or uncomfortable in everyday Korean. By mastering this pattern, you can describe your experiences more naturally and make your Korean sound much more fluent. Start practicing with daily activities and you’ll quickly get comfortable using it.