Common Korean Adverbs (부사)

What Are Adverbs?

Adverbs (부사, busa) are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or entire sentences. They tell us how, when, where, how often, or to what degree something happens.

In Korean, adverbs typically come before the word they modify:

Frequency Adverbs (빈도 부사)

Frequency adverbs describe how often something happens. They are arranged from most frequent to least frequent:

Examples with Frequency Adverbs

Important: 별로, 거의, 전혀 with Negatives

These three adverbs require a negative form (안, 못, 없다, 모르다):

Degree Adverbs (정도 부사)

Degree adverbs express how much or to what extent:

Examples with Degree Adverbs

너무: Two Meanings

너무 originally means "too much" (excessively), but in modern casual speech it is also used to mean "very" (positively):

In formal writing or tests, use 너무 only for the negative "too much" meaning. For "very" in formal contexts, use 매우 or 아주.

좀 vs. 조금

Both mean "a little," but 좀 is the shortened, more casual form:

좀 is very commonly used to soften requests and make them more polite:

Time Adverbs (시간 부사)

Time adverbs express when something happens relative to the present:

Examples with Time Adverbs

이미 vs. 벌써

Both mean "already," but 벌써 carries surprise or unexpectedness:

아직 in Positive vs. Negative

Manner Adverbs (양태 부사)

Manner adverbs describe how an action is performed:

Examples with Manner Adverbs

잘 in Common Expressions

잘 (well) is one of the most versatile Korean adverbs:

잘 못 vs. 잘못

Be careful with spacing:

Forming Adverbs from Adjectives

Many Korean adverbs are formed from adjectives using the suffix ~게:

Some adjectives also have a special ~히 adverb form:

Both ~게 and ~히 forms are correct, but ~히 forms are slightly more natural in spoken Korean for certain words.

Adverb Placement

Korean adverbs generally come before the verb they modify:

Adverb placement is flexible, but before the verb is the default position.

Adverb Pairs

Practice

Fill in the appropriate adverb:

1. 커피를 ___ 마셔요. (I always drink coffee.) → 항상
2. ___ 오세요! (Come quickly!) → 빨리
3. 한국어를 ___ 알아요. (I know a little Korean.) → 조금
4. ___ 안 먹었어요. (I haven't eaten yet.) → 아직
5. ___ 공부해요. (I study hard.) → 열심히
6. ___ 갈게요. (I'll go right away.) → 바로
7. ___ 모르겠어요. (I don't understand at all.) → 전혀