How do you say "bitter" in Korean?

쓰다

sseuda

Adjective Hangul

In Korean, "bitter" is 쓰다 (sseuda).

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Pronunciation

Sseu-dah, the double s gives a hissing start before the vowel, like blowing air through your teeth first.

Writing and usage

쓰다 is written using hangul. It's a adjective, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

다크 커피는 꽤 쓴맛이 납니다.

dakeu keopineun kkwae sseunmasi napnida.

The dark coffee is quite bitter.

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How to remember 쓰다

Hiss 'sseu' like steam escaping a bitter cup of dark coffee.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 쓰다

How do you pronounce 쓰다?

Sseu-dah, the double s gives a hissing start before the vowel, like blowing air through your teeth first.

Is 쓰다 formal or casual?

쓰다 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 쓰다 written in Korean?

쓰다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as sseuda.

Where can I practice Korean words for free?

You can play free Korean minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Korean glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Bitter" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Korean language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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