How do you say "polite" in Korean?

예의 바르다

yeui bareuda

Adjective Hangul

In Korean, "polite" is 예의 바르다 (yeui bareuda).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Yeui ba-reu-dah, the 'yeui' glides quickly like 'yay', then 'ba-reu' flows smoothly after.

Writing and usage

예의 바르다 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

손님들에게는 예의 바르게 대했다.

sonnimdeuregeneun yeui bareuge daehaetda.

She was polite to the guests.

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How to remember 예의 바르다

A polite guest always says 'yay, we' before entering, minding their manners.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 예의 바르다

How do you pronounce 예의 바르다?

Yeui ba-reu-dah, the 'yeui' glides quickly like 'yay', then 'ba-reu' flows smoothly after.

Is 예의 바르다 formal or casual?

예의 바르다 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 예의 바르다 written in Korean?

예의 바르다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as yeui bareuda.

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.

"Polite" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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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