How do you say "poor" in Korean?

가난하다

gananhada

Adjective Hangul

In Korean, "poor" is 가난하다 (gananhada).

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Pronunciation

Gananhada repeats the syllable ga, GA-nan-ha-da, with a nasal n sound in the middle two beats.

Writing and usage

가난하다 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

그들은 가난했지만 행복했다.

geudeureun gananhaetjiman haengbokhaetda.

They were poor but happy.

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How to remember 가난하다

Gananhada can sound like 'ga, non, ha, da' -- having none, ga-none, left in your pocket.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 가난하다

How do you pronounce 가난하다?

Gananhada repeats the syllable ga, GA-nan-ha-da, with a nasal n sound in the middle two beats.

Is 가난하다 formal or casual?

가난하다 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 가난하다 written in Korean?

가난하다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as gananhada.

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.

"Poor" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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