How do you say "rotten" in Korean?

썩다

sseokda

Adjective Hangul

In Korean, "rotten" is 썩다 (sseokda).

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Pronunciation

Sseokda is a tight single beat, SSEOK-da, with a hissed double s and a hard stop on the k.

Writing and usage

썩다 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

사과가 썩어 있었다.

sagwaga sseogeo isseotda.

The apple had gone rotten.

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How to remember 썩다

Sseokda can sound like a hiss, 'ssseok,' the noise you'd make wrinkling your nose at something rotten.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 썩다

How do you pronounce 썩다?

Sseokda is a tight single beat, SSEOK-da, with a hissed double s and a hard stop on the k.

Is 썩다 formal or casual?

썩다 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 썩다 written in Korean?

썩다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as sseokda.

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.

"Rotten" 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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