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Korean vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "stingy" in Korean?

인색하다

insaekhada

Adjective Hangul

In Korean, "stingy" is 인색하다 (insaekhada).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Insaekhada flows as in-SAEK-ha-da, with a hard stop on the k in saek before continuing to hada.

Writing and usage

인색하다 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

그는 팁을 남기지 못했다.

geuneun tibeul namgiji mothaetda.

He was too stingy to leave a tip.

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How to remember 인색하다

Insaekhada can sound like 'in, sack, ha, da' -- keeping every coin locked tightly in a sack, never sharing.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 인색하다

How do you pronounce 인색하다?

Insaekhada flows as in-SAEK-ha-da, with a hard stop on the k in saek before continuing to hada.

Is 인색하다 formal or casual?

인색하다 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 인색하다 written in Korean?

인색하다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as insaekhada.

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.

"Stingy" 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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