How to Say “Cute” in Korean – Ways to use this compliment

Ever wondered how to say “cute” in Korean?

The Korean word for “cute” is used a lot! It makes it a very good word to add to your Korean study. You can use it to describe something that you find cute or adorable, such as a puppy or doll, or you can use the word to pay somebody a compliment.

How to Say 'Cute' in Korean

In fact, many people in Korea want to be seen as “cute” and will behave in “cute” ways. This is known as 애ꡐ (aegyo). People acting in this way will be pleased to hear you describe them as “cute,” so make sure you learn this word so that you can make lots of friends in Korea.

As you would go around and explore Korea, you might come across things that you find to be cute or adorable. We’ll be discussing the different ways of saying “cute” in the Korean language below. Let’s begin!

Here’s a free PDF guide that you can take with you on the go:Β 

How to say “Cute” in Korean

There are three common ways to say “cute” in Korean: κ·€μ—½μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ (gwiyeopseumnida), κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš” (gwiyeowoyo), and κ·€μ—¬μ›Œ (gwiyeowo). Which version you’ll use will depend on the formality.Β 

However, if you want to say cute, as in “handsome,” such as “check out that cute guy over there“, then you should use the Korean word for handsomeΒ instead.

Cute in Korean

We’ve added in the romanization for all of the words below to help with pronunciation. However, we recommend that you try to move on to reading comfortably in Hangul (the Korean alphabet), as this will improve your pronunciation and your reading skills. It will also help you notice patterns in words, which will lead you to improve the rate at which you learn new Korean words and grammar points.

You can download a free guide to learn the Korean alphabet in about an hour here.

Here’s a video talking about “cute” in Korean:Β 

How to Say CUTE in Korean | 90 Day Korean

If you enjoyedΒ our video on how to say β€œcute” in Korean, you can also subscribeΒ toΒ ourΒ YouTubeΒ ChannelΒ for other helpful videos!

“Cute” in Korean (Formal)

The formal version of “cute” in Korean is κ·€μ—½μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ (gwiyeopseumnida). You might hear this word in a presentation about cuteness, in an interview, or in an announcement.

How to pronounce “cute” in Korean (Formal)

The Korean word κ·€μ—½μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ (gwiyeopseumnida) is pronounced slightly different than how it is spelled. It can be pronounced as [κ·€μ—½μ”€λ‹ˆλ‹€].Β 

Here’s an audio of how to pronounce this word correctly.Β 

Listen here:

How to Say cute in Korean formal

Example:

이 κ°€μˆ˜κ°€ κ·€μ—½μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ (i gasuga gwiyeopseumnida)

This singer is cute.

“Cute” in Korean (Standard)

The standard or polite version of “cute” in Korean is κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš” (gwiyeowoyo). You can use this expression when talking to people who are older or not particularly close to you.

How to pronounce “cute” in Korean (Standard)

The standard version for the word “cute,” κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš” (gwiyeowoyo), is pronounced the same way as it is spelled. Here’s how you can pronounce this word.

Listen here:

How to Say cute in Korean standard

Example:

강아지가 λ„ˆλ¬΄ κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš” (gangajiga neomu gwiyeowoyo)

The puppy is very cute.

“Cute” in Korean (Informal)

The informal way to say “cute” in Korean is κ·€μ—¬μ›Œ (gwiyeowo). You can use this expression with people who are very close to you, such as with your girlfriend or date.

How to pronounce “cute” in Korean (Informal)

Lastly, κ·€μ—¬μ›Œ (gwiyeowo), which is the informal version, is also pronounced the same way as it is spelled. You can practice how to pronounce this word through the audio below.

Listen here:

How to Say cute in Korean informal

Example:

λ„ˆλŠ” μ™„μ „ κ·€μ—¬μ›Œ! (neoneun wanjeon gwiyeowo)

You are so cute! [literally – you are “totally” cute]

Can't read Korean yet? Click here to learn for free in about 60 minutes!

How to say “It is cute” in Korean

To say “to be cute,” “it is cute,” or “he/she is cute,” in Korean, you can use the word κ·€μ—½λ‹€ (gwiyeopda). If you are talking to yourself (such as when you are walking down the street and see a cute dog or cat), then you can use this version of the word. However, if talking to somebody else, you should remember to use the correct level of politeness.

How to write “cute” in Korean

To correctly spell the different Korean words for β€œcute,” you can start by familiarizing yourself with the Korean alphabet. Here’s how you write “Cute” in Korean:

“Cute” in Korean (formal) β†’ κ·€μ—½μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ (gwiyeopseumnida)

“Cute” in Korean (standard) β†’ κ·€μ—¬μ›Œμš” (gwiyeowoyo)

“Cute” in Korean (informal) β†’ κ·€μ—¬μ›Œ (gwiyeowo)

If you’d like to focus on improving your skills in writing in Korean, we have a dedicated article on Korean writing to help you with that.Β 

How to say “The Cute Puppy” in Korean

If you want to say “cute,” as in β€œthe cute puppy,” then you should use the word κ·€μ—¬μš΄ (gwiyeoun).

Example:

κ·€μ—¬μš΄ 강아지 (gwiyeoun gangaji)

cute puppy

κ·€μ—¬μš΄ μ•„κΈ° (gwiyeoun agi)

cute baby

κ·€μ—¬μš΄ μ—¬μž (gwiyeoun yeoja)

cute woman

곡원 μ•ˆμ— κ·€μ—¬μš΄ 강아지가 λ§Žμ•„μš”Β (gongwon ane gwiyeoun gangajiga manayo)

There are lots of cute dogs at the park.

Learning vocabulary words is a great way to help you learn the basics of a language, but your language learning will only really take off once you start attempting to have conversations in Korean. Take a look at our free list of Korean phrasesΒ or our full Korean courseΒ for all the help you will need when studying Korean.

Need more reasons to learn Korean? Check out our top 10 reasons why you have to learn Korean now.

Now that you know how to say cute in Korean, you can start complimenting people on their “aegyo” or describing all of the cute things that you see in Korea!

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73 thoughts on “How to Say “Cute” in Korean – Ways to use this compliment”

  1. Hello
    If i want say: our cutie Jessica .
    can i say
    우리의 큐티 μ œμ‹œμΉ΄ or this wrong ..Thanks

  2. If a guy said to you β€œso cute” is because he think of you like a sort of a little sister? πŸ˜€

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