Korean word

가난하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkananhada

Meaning

  • adjectivepoor

Example

그 집은 가난해요.keu chi beun ka nan hae yo

That household is poor.

Illustration for 가난하다 (poor)

More examples

요즘은 가난해서 식비를 줄이고 있어요.yo jeu meun ka nan hae seo sik ppi reul chu ri go i sseo yo

These days, I am cutting back on food expenses because I am poor.

Core concept

A person or household with too little money or income for a comfortable everyday life.

Common phrases

  • 가난한 사람ka nan han sa ram

    poor person

  • 가난한 집ka nan han chip

    poor household

Similar words

부족하다pujokada: Being short of what is needed for a purpose or situation.
빠듯하다ppadeutada: Having a very tight budget with almost no money left for extras.

Definition in Korean

재산이나 수입이 부족하여 생활이 넉넉하지 못한 상태를 나타내는 형용사chae sa ni na su i bi pu jo ka yeo saeng hwa ri neong neo ka ji mo tan sang tae reul na ta nae neun hyeong yong sa

Word origin

The adjective 가난하다 (gananhada, "to be poor") combines 가난 (ganan, "poverty") with 하다 (hada, "to do or make"), a common pattern for forming descriptive words.

Usage tips

  • English poor can also mean low quality, but 가난하다 (gananhada, "to be poor") points specifically to financial hardship, not a bad toy or test answer.

Opposites

  • 부유하다puyuhadawealthyadjective
  • 풍요롭다pungyoropttaprosperousadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word