Korean word

공손하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkongsonhada

Meaning

  • adjectivepolite

Example

전화할 때는 항상 공손하게 말하세요.cheon hwa hal ttae neun hang sang kong son ha ge mal ha se yo

When you make a phone call, always speak politely.

Illustration for 공손하다 (polite)

More examples

면접에서는 공손한 태도가 중요하다.myeon jeo be seo neun kong son han tae do ga chung yo ha da

A polite attitude is important in an interview.

Core concept

Showing respect through modest, well-mannered behavior toward another person.

Common phrases

  • 공손한 태도kong son han tae do

    polite attitude

  • 공손한 말투kong son han mal tu

    polite way of speaking

  • 공손한 인사kong son han in sa

    polite greeting

Similar words

예의 바르다yeui pareuda: Having good manners and behaving properly according to social rules.
정중하다cheongjunghada: Responding with careful courtesy that fits the situation and preserves respectful distance.
겸손하다kyeomsonhada: Showing humility by letting others receive credit and not overstating personal abilities.

Definition in Korean

겸손하고 예절을 지키며 상대를 존중하는 상태를 가리킨다.kyeom son ha go ye jeo reul chi ki myeo sang dae reul chon jung ha neun sang tae reul ka ri kin da

Word origin

It comes from a Sino-Korean compound meaning respectful humility and adds the productive element meaning to be or do, creating a descriptive adjective.

Usage tips

  • The adjective also has an adverbial form for describing how an action is performed, so it works naturally with verbs for speaking, answering, and behaving.

Opposites

Related words

  • 공손함kongsonhampolitenessnoun
  • 공손히kongsonhipolitelyadverb

Word lists with this word