Korean word

궁금하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkunggeumhada

Meaning

  • adjectivecurious

Example

이 일이 잘될지 궁금해요.i i ri chal doel ji kung geum hae yo

I'm curious whether this will go well.

Illustration for 궁금하다 (curious)

More examples

영화의 결말이 궁금해요.yeong hwa ui kyeol ma ri kung geum hae yo

I'm curious how the movie ends.

Core concept

A question stays open in the mind, creating a wish to find out the answer.

Common phrases

  • 결과가 궁금하다kyeol gwa ga kung geum ha da

    be curious about the result

  • 왜 그런지 궁금하다wae keu reon ji kung geum ha da

    be curious why that is

Similar words

신기하다singihada: Feeling wonder and curiosity about something unfamiliar or surprising.
흥미롭다heungmiroptta: Being interesting enough to hold attention and invite further thought.
의문스럽다uimunseureoptta: Seeming doubtful because an explanation or situation is not clear.

Definition in Korean

무언가의 이유나 결과를 알고 싶어 마음속에 질문이 남아 있는 상태를 이르는 말이다.mu eon ga ui i yu na kyeol gwa reul al go si peo ma eum so ge chil mu ni na ma in neun sang tae reul i reu neun ma ri da

Word origin

The word combines the native Korean base gunggeum, which expresses an unanswered question, with hada, a common verb-forming element.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use curious for a person's general nature, but this word commonly focuses on one specific thing someone wants to find out.

Other meanings

  • want to knowadjective
  • wonderadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 궁금해지다kunggeumhaejidabecome curiousverb
  • 궁금증kunggeumjeungcuriositynoun

Word lists with this word