Korean word

되게

Pronunciation

Romanizationtoege

Meaning

  • adverbvery

Example

오늘은 되게 피곤해.o neu reun toe ge pi gon hae

I'm very tired today.

Illustration for 되게 (very)

More examples

이 식당 음식이 되게 맛있더라.i sik ttang eum si gi toe ge ma sit tteo ra

The food at this restaurant was very delicious.

Core concept

A casual dial turned up to make an adjective or action feel especially strong.

Common phrases

  • 되게 좋다toe ge cho ta

    very good

  • 되게 맛있다toe ge ma sit tta

    very tasty

Similar words

진짜chinjja: Makes a statement or feeling sound especially sincere and forceful.
정말cheongmal: Highlights a speaker's strong reaction or judgment, including surprise or agreement.
완전wanjeon: Presents an informal opinion as extremely strong.
엄청eomcheong: Calls attention to a remarkably high degree or amount, sometimes with exaggeration.

Definition in Korean

구어에서 쓰이는 강도 부사로, 형용사나 동사 앞에 와서 감정이나 상태의 정도를 매우 강하게 나타낸다.ku eo e seo sseu i neun kang do pu sa ro hyeong yong sa na tong sa a pe wa seo kam jeong i na sang tae ui cheong do reul mae u kang ha ge na ta naen da

Word origin

The form comes from the stem 되 (doe, "become") and the adverb-forming ending 게 (ge, "adverb-forming ending"), with its meaning shifting from manner to degree.

Usage tips

  • English very can sound neutral, but this word often adds a noticeably conversational and emphatic tone.

Opposites

Word lists with this word