Korean word

정말

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheongmal

Meaning

  • adverbreally

Example

정말 고마워요.cheong mal ko ma wo yo

Really, thank you.

Illustration for 정말 (really)

More examples

영화가 정말 재미있었어요.yeong hwa ga cheong mal chae mi i sseo sseo yo

The movie was really interesting.

Core concept

It makes a speaker's feeling or judgment sound especially strong, whether showing agreement, surprise, or admiration.

Common phrases

  • 정말 고마워요cheong mal ko ma wo yo

    really, thank you

  • 정말 미안해요cheong mal mi an hae yo

    really sorry

  • 정말 맛있어요cheong mal ma si sseo yo

    really delicious

Similar words

진짜chinjja: Adds casual emphasis to a feeling, judgment, or surprised reaction.
정말로cheongmallo: Strongly shows that something is true, often with surprise or doubt.
진심으로chinsimeuro: Shows that words or actions come honestly from true inner feelings.
참cham: Makes an adjective sound much stronger and reveals a strong feeling.

Definition in Korean

말하는 이의 감정이나 판단을 강하게 드러내어 동의·감탄·놀람 등의 의미를 강조하는 부사mal ha neun i ui kam jeong i na pan da neul kang ha ge teu reo nae eo tong ui kam tan nol lam teung ui ui mi reul kang jo ha neun pu sa

Word origin

The origin of the word is uncertain, but it developed as a spoken adverb for strong affirmation and surprise.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 정말 (jeongmal, "really") works in both friendly and polite settings, so it is a safe everyday emphasis word.

Other meanings

  • seriouslyadverb
  • veryadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word