Adjectives · ㅂ irregular

아쉽다 conjugation

to be a pity; to be disappointing · aswipda · sounds like [아쉽따]

Short answer: “A pity” in Korean is 아쉽다 (aswipda), which also means to be disappointing. Polite present: 아쉬워요 (aswiwoyo); past: 아쉬웠어요 (aswiwosseoyo); future: 아쉬울 거예요. It is a ㅂ irregular adjective.

Present아쉬워요[아쉬워요] · aswiwoyo
Past아쉬웠어요[아쉬워써요] · aswiwosseoyo
Future아쉬울 거예요[아쉬울 꺼예요] · aswiul geoyeyo
Negative안 아쉬워요[안 아쉬워요] · an aswiwoyo

아쉽다 in sentences

여행이 끝나서 아쉬워요.It’s a pity the trip is over.
조금 아쉬운 점이 있어요.There’s one thing I wish had been better.

All forms of 아쉽다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	아쉬워요	[아쉬워요]	aswiwoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	아쉽습니다	[아쉽씀니다]	aswipseumnida
casual-아/어	아쉬워	[아쉬워]	aswiwo
plain (written)-다	아쉽다	[아쉽따]	aswipda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	아쉽습니까?	[아쉽씀니까]	aswipseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	아쉬웠어요	[아쉬워써요]	aswiwosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	아쉬웠습니다	[아쉬웓씀니다]	aswiwotseumnida
casual-았/었어	아쉬웠어	[아쉬워써]	aswiwosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	아쉬웠다	[아쉬웓따]	aswiwotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will probably be-(으)ㄹ 거예요	아쉬울 거예요	[아쉬울 꺼예요]	aswiul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	아쉬울 겁니다	[아쉬울 껌니다]	aswiul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	아쉬울 거야	[아쉬울 꺼야]	aswiul geoya

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 아쉬워요	[안 아쉬워요]	an aswiwoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 아쉬웠어요	[안 아쉬워써요]	an aswiwosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	아쉽지 않아요	[아쉽찌 아나요]	aswipji anayo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	아쉬우세요	[아쉬우세요]	aswiuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	아쉬우셨어요	[아쉬우셔써요]	aswiusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	아쉬우십니다	[아쉬우심니다]	aswiusimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	아쉽고	[아쉽꼬]	aswipgo
… so / and then-아/어서	아쉬워서	[아쉬워서]	aswiwoseo
if …-(으)면	아쉬우면	[아쉬우면]	aswiumyeon
… but-지만	아쉽지만	[아쉽찌만]	aswipjiman
because …-(으)니까	아쉬우니까	[아쉬우니까]	aswiunikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	아쉬운데	[아쉬운데]	aswiunde
even if …-아/어도	아쉬워도	[아쉬워도]	aswiwodo
while …-(으)면서	아쉬우면서	[아쉬우면서]	aswiumyeonseo

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that is) …-(으)ㄴ	아쉬운	[아쉬운]	aswiun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	아쉬울	[아쉬울]	aswiul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	아쉬울 수 있어요	[아쉬울 쑤 이써요]	aswiul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	아쉬울 수 없어요	[아쉬울 쑤 업써요]	aswiul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	아쉬워야 해요	[아쉬워야 해요]	aswiwoya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	아쉬워도 돼요	[아쉬워도 돼요]	aswiwodo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	아쉽게	[아쉽께]	aswipge
becomes …-아/어지다	아쉬워져요	[아쉬워저요]	aswiwojeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	아쉽기	[아쉽끼]	aswipgi

How 아쉽다 changes

ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 아쉽 + 어 → 아쉬워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 아쉬우면, 아쉬울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 아쉽습니다, 아쉽고. Not every ㅂ word does this — 입다 → 입어요 and 잡다 → 잡아요 are regular.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “a pity” in Korean?

“A pity” is 아쉽다 (aswipda), pronounced [아쉽따]. In a sentence: 여행이 끝나서 아쉬워요. — It’s a pity the trip is over.

What is the past tense of 아쉽다?

아쉬웠어요 (aswiwosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 아쉽다 (“to be a pity”). Formal: 아쉬웠습니다; casual: 아쉬웠어.

How do you say 아쉽다 politely?

Everyday polite: 아쉬워요 (aswiwoyo). Formal: 아쉽습니다. Casual, with close friends: 아쉬워.

How do you say “not a pity” in Korean?

안 아쉬워요 or 아쉽지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 아쉽다 irregular?

Yes — ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 아쉽 + 어 → 아쉬워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 아쉬우면, 아쉬울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 아쉽습니다, 아쉽고. Not every ㅂ word does this — 입다 → 입어요 and 잡다 → 잡아요 are regular.

More ㅂ irregular words like 아쉽다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check