Adjectives · ㅂ irregular

귀엽다 conjugation

to be cute · gwiyeopda · sounds like [귀엽따]

Short answer: “Cute” in Korean is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda). Polite present: 귀여워요 (gwiyeowoyo); past: 귀여웠어요 (gwiyeowosseoyo); future: 귀여울 거예요. It is a ㅂ irregular adjective.

Present귀여워요[귀여워요] · gwiyeowoyo
Past귀여웠어요[귀여워써요] · gwiyeowosseoyo
Future귀여울 거예요[귀여울 꺼예요] · gwiyeoul geoyeyo
Negative안 귀여워요[안 귀여워요] · an gwiyeowoyo

귀엽다 in sentences

강아지가 정말 귀여워요.The puppy is so cute.
귀여운 인형을 샀어요.I bought a cute doll.

All forms of 귀엽다

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	귀여워요	[귀여워요]	gwiyeowoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	귀엽습니다	[귀엽씀니다]	gwiyeopseumnida
casual-아/어	귀여워	[귀여워]	gwiyeowo
plain (written)-다	귀엽다	[귀엽따]	gwiyeopda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	귀엽습니까?	[귀엽씀니까]	gwiyeopseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	귀여웠어요	[귀여워써요]	gwiyeowosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	귀여웠습니다	[귀여웓씀니다]	gwiyeowotseumnida
casual-았/었어	귀여웠어	[귀여워써]	gwiyeowosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	귀여웠다	[귀여웓따]	gwiyeowotda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 귀여워요	[안 귀여워요]	an gwiyeowoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 귀여웠어요	[안 귀여워써요]	an gwiyeowosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	귀엽지 않아요	[귀엽찌 아나요]	gwiyeopji 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	귀여우세요	[귀여우세요]	gwiyeouseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	귀여우셨어요	[귀여우셔써요]	gwiyeousyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	귀여우십니다	[귀여우심니다]	gwiyeousimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	귀엽고	[귀엽꼬]	gwiyeopgo
… so / and then-아/어서	귀여워서	[귀여워서]	gwiyeowoseo
if …-(으)면	귀여우면	[귀여우면]	gwiyeoumyeon
… but-지만	귀엽지만	[귀엽찌만]	gwiyeopjiman
because …-(으)니까	귀여우니까	[귀여우니까]	gwiyeounikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	귀여운데	[귀여운데]	gwiyeounde
even if …-아/어도	귀여워도	[귀여워도]	gwiyeowodo
while …-(으)면서	귀여우면서	[귀여우면서]	gwiyeoumyeonseo

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	귀여운	[귀여운]	gwiyeoun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	귀여울	[귀여울]	gwiyeoul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	귀여울 수 있어요	[귀여울 쑤 이써요]	gwiyeoul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	귀여울 수 없어요	[귀여울 쑤 업써요]	gwiyeoul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	귀여워야 해요	[귀여워야 해요]	gwiyeowoya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	귀여워도 돼요	[귀여워도 돼요]	gwiyeowodo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	귀엽게	[귀엽께]	gwiyeopge
becomes …-아/어지다	귀여워져요	[귀여워저요]	gwiyeowojeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	귀엽기	[귀엽끼]	gwiyeopgi

How 귀엽다 changes

ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 귀엽 + 어 → 귀여워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 귀여우면, 귀여울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 귀엽습니다, 귀엽고. 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 “cute” in Korean?

“Cute” is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda), pronounced [귀엽따]. In a sentence: 강아지가 정말 귀여워요. — The puppy is so cute.

What is the past tense of 귀엽다?

귀여웠어요 (gwiyeowosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 귀엽다 (“to be cute”). Formal: 귀여웠습니다; casual: 귀여웠어.

How do you say 귀엽다 politely?

Everyday polite: 귀여워요 (gwiyeowoyo). Formal: 귀엽습니다. Casual, with close friends: 귀여워.

How do you say “not cute” in Korean?

안 귀여워요 or 귀엽지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 귀엽다 irregular?

Yes — ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 귀엽 + 어 → 귀여워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 귀여우면, 귀여울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 귀엽습니다, 귀엽고. Not every ㅂ word does this — 입다 → 입어요 and 잡다 → 잡아요 are regular.

More ㅂ irregular words like 귀엽다

Look up another word

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