Adjectives · Regular (있다 type)

멋있다 conjugation

to be cool; stylish · meositda · sounds like [머싣따]

Short answer: “Cool” in Korean is 멋있다 (meositda), which also means stylish. Polite present: 멋있어요 (meosisseoyo); past: 멋있었어요 (meosisseosseoyo); future: 멋있을 거예요. It is regular.

Present멋있어요[머시써요] · meosisseoyo
Past멋있었어요[머시써써요] · meosisseosseoyo
Future멋있을 거예요[머시쓸 꺼예요] · meosisseul geoyeyo
Negative멋있지 않아요[머싣찌 아나요] · meositji anayo

멋있다 in sentences

그 배우 정말 멋있어요.That actor is really cool.
멋있는 옷이네요.That’s a stylish outfit.

All forms of 멋있다

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	멋있어요	[머시써요]	meosisseoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	멋있습니다	[머싣씀니다]	meositseumnida
casual-아/어	멋있어	[머시써]	meosisseo
plain (written)-다	멋있다	[머싣따]	meositda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	멋있습니까?	[머싣씀니까]	meositseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	멋있었어요	[머시써써요]	meosisseosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	멋있었습니다	[머시썯씀니다]	meosisseotseumnida
casual-았/었어	멋있었어	[머시써써]	meosisseosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	멋있었다	[머시썯따]	meosisseotda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (long)-지 않아요	멋있지 않아요	[머싣찌 아나요]	meositji 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	멋있으세요	[머시쓰세요]	meosisseuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	멋있으셨어요	[머시쓰셔써요]	meosisseusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	멋있으십니다	[머시쓰심니다]	meosisseusimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	멋있고	[머싣꼬]	meositgo
… so / and then-아/어서	멋있어서	[머시써서]	meosisseoseo
if …-(으)면	멋있으면	[머시쓰면]	meosisseumyeon
… but-지만	멋있지만	[머싣찌만]	meositjiman
because …-(으)니까	멋있으니까	[머시쓰니까]	meosisseunikka
… and / but (background)-는데	멋있는데	[머신는데]	meosinneunde
even if …-아/어도	멋있어도	[머시써도]	meosisseodo
while …-(으)면서	멋있으면서	[머시쓰면서]	meosisseumyeonseo

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) …-는	멋있는	[머신는]	meosinneun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	멋있을	[머시쓸]	meosisseul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	멋있을 수 있어요	[머시쓸 쑤 이써요]	meosisseul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	멋있을 수 없어요	[머시쓸 쑤 업써요]	meosisseul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	멋있어야 해요	[머시써야 해요]	meosisseoya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	멋있어도 돼요	[머시써도 돼요]	meosisseodo dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	멋있기	[머싣끼]	meositgi

How 멋있다 changes

멋있다 is built on 있다 / 없다, so like a verb it describes with -는: 멋있는, 멋있는데. Its other endings are regular: 멋있어요, 멋있으면.

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

Questions

How do you say “cool” in Korean?

“Cool” is 멋있다 (meositda), pronounced [머싣따]. In a sentence: 그 배우 정말 멋있어요. — That actor is really cool.

What is the past tense of 멋있다?

멋있었어요 (meosisseosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 멋있다 (“to be cool”). Formal: 멋있었습니다; casual: 멋있었어.

How do you say 멋있다 politely?

Everyday polite: 멋있어요 (meosisseoyo). Formal: 멋있습니다. Casual, with close friends: 멋있어.

Is 멋있다 irregular?

No. 멋있다 is built on 있다 / 없다, so like a verb it describes with -는: 멋있는, 멋있는데. Its other endings are regular: 멋있어요, 멋있으면.

More 있다 / 없다 words like 멋있다

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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