Adjectives · ㅂ irregular

새롭다 conjugation

to be new; fresh · saeropda · sounds like [새롭따]

Short answer: “New” in Korean is 새롭다 (saeropda), which also means fresh. Polite present: 새로워요 (saerowoyo); past: 새로웠어요 (saerowosseoyo); future: 새로울 거예요. It is a ㅂ irregular adjective.

Present새로워요[새로워요] · saerowoyo
Past새로웠어요[새로워써요] · saerowosseoyo
Future새로울 거예요[새로울 꺼예요] · saeroul geoyeyo
Negative안 새로워요[안 새로워요] · an saerowoyo

새롭다 in sentences

모든 것이 새로워요.Everything is new.
새로운 친구를 사귀었어요.I made a new friend.

All forms of 새롭다

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	새로워요	[새로워요]	saerowoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	새롭습니다	[새롭씀니다]	saeropseumnida
casual-아/어	새로워	[새로워]	saerowo
plain (written)-다	새롭다	[새롭따]	saeropda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	새롭습니까?	[새롭씀니까]	saeropseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	새로웠어요	[새로워써요]	saerowosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	새로웠습니다	[새로웓씀니다]	saerowotseumnida
casual-았/었어	새로웠어	[새로워써]	saerowosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	새로웠다	[새로웓따]	saerowotda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 새로워요	[안 새로워요]	an saerowoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 새로웠어요	[안 새로워써요]	an saerowosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	새롭지 않아요	[새롭찌 아나요]	saeropji 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	새로우세요	[새로우세요]	saerouseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	새로우셨어요	[새로우셔써요]	saerousyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	새로우십니다	[새로우심니다]	saerousimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	새롭고	[새롭꼬]	saeropgo
… so / and then-아/어서	새로워서	[새로워서]	saerowoseo
if …-(으)면	새로우면	[새로우면]	saeroumyeon
… but-지만	새롭지만	[새롭찌만]	saeropjiman
because …-(으)니까	새로우니까	[새로우니까]	saerounikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	새로운데	[새로운데]	saerounde
even if …-아/어도	새로워도	[새로워도]	saerowodo
while …-(으)면서	새로우면서	[새로우면서]	saeroumyeonseo

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	새로운	[새로운]	saeroun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	새로울	[새로울]	saeroul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	새로울 수 있어요	[새로울 쑤 이써요]	saeroul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	새로울 수 없어요	[새로울 쑤 업써요]	saeroul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	새로워야 해요	[새로워야 해요]	saerowoya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	새로워도 돼요	[새로워도 돼요]	saerowodo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	새롭게	[새롭께]	saeropge
becomes …-아/어지다	새로워져요	[새로워저요]	saerowojeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	새롭기	[새롭끼]	saeropgi

How 새롭다 changes

ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 새롭 + 어 → 새로워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 새로우면, 새로울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 새롭습니다, 새롭고. 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 “new” in Korean?

“New” is 새롭다 (saeropda), pronounced [새롭따]. In a sentence: 모든 것이 새로워요. — Everything is new.

What is the past tense of 새롭다?

새로웠어요 (saerowosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 새롭다 (“to be new”). Formal: 새로웠습니다; casual: 새로웠어.

How do you say 새롭다 politely?

Everyday polite: 새로워요 (saerowoyo). Formal: 새롭습니다. Casual, with close friends: 새로워.

How do you say “not new” in Korean?

안 새로워요 or 새롭지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 새롭다 irregular?

Yes — ㅂ irregular: before a vowel, ㅂ turns into 우 — so 새롭 + 어 → 새로워요, and -(으) endings use 우: 새로우면, 새로울. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 새롭습니다, 새롭고. Not every ㅂ word does this — 입다 → 입어요 and 잡다 → 잡아요 are regular.

More ㅂ irregular words like 새롭다

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