싸다 conjugation

to be cheap · ssada · sounds like [싸다]

Short answer: “Cheap” in Korean is 싸다 (ssada). Polite present: 싸요 (ssayo); past: 쌌어요 (ssasseoyo); future: 쌀 거예요. It is regular.

Present싸요[싸요] · ssayo
Past쌌어요[싸써요] · ssasseoyo
Future쌀 거예요[쌀 꺼예요] · ssal geoyeyo
Negative안 싸요[안 싸요] · an ssayo

Opposite: 비싸다 — to be expensive

싸다 in sentences

여기는 과일이 싸요.Fruit is cheap here.
싼 비행기표를 찾았어요.I found a cheap plane ticket.

All forms of 싸다

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	싸요	[싸요]	ssayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	쌉니다	[쌈니다]	ssamnida
casual-아/어	싸	[싸]	ssa
plain (written)-다	싸다	[싸다]	ssada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	쌉니까?	[쌈니까]	ssamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	쌌어요	[싸써요]	ssasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	쌌습니다	[싿씀니다]	ssatseumnida
casual-았/었어	쌌어	[싸써]	ssasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	쌌다	[싿따]	ssatda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 싸요	[안 싸요]	an ssayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 쌌어요	[안 싸써요]	an ssasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	싸지 않아요	[싸지 아나요]	ssaji 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	싸세요	[싸세요]	ssaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	싸셨어요	[싸셔써요]	ssasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	싸십니다	[싸심니다]	ssasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	싸고	[싸고]	ssago
… so / and then-아/어서	싸서	[싸서]	ssaseo
if …-(으)면	싸면	[싸면]	ssamyeon
… but-지만	싸지만	[싸지만]	ssajiman
because …-(으)니까	싸니까	[싸니까]	ssanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	싼데	[싼데]	ssande
even if …-아/어도	싸도	[싸도]	ssado
while …-(으)면서	싸면서	[싸면서]	ssamyeonseo

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	싼	[싼]	ssan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	쌀	[쌀]	ssal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	쌀 수 있어요	[쌀 쑤 이써요]	ssal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	쌀 수 없어요	[쌀 쑤 업써요]	ssal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	싸야 해요	[싸야 해요]	ssaya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	싸도 돼요	[싸도 돼요]	ssado dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	싸게	[싸게]	ssage
becomes …-아/어지다	싸져요	[싸저요]	ssajeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	싸기	[싸기]	ssagi

How 싸다 changes

싸 ends in a vowel, so 싸 + 아/어 becomes 싸 → 싸요, 쌌어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 싸면, 쌀. 싸다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “cheap” in Korean?

“Cheap” is 싸다 (ssada), pronounced [싸다]. In a sentence: 여기는 과일이 싸요. — Fruit is cheap here.

What is the past tense of 싸다?

쌌어요 (ssasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 싸다 (“to be cheap”). Formal: 쌌습니다; casual: 쌌어.

How do you say 싸다 politely?

Everyday polite: 싸요 (ssayo). Formal: 쌉니다. Casual, with close friends: 싸.

How do you say “not cheap” in Korean?

안 싸요 or 싸지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 싸다 irregular?

No. 싸 ends in a vowel, so 싸 + 아/어 becomes 싸 → 싸요, 쌌어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 싸면, 쌀. 싸다 is regular.

More regular words like 싸다

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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