Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 성가시다 | seonggasida | [sʰʌ̹ŋɡa̠ɕʰida̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 귀찮다 | gwichanta | [kɥit͡ɕʰa̠ntʰa̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [kyt͡ɕʰa̠ntʰa̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 짜증스럽다 | jjajeungseureopda |
The term 'annoying' in Korean varies depending on whether you are describing an external stimulus that is pestering you, a task that feels like too much effort or an emotional state of irritability.
Which one should you use?
성가시다 is used when something is irritating or pestering. In contrast, 귀찮다 is used when something is annoying because it is a hassle or requires too much effort to deal with. Finally, 짜증스럽다 focuses more on the emotional state of feeling irritated or the outward appearance of looking annoyed, rather than the external stimulus itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
In written text, the adjective 성가시다 is often used in its dictionary form. In spoken conversation, it is typically conjugated to 성가셔요 for polite speech or 성가셔 for informal speech. If you want to use 성가시다 as an adjective to modify a noun directly (for example, to say 'an annoying person'), you must change it to 성가신.
How do you pronounce it?
seonggasida
Did you know?
- The word 귀찮다, often used to mean 'annoying' or 'tiresome', is etymologically linked to the word for 'precious' or 'noble', which is 귀하다.
- In Korean, saying something is 귀찮다 can sometimes sound like you are being lazy, whereas 성가시다 places the blame on the external thing that is pestering you.
- The term 짜증스럽다 describes the 'look' of being annoyed, so you can use it to describe someone's facial expression or vibe even if they haven't spoken a word.
Examples in context
- 딱 1명이 성가시다.Only one person is annoying.This sentence is useful for illustrating how to use 성가시다 to describe a person.
- 그 사람은 짜증나는 사람이에요.That person is an annoying person.
- 네 말에 짜증나.I'm annoyed by what you said.
- 오늘 직장에서 많이 열받아.I'm really annoyed at work today.
- 그 소음이 정말 성가시다.geu soeumi jeongmal seonggasida.That noise is really annoying.
- 계속 질문하는 게 성가시다.gyesok jilmunhaneun ge seonggasida.Asking questions constantly is annoying.
Example conversation
Minjun and Subin are in a library.
- 민준 Min-jun옆 사람이 너무 성가시다.yeop sarami neomu seonggasida.The person next to me is so annoying.
- 수빈 Su-bin무슨 일이 있어?museun iri isseo?Is something wrong?
- 민준 Min-jun계속 발을 구른다.gyesok bareul gureonda.He keeps tapping his foot.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말 성가시겠네.jeongmal seonggasigenne.That must be really annoying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “annoying” translations and entries 성가시다, 귀찮다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 귀찮다, 성가시다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
