붐비다
bumbida[pumbida̠]
To say crowded in Korean, use 붐비다 (bumbida) for a place packed with people. If unsure, use 붐비다. Wiktionary also lists 복잡하다 (bokjaphada).
Meaning: containing a dense pack or mass of something (adj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 붐비다 | bumbida | [pumbida̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 복잡하다 | bokjaphada | [po̞k̚t͡ɕ͈a̠pʰa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
붐비다 describes a place full of people. To show what fills the place, mark it with 로, as in 사람들로 붐비다, crowded with people.
Which one should you use?
복잡하다 (bokjaphada) can mean crowded or congested, but it also means complicated. 혼잡한 is a more formal adjective for crowded. 북적이다 suggests a lively, bustling crowd.
How does it change in a sentence?
붐비다 is a verb. To describe a noun, as in a crowded street, use the form 붐비는.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as bumbida.
Did you know?
- If a Korean person says their mind is 복잡하다, they aren't talking about a physical crowd, but rather that they are feeling mentally overwhelmed or conflicted.
- The word 복잡하다 comes from Hanja (Chinese characters), where 'bok' (복) means 'complex' and 'jap' (잡) means 'mixed'. While it translates to 'crowded' in English, its literal roots describe a state of being messy and mixed together.
- To describe a crowd as an exciting or festive part of the atmosphere, use 북적이다 rather than 붐비다, which can feel neutral or negative.
Examples in context
- 백화점은 쇼핑하는 사람들로 붐비고 있었다.The department store was crowded with shoppers.Here 붐비고 있었다 describes an ongoing state in the past, and 사람들로 shows that shoppers filled the store.
- 지하철은 항상 혼잡하다.The subway is always crowded.
- 저녁시간에 다운타운은 혼잡하다.Downtown is crowded during the evening hours.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crowded” translations and entries 붐비다, 복잡하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 복잡하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
