잔혹하다
janhokhada[t͡ɕa̠nβo̞kʰa̠da̠]
The English phrase "cruel" is translated into Korean as 잔혹하다 (janhokhada) or 잔인하다.
Meaning: that intentionally causes pain and suffering (adj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 잔혹하다 | janhokhada | [t͡ɕa̠nβo̞kʰa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 잔인하다 | janinhada | [t͡ɕa̠ninɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Both terms describe something that intentionally causes pain and suffering, but they are used in different contexts.
Which one should you use?
잔혹하다 is often used to describe actions or events that are brutal, gruesome or atrocious in scale. In contrast, 잔인하다 is more commonly used to describe a person's character or a specific act that lacks human compassion.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "is cruel" in a polite present tense, use 잔혹해요 for the first form and 잔인해요 for the second.
How do you pronounce it?
janhokhada
Did you know?
- The characters in 잔혹 and 잔인 both share the root 잔 (殘), which literally means 'remnant' or 'left over'. In this context, it refers to the act of leaving someone in a state of suffering rather than finishing them off.
- When using these words to describe a movie or a book, a Korean speaker might use 잔인하다 to mean 'gory' or 'graphic' rather than just 'morally evil'.
- Korean has a specific word 잔인무도하다 that combines both roots to describe someone who is not just cruel, but completely devoid of any moral sense or humanity.
Examples in context
- 그들은 동물에게 잔인했다.They were cruel to animals.
- 사람에 대한 가혹한 처벌은 용납되어서는 안 됩니다.Cruel punishment towards humans should not be tolerated.
- 어떻게 남에게 그렇게 잔혹하게 할 수 있어?How can you be so cruel to others?
- 그는 정말로 무자비했어.He was really cruel.
- 그 영화는 너무 잔혹하다.geu yeonghwa-neun neomu janhok-hada.That movie is too cruel.
- 전쟁은 너무 잔혹하다.jeonjaeng-eun neomu janhok-hada.War is too cruel.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Jieun are talking about a historical story.
- 도현 Do-hyeon이 이야기가 너무 잔혹하다 생각하지 않아?i iyagi-ga neomu janhokhada saenggak-haji ana?Don't you think this story is too cruel?
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 정말 너무 심한 것 같아.eung, jeongmal neomu simhan geot gata.Yes, I think it's really too much.
- 도현 Do-hyeon어떻게 이런 일이 실제로 있었을까?eotteoke ireon il-i silje-ro isseosseulkka?How could something like this actually happen?
- 지은 Ji-eun정말 믿기 힘든 역사야.jeongmal mitgi himdeun yeoksa-ya.It's a history that is really hard to believe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cruel” translations and entries 잔혹하다, 잔인하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잔인하다, 잔혹하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
