Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 대단하다 | daedanhada | [ˈtɛ(ː)da̠nɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ˈte̞(ː)da̠nɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 훌륭하다 | hullyunghada | [ɸʷuʎʎuŋɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ɸʷuʎʎoŋɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 근사하다 | geunsahada | [ˈkɯ(ː)nsʰa̠ɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
대단하다 can be used as an exclamation to express being impressed by someone's skill or a situation's intensity. To emphasize greatness in a respectful manner, you can use 매우 훌륭하다, which means 'extremely great' or 'excellent'.
Which one should you use?
The specific form you choose depends on the nuance you wish to convey: 대단하다 is used when something is impressive, extraordinary or overwhelming in scale or degree. 훌륭하다 is used to describe something or someone that is excellent, admirable or of high moral character. 근사하다 is used to describe something that looks great, stylish or wonderful, often in an aesthetic sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
In polite, everyday conversation, the dictionary form 대단하다 changes to 대단해요. When speaking informally to friends or younger people, it changes to 대단해.
How do you pronounce it?
daedanhada
Did you know?
- In Korean, you can express that something is 'great' by using the word for 'scary' or 'terrifying' (무섭다) when the scale of the greatness is overwhelming.
- While 대단하다 usually means 'great' or 'impressive', it can also be used sarcastically to mean 'unbelievable' or 'too much' when someone is behaving poorly.
- When someone says 대단해요 in response to your achievement, a humble Korean speaker will often deny the praise by saying 아니에요 or 'no it is not'.
Examples in context
- 이 영화 정말 대박이야!This movie is really great!
- 네, 진짜 쩔어!Yes, it's seriously awesome!
- 그 계획은 정말 대단하다.geu gye-hoe-geun jeong-mal dae-dan-ha-da.That plan is really great.
Example conversation
Ji-eun tells Hyeon-woo about her new project success.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우 씨, 제가 프로젝트를 성공시켰어요.Hyeon-u ssi, jega peurojekteureul seonggongsikyeosseoyo.Hyeon-woo, I successfully finished the project.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo와, 지은 씨 정말 대단하다!wa, Ji-eun ssi jeongmal daedanhada!Wow, Ji-eun, that is really great!
- 지은 Ji-eun칭찬해 줘서 고마워요.chingchanhae jwoseo gomawoyo.Thank you for the compliment.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo정말 수고 많으셨어요.jeongmal sugo maneusyeosseoyo.You really worked hard.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “great” translations and entries 대단하다, 훌륭하다, 근사하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
