얼마나 귀여운지
eolmana gwiyeounji
In Korean, "how cute" is expressed as 얼마나 귀여운지 (eolmana gwiyeounji).
This phrase is an exclamation used to express that someone or something is very adorable. To emphasize the level of cuteness even further, you can add the word 정말, which means "really" or "very".
Which one should you use?
While 얼마나 귀여운지 focuses on emphasizing the degree of cuteness, if you want a more direct and common way to say "it's really cute" in casual conversation, you should use 진짜 귀엽다.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 얼마나 귀여운지 functions as an indirect exclamation or a subordinate clause. Because of this, it often requires a following verb or a sense of completion to sound natural in a full sentence. A common way to complete this thought in a polite way is to add 몰라요 to the end, creating 얼마나 귀여운지 몰라요, which translates to "you don't know how cute it is".
How do you pronounce it?
eolmana gwiyeounji
Did you know?
- In Korea, the concept of 'cuteness' known as 애교 (aegyo) is a specific social performance. It involves using a baby-like voice and gestures to show affection or get a favor, which is a cultural behavior beyond just being naturally 'cute'.
- In modern Korean pop culture, the term 심쿵 (sim-kung) is used when something is so cute it causes your heart to 'thump'. It is a combination of the word for 'heart' and the sound of a heartbeat.
- To make the word 귀엽다 sound even cuter in text messages, Koreans often change the final consonant to a 'ㅇ' sound. This creates a stylized version like 귀여워용 to mimic a nasal, sweet tone of voice.
Examples in context
- 강아지가 얼마나 귀여운지 몰라요.gangajiga eolmana gwiyeounji mollayo.I can't tell you how cute the puppy is.
- 아기가 얼마나 귀여운지 보세요!agiga eolmana gwiyeounji boseyo!Look at how cute the baby is!
Example conversation
Subin and Dohyun are looking at a photo of a kitten.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 이 고양이 좀 보세요.Dohyeon ssi, i goyang-i jom boseyo.Dohyun, look at this cat.
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말 작고 예쁘네요.jeongmal jakgo yeppeuneyo.It is really small and pretty.
- 수빈 Su-bin얘가 얼마나 귀여운지 몰라요.yae-ga eolmana gwiyeoun-ji mollayo.You have no idea how cute it is.
- 도현 Do-hyeon진짜 귀엽네요!jinjja gwiyeopneyo!It really is cute!
