무서워요
museowoyo
The English phrase "I am scared" is translated into Korean as 무서워요 (museowoyo).
무서워요 is used to express that you feel fear or are frightened because of an external stimulus, such as a ghost, a loud noise or a movie.
Which one should you use?
While 무서워요 describes the speaker's feeling of being scared by an external object or situation, it is not used to describe a person's character as being 'scary'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you were scared in the past, you can change the ending to 무서웠어요.
How do you pronounce it?
museowoyo
Did you know?
- If you want to say you are 'scared to death', Koreans use the expression 무서워 죽겠어요, adding the phrase 'to die' to the end.
- There is a distinction between 무서워요, used for fear of a threat, and 두려워요, which often describes a deeper, more existential dread or anxiety about the future.
- The word 무서워요 is often accompanied by a specific physical gesture of clutching one's own arms or shoulders to show shivering in Korean culture.
Examples in context
- 방이 너무 어둡고 무서워요.The room is too dark and I am scared.
- 긴 밤에 혼자 집에 있으면 무서워.I am scared when I am alone at home during the long nights.
- 혼자 있으면 무서워요.honja isseumyeon museowoyo.I am scared when I am alone.
- 갑자기 큰 소리가 나서 무서워요.gapjagi keun sori-ga naseo museowoyo.I am scared because a loud noise suddenly happened.
- 저는 공포 영화가 무서워요.jeoneun gongpo yeonghwaga museowoyo.I am scared of horror movies.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Ji-hoon are walking through a dark park at night.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈 씨, 너무 어두워서 무서워요.Ji-hoon ssi, neomu eoduwoseo museowoyo.Ji-hoon, it is too dark and I am scared.
- 지훈 Ji-hun걱정 마세요, 제가 옆에 있어요.geokjeong maseyo, jega yeope isseoyo.Don't worry, I am right beside you.
- 지은 Ji-eun그래도 자꾸 이상한 소리가 들려요.geuraedo jakku isanghan soriga deullyeoyo.Still, I keep hearing strange noises.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그냥 바람 소리일 거예요.geunyang baram sori-il geoyeyo.It is probably just the sound of the wind.
