가난하다
gananhada[ka̠na̠nɦa̠da̠]
The English word 'poor' is expressed in Korean as 가난하다 (gananhada). If unsure, use 가난하다. Wiktionary also lists 빈곤하다 (bin'gonhada).
Meaning: with few or no possessions or money (adj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 가난하다 | gananhada | [ka̠na̠nɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 빈곤하다 | bin'gonhada | [pinɡo̞nɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Both 가난하다 and 빈곤하다 describe having few or no possessions or money. While 가난하다 is the standard way to say someone is poor, 빈곤하다 is used to mean being impoverished or in a state of poverty, often in a more technical sense.
Which one should you use?
가난하다 is the common, everyday term for being poor.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the adjective 가난하다 to modify a noun, you must change it to the form 가난한. The past tense of the word is 가난했다, and the polite conversational form is 가난해요. If you wish to use the noun form meaning 'poverty', use 가난.
How do you pronounce it?
gananhada
Did you know?
- To describe a 'poor' or 'pitiful' person in an emotional sense, Koreans use 불쌍하다 rather than 가난하다.
- In historical Korean contexts, someone who was 'poor' but maintained a scholarly and virtuous lifestyle was praised as being 청빈하다, which means 'cleanly poor'.
- The word 빈곤하다 is derived from Chinese characters, where 빈 (貧) means 'poor' and 곤 (困) means 'difficulty' or 'distress'.
Examples in context
- 그는 정직하기 때문에 가난하다.He's poor since he's honest.This sentence shows how to use 가난하다 to describe a person's state based on a quality.Tatoeba #13118534 by romzzo, translation #11289454 by maaster
- 그 사람은 자신의 아버지가 가난하다는 사실을 부끄러워하지 않아.He’s not ashamed of the fact that his father is poor.This sentence demonstrates using 가난하다 to describe a family relationship.Tatoeba #8453527 by Eunhee, translation #8161266 by TheNightAvl
- 가난한 사람이 부자한테 대든다.A poor person is being uppity towards a rich person.This sentence illustrates using the noun-modifying form 가난한 to describe a person.
- 우리는 가난한 지역에서 자랐습니다.We grew up in a poor neighborhood.
- 정부는 빈곤한 계층을 돕기 위한 정책을 시행했습니다.The government implemented policies to assist the poor.
- 이 도시에는 빈민가가 몇 군데 있습니다.There are several slums in this city.
- 오늘 밥 먹을 돈이 없어서 가난하게 사는 중이야.I don't have money to eat today, so I'm living in poverty.
- 우리 학교는 교육 자금 부족으로 고생하고 있어요.Our school is struggling due to a lack of education funds.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are discussing a character in a novel.
- 민지 Min-ji주인공이 너무 가난하다.juingongi neomu gananhada.The protagonist is so poor.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo맞아, 정말 가난한 삶이야.maja, jeongmal gananhan salmiya.Right, it is a truly poor life.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨는 어떻게 생각해?Hyunwoo ssi-neun eotteoke saenggakhae?What do you think, Hyunwoo?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo슬프지만 현실적이야.seulpeujiman hyeonsiljeogiya.It's sad but realistic.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poor” translations and entries 가난하다, 빈곤하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 가난하다, 빈곤하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
