무례하다
muryehada[muɾje̞ɦa̠da̠]
The English word "rude" is translated into Korean as 무례하다 (muryehada). Wiktionary also lists 버릇없다 (beoreudeopda).
Meaning: bad-mannered (adj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 무례하다 | muryehada | [muɾje̞ɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 버릇없다 | beoreudeopda | [pʌ̹ɾɯdʌ̹p̚t͈a̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
무례하다 describes being rude or lacking etiquette, while 버릇없다 implies someone lacks proper manners or behavior. If you want to describe a specific instance of someone acting out, you can use the phrase 버릇없게 굴다, which means "to behave rudely".
Which one should you use?
While both words describe rudeness, 무례하다 focuses on the lack of etiquette, whereas 버릇없다 focuses on having no manners or proper behavior.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 무례하다 as an adjective to modify a noun (such as "a rude person"), you must change the ending to 무례한.
How do you pronounce it?
muryehada
Did you know?
- While 무례하다 can be used for anyone, 버릇없다 is almost exclusively used by an older person to describe a younger person. Using it toward a superior would be considered incredibly 'rude' itself.
- Because Korean has complex honorifics, a grammatically correct sentence can still be perceived as 'rude' if the wrong speech level is used for the listener's status.
- The word 버릇없다 literally translates to 'having no habit', where 'habit' refers to the learned social protocols one should possess.
Examples in context
- 톰은 정말 무례하다.Tom is so rude.This sentence is useful for describing how someone is being rude using 무례하다.Tatoeba #11105545 by intertime, translation #3592877 by CK
- 그 사람의 행동은 무례하다That person's behavior is rude.
- 그 학생은 불손한 말투를 사용했다That student used impolite language.
- 그 직원은 고객에게 무례하다.geu jigeobeun gogaek-ege muryehada.That employee is rude to the customer.
- 그렇게 행동하는 것은 무례하다.geureoke haengdonghaneun geoseun muryehada.Acting that way is rude.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Minji are discussing a coworker's behavior.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그 사람이 나한테 정말 무례하다.geu sa-ram-i na-han-te jeong-mal mu-rye-ha-da.That person is really rude to me.
- 민지 Min-ji정말? 무슨 일이 있었어?jeong-mal? mu-seun il-i it-eoss-eo?Really? What happened?
- 도현 Do-hyeon내 말을 계속 끊더라고.nae mal-eul gye-sok kkeun-deo-ra-go.He kept interrupting me.
- 민지 Min-ji그건 정말 무례한 행동이야.geu-geon jeong-mal mu-rye-han haeng-dong-i-ya.That is truly rude behavior.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rude” translations and entries 무례하다, 버릇없다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
