슬픔
seulpeum[sʰɯɭpʰɯm]
The English word 'sadness' is translated into Korean as 슬픔 (seulpeum).
슬픔 is a noun used to describe the state or emotion of sadness.
Meaning: state/emotion (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
While 슬픔 is the noun for 'sadness', the adjective 슬프다 is used to describe the state of being sad in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
seulpeum
Did you know?
- While 슬픔 is a general term for sadness, Korean has many specific, nuanced words for different 'flavours' of sorrow, such as 한 (han), which describes a unique, culturally specific sense of deep, unresolved grief and resentment.
- In traditional Korean music called 판소리 (pansori), singers intentionally use a husky, sorrowful voice to evoke 슬픔. This aesthetic choice transforms the emotion of sadness into a form of artistic beauty.
- The suffix -ㅁ in 슬픔 is a grammatical tool called a nominalizer. It transforms the adjective 'to be sad' into the noun 'sadness' by simply adding a final consonant sound.
Examples in context
- 나의 슬픔을 뭐라 표현할 수가 없네.I can't describe my sadness.Tatoeba #8362539 by Eunhee, translation #5737382 by CM
- 기쁨은 나누면 배가 되고 슬픔은 나누면 반이 된다.Happiness shared returns many-fold, sadness shared comes back halved.Tatoeba #2655646 by KoreanBeaver, translation #3657698 by rbbrbb
- 저는 슬픔을 느낍니다.I feel sadness.
- 나 슬프다.I'm sad.
- 그 영화는 슬픔을 자아낸다.geu yeonghwaneun seulpeumeul jaanaenda.That movie evokes sadness.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 서연 Seo-yeon영화 속 슬픔이 너무 컸어.yeonghwa sok seulpeumi neomu keosseo.The sadness in the movie was too much.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo맞아, 정말 슬픈 이야기였지.maja, jeongmal seulpeun iyagyeotji.True, it was a really sad story.
- 서연 Seo-yeon나도 눈물이 좀 났어.nado nunmuri jom nasseo.I even shed some tears.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo충분히 이해해.chungbunhi ihaehae.I completely understand.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sadness” translations and entries 슬픔, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 슬픔, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
