잔인하다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be cruel

Every form of 잔인하다 across the four speech levels. It is 여 irregular — 하다 and every verb built on it: 하다 → 하여 → 해요.

기본형Principal parts

The four forms the dictionary prints. Every other form on this page is derived from them.

관형사형Modifier
잔인한
아/어Infinitive
잔인해
-으니Since
잔인하니
합니다Formal
잔인합니다

현재Present

The tense that does the most work. 해요체 is the one to learn first — it is polite without being formal, and it is what most conversation is in.

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 잔인해요잔인합니다잔인해잔인하다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 잔인했어요잔인했습니다잔인했어잔인했다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 잔인하겠어요잔인하겠습니다잔인하겠어잔인하겠다
-을 것이다Going to 잔인할 거예요잔인할 것입니다잔인할 거야잔인할 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 잔인해요?잔인합니까?잔인해?잔인하니?
과거Past 잔인했어요?잔인했습니까?잔인했어?잔인했니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 잔인해요안 잔인합니다안 잔인해안 잔인하다
-지 않다Not (long) 잔인하지 않아요잔인하지 않습니다잔인하지 않아잔인하지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 잔인하세요잔인하십니다잔인하셔잔인하시다
과거Past 잔인하셨어요잔인하셨습니다잔인하셨어잔인하셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
잔인한
과거Past
잔인한
미래Future
잔인할
회상Used to
잔인하던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
잔인하고
-게-ly / so that
잔인하게
-어서so / and then
잔인해서
-으니까since
잔인하니까
-으면if / when
잔인하면
-지만but
잔인하지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
잔인한데
-어도even if
잔인해도

문형Sentence patterns

How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.

예문In real sentences

From the dictionary, each with its translation.

그냥 잔인한 사실입니다.

Just a brute fact.

홉즈의 말을 빌면, 그곳의 삶은 짧고 잔인합니다.

In Hobbesian terms, life is short and brutish there.

독재정권의 잔인함을 대중에게 알리는 역할을 하는 거죠.

It helps them advertise their cruelty.

다행히도 모든 수상전시가 잔인한 이야기만 담지는 않았습니다.

Fortunately, not every watery display told such a gruesome story.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 잔인하다 in Korean?

잔인하다 (to be cruel) is 잔인해요 in the polite 해요체, 잔인합니다 in formal 합니다체, 잔인해 in casual 반말 and 잔인하다 in the plain written style. The past is 잔인했어요.

What is the past tense of 잔인하다?

잔인했어요 in everyday polite speech, 잔인했습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 잔인하여 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.

Is 잔인하다 irregular?

Yes — it is 여 irregular (여 불규칙). 하다 and every verb built on it: 하다 → 하여 → 해요. That is why the stem looks different in 잔인하여 and 잔인하니 but unchanged in 잔인합니다.

What TOPIK level is 잔인하다?

5급 — TOPIK 5, advanced.

Dictionary form, meaning, sentence patterns, examples and audio from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.

Conjugations are generated by this site's own engine and checked against the 9,380 forms the dictionary publishes on every build.