낫다 Korean adjective conjugation
to be better
Every form of 낫다 across the four speech levels. It is ㅅ irregular — ㅅ drops before a vowel: 짓다 → 지어요.
기본형Principal parts
The four forms the dictionary prints. Every other form on this page is derived from them.
- 관형사형Modifier
- 나은
- 아/어Infinitive
- 나아
- -으니Since
- 나으니
- 합니다Formal
- 낫습니다
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.
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 서술Statement | 나아요 | 낫습니다 | 나아 | 낫다 |
과거Past
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 서술Statement | 나았어요 | 나았습니다 | 나았어 | 나았다 |
미래·추측Future & presumptive
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -겠-Will / must be | 낫겠어요 | 낫겠습니다 | 낫겠어 | 낫겠다 |
| -을 것이다Going to | 나을 거예요 | 나을 것입니다 | 나을 거야 | 나을 것이다 |
의문Questions
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 나아요? | 낫습니까? | 나아? | 나으니? |
| 과거Past | 나았어요? | 나았습니까? | 나았어? | 나았니? |
부정Negation
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 안Not (short) | 안 나아요 | 안 낫습니다 | 안 나아 | 안 낫다 |
| -지 않다Not (long) | 낫지 않아요 | 낫지 않습니다 | 낫지 않아 | 낫지 않다 |
높임Honorific
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 나으세요 | 나으십니다 | 나으셔 | 나으시다 |
| 과거Past | 나으셨어요 | 나으셨습니다 | 나으셨어 | 나으셨다 |
관형사형Modifying a noun
- 현재Present
- 나은
- 과거Past
- 나은
- 미래Future
- 나을
- 회상Used to
- 낫던
연결Joining clauses
- -고and
- 낫고
- -게-ly / so that
- 낫게
- -어서so / and then
- 나아서
- -으니까since
- 나으니까
- -으면if / when
- 나으면
- -지만but
- 낫지만
- -는데and / but (setting up)
- 나은데
- -어도even if
- 나아도
문형Sentence patterns
How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.
- 1이 낫다
예문In real sentences
From the dictionary, each with its translation.
더 많이 놀수록 제가 더 나은 엄마가 되는 기분입니다.
The more I play, the more I feel like a good mother.
거의 8년이 넘도록 약 2/3 나 더 나은 성과를 냈습니다.
Now over almost eight years, they've outperformed by about two thirds.
당장 멈추고, 차를 돌려, 부모님께 돌아가는 게 나을 지도 모르겠네요.
Might as well stop now, turn around, move in with your parents.
조금이더라도 없는 것보단 낫다.
Better a small fish than an empty dish.
자주 묻는 질문Common questions
How do you conjugate 낫다 in Korean?
낫다 (to be better) is 나아요 in the polite 해요체, 낫습니다 in formal 합니다체, 나아 in casual 반말 and 낫다 in the plain written style. The past is 나았어요.
What is the past tense of 낫다?
나았어요 in everyday polite speech, 나았습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 나아 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.
Is 낫다 irregular?
Yes — it is ㅅ irregular (ㅅ 불규칙). ㅅ drops before a vowel: 짓다 → 지어요. That is why the stem looks different in 나아 and 나으니 but unchanged in 낫습니다.
What TOPIK level is 낫다?
2급 — TOPIK 2, elementary.
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.