높다

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 높다〮 (Yale: nwòph-tá).

The twelfth-century Chinese wordlist Jilin leishi records the Late Old Korean word for "tall" as 那奔 (nɑ puən^H), which seems to be the realis gerund form of this word with the Old Korean 隱 (*-on) suffix.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [no̞p̚t͈a̠]

  • (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [놉따]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	nopda
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	nopda
McCune–Reischauer?	nopta
Yale Romanization?	nophta

Adjective

Korean verb set

Base	높다 (nopda)
Causative	높이다 (nopida)

높다 • (nopda) (infinitive 높아, sequential 높으니)

1. (literal and figurative) to be high, to be tall, to be lofty (of an object, a place, a quantified statistic, etc.)

   Antonym: 낮다 (natda)

   높은 건물

   nopeun geonmul

   a tall building

   높은 수압

   nopeun suap

   high water pressure

   높은 목소리

   nopeun moksori

   a high voice

2. to be high up, to be high in social rank (of a person)

   Antonym: 낮다 (natda)

   높으신 분이 오신대.

   Nopeusin bun-i osindae.

   They're saying someone high up is coming.

3. (only in speech of the royal court) to be tall in height (of a person)

   Synonym: 크다 (keuda, in all non-royal court usage)

   주상께서 키가 높으시니

   jusang-kkeseo ki-ga nopeusini

   As His Majesty is tall in height...

Conjugation

    Selected forms of the adjective 높다 (nopda): consonant-stem, regular

Sentence-final forms
		Formal non-polite (해라체)	Informal non-polite (해체)	Informal polite (해요체)	Formal polite (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	높다 nopda	높아 nopa	높아요 nopayo	높습니다 nopseumnida
	Past	높았다 nopatda	높았어 nopasseo	높았어요 nopasseoyo	높았습니다 nopatseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	높으냐 nopeunya	높아 nopa	높아요 nopayo	높습니까 nopseumnikka
	Past	높았냐 nopannya	높았어 nopasseo	높았어요 nopasseoyo	높았습니까 nopatseumnikka
Assertive		높겠다 nopgetda	높겠어 nopgesseo	높겠어요 nopgesseoyo	높겠습니다 nopgetseumnida
Connective forms
Cause/Reason		높아 nopa	높아서 nopaseo	높으니 nopeuni	높으니까 nopeunikka
Contrast		높지만 nopjiman	높은데 nopeunde	높더니 nopdeoni
Conjunction		높고 nopgo
Condition		높으면 nopeumyeon	높아야 nopaya
Noun and determiner forms
Verbal nouns		높음 nopeum	높기 nopgi
Past-tense verbal nouns		높았음 nopasseum	높았기 nopatgi
Determiners	Present		높은 nopeun
	Future		높을 nopeul

Sentence-final forms with honorific
		Plain (해라체)	Informal (해체)	Polite (해요체)	Formal (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	높으시다 nopeusida	높으셔 nopeusyeo	높으세요, 높으셔요 nopeuseyo, nopeusyeoyo	높으십니다 nopeusimnida
	Past	높으셨다 nopeusyeotda	높으셨어 nopeusyeosseo	높으셨어요 nopeusyeosseoyo	높으셨습니다 nopeusyeotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	높으시냐 nopeusinya	높으셔 nopeusyeo	높으세요, 높으셔요 nopeuseyo, nopeusyeoyo	높으십니까 nopeusimnikka
	Past	높으셨냐 nopeusyeonnya	높으셨어 nopeusyeosseo	높으셨어요 nopeusyeosseoyo	높으셨습니까 nopeusyeotseumnikka
Assertive		높으시겠다 nopeusigetda	높으시겠어 nopeusigesseo	높으시겠어요 nopeusigesseoyo	높으시겠습니다 nopeusigetseumnida
Connective forms with honorific
Cause/Reason		높으셔 nopeusyeo	높으셔서 nopeusyeoseo	높으시니 nopeusini	높으시니까 nopeusinikka
Contrast		높으시지만 nopeusijiman	높으신데 nopeusinde	높으시더니 nopeusideoni
Conjunction		높으시고 nopeusigo
Condition		높으시면 nopeusimyeon	높으셔야 nopeusyeoya
Noun and determiner forms with honorific
Verbal nouns		높으심 nopeusim	높으시기 nopeusigi
Past-tense verbal nouns		높으셨음 nopeusyeosseum	높으셨기 nopeusyeotgi
Determiners	Present		높으신 nopeusin
	Future		높으실 nopeusil

Derived terms

• 높낮이 (nomnaji)
• 높다랗다 (nopdarata)
• 높디높다 (nopdinopda)
• 높아지다 (nopajida)
• 높이 (nopi, “height”)
• 드높다 (deunopda)

 

See also

• 깊다 (gipda, “to be deep”)
• 얕다 (yatda, “to be shallow”)

 

Middle Korean

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nopʰ.ta/, [nòp̚.tá]

Adjective

높다〮 (nwòphtá)

1. to be high

   Antonyms: ᄂᆞᆺ갑다 (noskapta), ᄂᆞᆽ다〮 (nòctá)

Descendants

• Jeju: 노프다 (nopeuda)
• Korean: 높다 (nopda)