Korean Written Style -ㄴ다/-다 and -(으)나: Keeping a Diary
Korean written style uses plain -ㄴ다/-는다/-다 (오늘은 비가 온다, 날씨가 춥다, 나는 학생이다) instead of 해요, with past -았/었다 and -(으)ㄹ 것이다; -(으)나 is a formal 'but'.
Published:
Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean written style (문어체) drops 해요 and writes plainly: verbs as -ㄴ다/-는다 (오늘은 비가 온다 — it’s raining today), adjectives as -다 (날씨가 춥다 — it’s cold), nouns as -(이)다 (나는 학생이다 — I’m a student), past as -았/었다 (어제 비가 왔다), future as -(으)ㄹ 것이다 (내일은 맑을 것이다), and joins clauses with the formal -(으)나 (비가 오나 기분은 좋다 — it’s raining, but I’m in a good mood).
This is a milestone lesson: the day you start writing Korean, not just speaking it.
You’ve spent every lesson so far in 해요체 — the warm spoken polite style. But a diary entry, an essay, a news headline, or an SNS caption isn’t spoken to anyone, so Korean switches to a flat, neutral written register called 문어체.
It’s not rude like 반말; it simply has no listener.
Ten words for writing it down
These are the words you’ll need to talk about diaries, captions, and writing styles.
The plain written endings — -ㄴ다/-는다/-다
In written style, every sentence type has its own plain ending.
Verbs add -ㄴ다 after a vowel and -는다 after a consonant.
Adjectives stay in the plain dictionary form -다. Nouns take -(이)다.
오늘은 비가 온다 = it’s raining today (verb: 오다 → 온다) 나는 매일 책을 읽는다 = I read a book every day (verb after consonant) 날씨가 춥다 = the weather is cold (adjective: stays -다) 나는 학생이다 = I am a student (noun + -이다)
The trap is the verb/adjective split: 비가 온다 (verb, -ㄴ다) but 날씨가 춥다 (adjective, plain -다). Quick test — if the 해요체 is 먹어요/와요 it’s a verb (→ -는다/-ㄴ다); if it’s 좋아요/추워요 it’s an adjective (→ leave -다).
Past and future in written style — -았/었다 · -(으)ㄹ 것이다
Written style has its own past and future too. The past is -았/었다 (just drop the 어요 and add 다 → 갔다).
The future / conjecture is -(으)ㄹ 것이다.
어제 비가 왔다 = it rained yesterday (past: 왔어요 → 왔다) 나는 밥을 먹었다 = I ate (past after consonant stem) 내일은 날씨가 맑을 것이다 = tomorrow will be sunny (future/conjecture) 그는 곧 올 것이다 = he will come soon
So a whole diary entry flows in this register: 오늘은 비가 왔다. 그래서 집에 있었다. 내일은 맑을 것이다. (It rained today. So I stayed home. Tomorrow it’ll be clear.) Notice there’s no listener — it’s a pure record.
해요체 ↔ 문어체 at a glance
Here’s the side-by-side that makes the whole system click. Same meaning, two registers.
좋아요 → 좋다 = it’s good (adjective) 먹어요 → 먹는다 = (someone) eats (verb + 는다) 갔어요 → 갔다 = went (past) 학생이에요 → 학생이다 = is a student (noun)
Read each pair aloud: the left is what you say to a person, the right is what you write with no listener. The meaning is identical; only the register flips.
A formal “but” — -(으)나
To join two clauses with “but / however” in writing, use -(으)나 — the bookish cousin of -지만. It’s common in essays, news, and reflective diary lines.
비가 오나 기분은 좋다 = it’s raining, but I’m in a good mood 힘들었으나 포기하지 않았다 = it was hard, but I didn’t give up 시험은 어려웠으나 후회는 없다 = the exam was hard, but I have no regrets 바쁘나 행복하다 = I’m busy, but happy
In speech you’d say 힘들었지만 포기하지 않았어요; in a diary you write 힘들었으나 포기하지 않았다.
Same “but,” more formal feel. Pair it with the plain endings above and your written Korean reads like a real essay.
A diary and an SNS caption, in one chat
Two friends talk about journaling — and one shows off a caption written entirely in 문어체:
See it land: the diary line 비가 왔다 uses the written past, 기분은 좋다 the plain adjective, and the caption 비가 오나 마음은 맑다 strings the formal “but” -(으)나 into a poetic one-liner. That’s 문어체 doing exactly what 해요체 can’t — speaking to the page.
⚡ 2-Minute Check
Q 1 / 8Frequently asked questions
What is 문어체 (written style), and when do I use it instead of 해요?
문어체 is the plain written style Korean uses in diaries, essays, news, novels, and many SNS captions. Instead of the spoken 해요, it uses: verbs in -ㄴ다/-는다 (간다, 먹는다), adjectives in the dictionary -다 (춥다, 좋다), nouns in -(이)다 (학생이다), past in -았/었다 (갔다, 먹었다), and future/conjecture in -(으)ㄹ 것이다 (갈 것이다).
It sounds neutral and impersonal — not rude like 반말 — so it's perfect for writing TO no one in particular. Use 해요 when you're speaking to a person, and 문어체 when you're writing down thoughts, facts, or a story.
Do verbs and adjectives take the same written-style ending?
No — this is the key trap. VERBS add -ㄴ다 after a vowel (가다 → 간다, 오다 → 온다) or -는다 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹는다, 읽다 → 읽는다).
ADJECTIVES and 이다 do NOT change — they stay in the plain dictionary form -다: 춥다 (it's cold), 좋다 (it's good), 예쁘다 (it's pretty), 학생이다 (is a student). So 비가 온다 (verb) but 날씨가 춥다 (adjective).
A quick test: if 해요체 is 먹어요/와요 it's a verb → -는다/-ㄴ다; if it's 좋아요/추워요 it's an adjective → leave it as -다.
What does -(으)나 mean, and how is it different from -지만?
-(으)나 means 'but / however,' exactly like -지만, but it belongs to formal, written, or literary Korean: 비가 오나 기분은 좋다 = it's raining, but I'm in a good mood; 힘들었으나 포기하지 않았다 = it was hard, but I didn't give up. In everyday speech you'd say 힘들었지만 포기하지 않았어요.
So -지만 is the default spoken 'but,' and -(으)나 is the bookish version you'll write in a diary or read in an essay. (Note: -(으)나 has other uses too, like 'whether… or,' but the 'however' meaning is the one that pairs with written style here.
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