Meaning and Usage
The adjective '수많다' means 'very many' or 'countless.' It is used to emphasize a large quantity or number of something, often in a positive or neutral context.
Common Contexts
You will often see '수많다' used with nouns like '사람들' (people), '책들' (books), or '어려움' (difficulties) to highlight the abundance or multitude.
Collocations and Patterns
- 수많은 + noun: This is the most common pattern, where '수많은' modifies a noun to express 'countless' or 'numerous.'
- 수많은 어려움: many difficulties
- 수많은 사람들: many people
Register and Politeness
'수많다' is a descriptive adjective and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. When conjugated, it follows regular adjective patterns.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse '수많다' with '많다,' which also means 'many.' '수많다' carries a stronger nuance of 'countless' or 'very many,' so use it when you want to emphasize a very large number rather than just 'many.'