Meaning and Usage
The adjective '엄청나다' describes something extremely large, intense, or impressive. It is often used to emphasize the scale or degree of something, such as size, quantity, effort, or impact.
Common Contexts
You will frequently hear '엄청나다' in everyday conversations when talking about things like popularity, amounts, achievements, or feelings that are beyond normal expectations.
Collocations and Patterns
- 엄청난 양 (an enormous amount): used when describing large quantities.
- 엄청난 노력 (incredible effort): emphasizes great effort or hard work.
- 엄청난 인기 (huge popularity): used to describe something very popular.
Register and Politeness
'엄청나다' is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. It is common in spoken and written Korean.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse '엄청나다' with similar words like '대단하다' (great, impressive). While both express something impressive, '엄청나다' often stresses the overwhelming scale or intensity more strongly.