-답다 in Korean: “worthy of, like a”

-답다 (-dapda) means "worthy of" or "just like a true" something: 프로답다 means "like a real pro." You attach it to a noun to say someone or something lives up to what it is. It follows the ㅂ-irregular pattern, so 답다 becomes 다워요.

How to form it

How to use it

-답다 says something matches the ideal of what it is: 어른답게 행동하세요 (Act like a grown-up should). It is usually positive.

With a person's name or 너, it means "that's so you": 역시 너다워 (Classic you).

Because it is ㅂ-irregular, the ㅂ turns into 우 before vowels: 다워요, 다운, 다웠어요. Before consonants it stays: 답게, 답지 않아요.

Politeness comes from the ending: 너다워 is casual, 너다워요 is polite.

Examples

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Don’t mix it up with

같다/처럼: 남자 같아요 means "he (or she) looks like a man" (resemblance). 남자다워요 means "he is manly, as a man should be" (living up to it).

-스럽다: 어른스럽다 means a child acts mature, like an adult. 어른답다 means an adult acts the way an adult should.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the ㅂ-irregular change, as in 너답어요. The correct form is 너다워요.