What does 예뻐 (yeppeo) mean?
- 예뻐yeppeo
You're pretty
Casual: friends and people younger than you
예뻐 (yeppeo) means "you're pretty" or "it's pretty" in Korean. It is the casual form of 예쁘다, used with friends, partners and kids. You can say it about people, clothes, places and things.
Where it comes from
It comes from the adjective 예쁘다 (yeppeuda), "to be pretty." In Korean, adjectives work like verbs, so 예뻐 alone is a full sentence: "(You are) pretty."
How to use 예뻐
Korean drops the subject when it is clear, so the same 예뻐 can mean "you're pretty," "she's pretty" or "that's pretty" depending on the situation.
Older people often use 예쁘다 for children and pets to mean "sweet" or "lovely," including their behavior. 예쁜 짓 is a cute thing a child does.
You will also hear 이뻐 (ippeo). It is a common spoken version and is now accepted in the dictionary too. Add 요 to be polite: 예뻐요.
Examples
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Complimenting a partner
Shopping with a friend
Seeing cherry blossoms
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 예뻐요 | You're pretty (polite) | Polite form. |
| 예쁘다 | To be pretty | Dictionary form; also said as an exclamation. |
| 너무 예뻐 | So pretty | Very common compliment. |
| 예쁜 | Pretty (before a noun) | 예쁜 꽃 means "a pretty flower." |
| 이뻐 | Pretty | Common spoken variant. |
Questions learners ask
Is yeppeo only for girls?
It is mostly said about women, kids, pets and things. For men, people usually say 잘생겼어 (handsome) or 멋있어 (cool), though a pretty-looking man can be called 예쁘다 too.
What is the difference between yeppeo and ippeo?
They mean the same thing. 예뻐 is the traditional standard spelling, and 이뻐 is a common spoken form that is now also accepted as standard.