Lesson 18
Most (+ adjective/adverb) = 제일 / 가장
In English, the words “most” and “best” can be used as both adverbs and nouns. The usage you will look at in this lesson is its usage only as an adverb. (When “most” works as a noun, other Korean words are used, and they will be introduced in a future lesson.)
제일 and 가장 are almost the same thing and they can be used interchangeably. 제일 is Sino-Korean word while 가장 is a native Korean word.
Examples
(1)
예쁘다 = to be pretty
제일 예뻐요.
= (subject) is the prettiest/the most beautiful.
제일 예쁜 여자
= the prettiest girl/the most beautiful girl
제일 = 가장
제일 예뻐요 = 가장 예뻐요
제일 예쁜 여자 = 가장 예쁜 여자
* 제일 is used more commonly in spoken Korean than 가장.
(2)
좋다 = to be good
제일 좋아요.
= (subject) is the best (most + good).
제일 좋은 것
= the best (most + good) thing
Sample Sentences
이게 제일 좋아요.
= This is the best (one).
제일 가까운 역이 어디에요?
= Where is the closest station?
어떤 색깔이 가장 좋아요?
= Which color is the best? / Which color is your favorite?
제일 먼저 온 사람이 누구예요?
= Who is the person that came here first?
요즘 가장 인기 있는 가수는 누구예요?
= These days, who is the most popular singer?