How to Say "The wolf is smaller than the rabbit" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The wolf is smaller than the rabbit" in Korean is "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요." (neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo jakayo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

"The wolf is smaller than the rabbit" — in Korean, this becomes "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요.". This example highlights -아/어요, a grammar pattern at the A1 level that appears everywhere in Korean.

Category: 동물

What does "The wolf is smaller than the rabbit" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요." translates to "The wolf is smaller than the rabbit." in English. The phrase "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요." translates as "the wolf is smaller than the rabbit". What makes it stand out is how Korean packages the entire idea: the subject comes first, the context follows, and the action wraps it up at the end.

Pronunciation guide: neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo jakayo.

Grammar Point: Polite Ending (-아/어요)

The -아/어요 ending is the standard polite speech level in Korean. Use -아요 after bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ), -어요 after dark vowels, and 해요 for 하다 verbs.

가다 → 가요, 먹다 → 먹어요, 하다 → 해요. This is the most common speech level in daily Korean.

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 늑대는 (neukdaeneun) • 토끼보다 (tokkiboda) • 더 (deo) • 작아요 (jakayo)

Korean sentences always end with the verb. Get comfortable putting the action word last — it is the most important difference from English.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

This expression sounds like something from a children's animal story — and that is exactly the register Korean uses for warm, everyday communication.

Cultural Insight

한국 전통 이야기에서 호랑이는 무서운 존재이면서도 때로는 어리숙한 캐릭터로 등장해요. '호랑이와 곶감' 같은 이야기가 대표적입니다.

Examples

늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요. — neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo jakayo. — The wolf is smaller than the rabbit.

늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요? — neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo jakayo? — Does the wolf is smaller than the rabbit?

늑대는 토끼보다 더 안 작아요. — neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo an jakayo. — The wolf is not smaller than the rabbit.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Incorrect: 작아요 늑대는 토끼보다 더 → Correct: 늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요. Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb must come at the end of the sentence, unlike English where it comes after the subject.

Quiz

How do you say "The wolf is smaller than the rabbit" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "늑대는 토끼보다 더 작아요.". neukdaeneun tokkiboda deo jakayo.

Fill in the blank: 늑대는 토끼보다 더 ___

The correct ending is "작아요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.