Forum Rocket Korean Korean Vocab 차다 vs 차갑다 vs 춥다?

차다 vs 차갑다 vs 춥다?


Hi, I'm trying to figure out the difference between these three words: 차다, 차갑다, and 춥다. I know that  춥다 is used in reference to the weather, but in what circumstances are the other two terms used?

Thank you!


Hi. I hope this helps! :)

차다 & 차갑다 can be used interchangeably in most cases. To be more specific though, 차다 means the temperature of something is low when you touch it while 차갑다 means something 'feels' pretty cold, as in it feels like it.

Here are some examples: 
바람이 차다 = The wind is cold
겨울 날씨가 차다 = The winter weather is cold
날씨가 차갑다 = The weather feels cold

But in these three examples you can actually use them interchangeably.



Thank you again stacy for answering the question, but I have to make few corrections here

The description you made on 차다 and 차갑다 is correct.

However, one would not say 날씨가 차갑다.

The best answer would be 날씨가 춥다, or informally, 날씨가 차다 would be more correct version. 

차갑다 would be used in situations like
얼음이 차갑다 = ice is cold
그의 손이 차갑다 = his hand is cold

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