B1 adjective Neutral

열악하다

[jʌ.ɾak.ɦa.da]

To be of poor quality, inadequate, or in a very bad state, often describing conditions or environments.

Examples

3 of 5
1

열악한 주거 환경이 건강을 해친다.

Poor housing conditions damage health.

2

상황이 너무 열악해서 일을 계속할 수 없어요.

The conditions are so poor that I can't continue working.

3

많은 학생들이 열악한 시설에서 공부하고 있다.

Many students are studying in inadequate facilities.

Word Family

Noun
열악
Adverb
열악하게
Adjective
열악하다
💡

Memory Tip

Think of 'Yeol-ak' sounding like 'Yell' + 'Ache' because the conditions are so bad you yell in ache.

Quick Quiz

이 공장은 시설이 너무 ____ 안전 사고의 위험이 있다.

Correct!

The correct answer is: 열악하여

Examples

1

열악한 주거 환경이 건강을 해친다.

formal

Poor housing conditions damage health.

2

상황이 너무 열악해서 일을 계속할 수 없어요.

everyday

The conditions are so poor that I can't continue working.

3

많은 학생들이 열악한 시설에서 공부하고 있다.

academic

Many students are studying in inadequate facilities.

4

경제적으로 열악한 계층을 도와야 합니다.

business

We must help the economically disadvantaged classes.

5

여긴 너무 열악한데?

informal

The conditions here are really poor, aren't they?

Word Family

Noun
열악
Adverb
열악하게
Adjective
열악하다

Common Collocations

환경이 열악하다 environment is poor
조건이 열악하다 conditions are poor
시설이 열악하다 facilities are inadequate
형편이 열악하다 circumstances are poor
대우가 열악하다 treatment/pay is poor

Common Phrases

열악한 환경

poor environment

매우 열악하다

be very poor/inadequate

열악한 상태

poor state

Often Confused With

열악하다 vs 나쁘다

열악하다 is more formal and specifically refers to conditions or quality being below standard.

📝

Usage Notes

Commonly used in news reports or social science essays to describe systemic issues.

⚠️

Common Mistakes

Learners might use '열악하다' to describe a person's personality, which is incorrect; it's for conditions or environments.

💡

Memory Tip

Think of 'Yeol-ak' sounding like 'Yell' + 'Ache' because the conditions are so bad you yell in ache.

📖

Word Origin

From Hanja 劣惡, meaning 'inferior' and 'bad'.

Grammar Patterns

~이/가 열악하다

Quick Quiz

이 공장은 시설이 너무 ____ 안전 사고의 위험이 있다.

Correct!

The correct answer is: 열악하여

Was this helpful?

Comments (0)

Login to Comment
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Start learning languages for free

Start Learning Free