eumak soriga keoyo.

The music is loud.

Breakdown of eumak soriga keoyo.

• ~가: subject particle
• 음악: music
• 소리: sound
• 크다: loud

Questions & Answers about eumak soriga keoyo.

Why is 소리 used after 음악? Why can’t I just say 음악이 커요 to mean “the music is loud”?

In Korean, 크다 (“to be big/loud”) typically describes the sound rather than the thing itself. You need 소리 (“sound”) to talk about volume.

• 음악 소리가 커요 literally means “The sound of the music is loud.”
• Saying 음악이 커요 is unnatural, because 음악 by itself doesn’t take 크다 for loudness.
• If you want a similar phrase without 소리, you’d use 시끄럽다: 음악이 시끄러워요 (“The music is noisy/too loud”).

What role does the particle 이 play in 소리가?

이/가 are subject markers in Korean. Here’s what’s happening:

• 소리 is the subject of 크다 (“to be loud”).
• Because 소리 ends in a vowel sound, you attach 가 (not 이).
• So 소리가 marks “the sound” as the grammatical subject: 음악 소리가 커요 → “As for music’s sound, it is loud.”

Why is 크다 conjugated as 커요 instead of 크어요?

크다 is an “ㅡ-irregular” adjective:

1. Drop the final ㅡ from the stem.
2. Since there’s no ㅏ/ㅗ before the ㅡ, you add -어요 → 커요.
   That’s why you don’t hear 크어요; the correct polite form is 커요.

What’s the difference between using 크다 and 시끄럽다 for “loud”?

• 크다
  • 소리 focuses on volume: 소리가 크다 = “the sound is loud (strong).”
• 시끄럽다 describes noisiness or an annoying level of sound: 음악이 시끄러워요 = “the music is noisy/too loud.”
  Choose 크다 when you’re talking about how powerful the sound is, and 시끄럽다 when it bothers you.

How do I say “too loud” or “very loud”?

You simply add an adverb before 크다:

• 너무 (too/very): 음악 소리가 너무 커요.
• 아주, 매우, 엄청 (very): 음악 소리가 아주 커요.
  If you prefer an adverbial form: 소리가 너무 크게 들려요 (“the sound comes across too loudly”).

Can I use 은/는 instead of 이/가, such as 음악 소리는 커요? What changes?

Yes. 은/는 is the topic marker, and it adds nuance:

• 음악 소리가 커요 (neutral statement: “The music’s sound is loud.”)
• 음악 소리는 커요 (topic-focus: “As for the music’s sound, it’s loud, but…”).
  Use 는/은 when you want to contrast or emphasize the topic.

How can I change the politeness level or formality of 음악 소리가 커요?

• Casual (friends, very informal): 음악 소리 커.
• Polite (standard speech): 음악 소리가 커요.
• Formal (written, public announcements): 음악 소리가 큽니다.

Why do we put 음악 and 소리 together? Isn’t that repeating?

음악 소리 is a compound noun meaning “music sound.” It’s not repetition but a way to specify the sound made by music. Korean often uses Noun + 소리 to talk about the sound of something (e.g., 바람 소리 = “wind sound,” 차 소리 = “car sound”).