uri chwihyangi biseushae.

Our tastes are similar.

Breakdown of uri chwihyangi biseushae.

• ~이: subject particle
• 우리: our
• 취향: taste
• 비슷하다: similar

Questions & Answers about uri chwihyangi biseushae.

In this sentence, does 우리 mean “our” or can it also mean “my”?

Here it means “our” in the sense of “you and I.” In Korean, 우리 can also colloquially mean “my/our (in-group)” as in 우리 엄마 (my mom) or 우리 집 (my house). But with 취향이 비슷해, the default reading is “our tastes (yours and mine) are similar.”

Why is it 취향이, not 취향은 or something else?

• 이/가 marks the grammatical subject. 취향(향) ends with a consonant, so you use 이 (after a vowel, you’d use 가).
• 우리 취향이 비슷해 is a neutral statement.
• 우리 취향은 비슷해 sets “our taste(s)” as the topic, often implying a contrast (e.g., “Our tastes are similar, but our personalities are different”). Both are fine; nuance varies.

What’s the level of politeness of 비슷해? How do I make it polite or formal?

• Casual/informal: 비슷해.
• Polite: 비슷해요.
• Formal: 비슷합니다.
• Dictionary/base form: 비슷하다. Use the polite form with people you don’t know well or in most public situations.

Can I say 우리의 취향이 비슷해요 with 의?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct and sounds more written/formal. In everyday speech, Koreans usually drop 의 and say 우리 취향이 비슷해요. Also, when 의 is the possessive particle, it’s often pronounced like [에], so 우리의 can sound like “우리에.”

Can I drop particles here? Is 우리 취향 비슷해 okay?

Yes, in casual speech Koreans often drop particles when the meaning is clear: 우리 취향 비슷해 is natural in conversation. For careful speech and writing, keep 이/가.

How do I pronounce this naturally?

• 비슷해 is pronounced roughly like [비스태]. The final ㅅ in 비슷 meets ㅎ in 해, assimilating to a [t] sound.
• 우리 is [우리].
• 취향 is [취향] (like “chwi-hyang”). Keep the slight “w” glide in 취. Say it smoothly as: [우리 취향이 비스태].

Why does the “adjective” act like a verb? What’s the base form?

Korean descriptive words function as verbs (called descriptive verbs). The base form is 비슷하다 (“to be similar”). You conjugate it like a verb:

• Present: 비슷해(요)
• Past: 비슷했어(요)
• Attributive (before nouns): 비슷한 (e.g., 비슷한 취향)
• Adverbial: 비슷하게 (e.g., 비슷하게 생겼어 = “It looks similar.”)

Can I use 같다 instead of 비슷하다?

• 비슷하다 = similar (not identical).
• 같다 = the same/identical. So:
• 우리 취향이 비슷해요. = Our tastes are similar.
• 우리 취향이 같아요. = Our tastes are the same. Avoid “We are the same taste” structures; instead say 우리는 취향이 같아요 or use the modifier: 취향이 같은 사람 (“people with the same taste”).

What’s the difference between 취향, 취미, and 선호?

• 취향: taste/preference in style or aesthetics (music, movies, fashion, design, etc.).
• 취미: hobby/leisure activity (e.g., reading, hiking).
• 선호: preference (more formal/neutral; surveys, research). Example: 음악 취향, 패션 취향; 취미는 등산; 설문에서 선호 조사.

How do I specify “taste in X,” like music or food?

Use a noun + 취향:

• 음악 취향이 비슷해(요). = Our taste in music is similar.
• 영화 취향이 비슷해(요).
• 음식 취향이 비슷해(요). You can also say 스타일이 비슷해(요) for general style.

How do I turn this into a question?

• Casual: 우리 취향이 비슷해? or with particle drop: 우리 취향 비슷해?
• Polite: 우리 취향이 비슷해요?
• Formal: 우리 취향이 비슷합니까? Use rising intonation.

How do I negate or soften it?

• Simple negative: 우리 취향이 비슷하지 않아(요).
• Soften/hedge: 별로 비슷하지 않아(요) (not very similar), 완전히 같지는 않아(요) (not exactly the same).
• Contrast: 조금 비슷해(요), 근데 다르기도 해(요).

Why not use the object particle 를/을 here?

비슷하다 is an intransitive descriptive verb; it doesn’t take a direct object. It takes a subject (이/가) and, when explicitly comparing two things, a companion with 와/과/랑/하고:

• A가 B랑 비슷해요. = A is similar to B.

Is there a more idiomatic way to say “Our tastes match”?

Yes:

• 우리 취향이 맞아(요).
• 우리 취향이 잘 맞아(요).
• 취향이 통하네(요). (colloquial: “our tastes click”) Also, for “right up my alley”: 내 취향 저격이야/이에요.

Is 우리는 취향이 비슷해 also correct? What about 우린?

Both are fine:

• 우리는 취향이 비슷해. (topic = “we”)
• 우린 취향이 비슷해. (우리는 contracted)
• 우리 취향이 비슷해. (possessive “our taste(s)” as subject) All are natural; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Should I ever pluralize 취향 (e.g., 취향들)?

No. 취향 is generally treated as an uncountable noun. Even when English uses “tastes” in the plural, Korean keeps 취향 singular: 우리 취향이 비슷해요.

Any spacing or spelling gotchas?

• Correct: 우리 취향이 비슷해.
• Don’t write 우리취향이 (needs a space after 우리).
• 비슷해 is one word; don’t split it (비슷 해 X).
• The subject marker attaches with no space: 취향이.

How do I compare explicitly with someone else?

Use A(이/가) B(랑/하고/와/과) 비슷하다:

• 나는 너랑 취향이 비슷해(요). = My taste is similar to yours.
• 우리 취향이 그 커플이랑 비슷해요. If you want a humble “our” (excluding the listener), use 저희 when talking to someone outside your group: 저희 취향이 비슷해요.