Korean -(으)ㄹ 만하다: "Worth Doing" and "Good Enough"
-(으)ㄹ 만하다 means "worth doing" or "manageable." Learn the form, ㄹ and ㄷ verbs, vs -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, and common mistakes. Practice at kdiaryai.com.
You watched a movie that turned out to be worth the ticket. You tried a restaurant and the food was decent enough to eat. You started a new job and, so far, it is manageable. Korean has one pattern for these moments: -(으)ㄹ 만하다. It means "it's worth doing" and also "it's good enough to do / bearable."
How to form it
Attach the ending to a verb stem, then add 만하다.
| Stem ends in | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A vowel | -ㄹ 만하다 | 보다 → 볼 만하다 |
| A consonant (받침) | -을 만하다 | 먹다 → 먹을 만하다 |
| ㄹ | -ㄹ 만하다 (the stem's ㄹ is reused) | 살다 → 살 만하다 |
| ㄷ irregular | ㄷ → ㄹ + -을 만하다 | 듣다 → 들을 만하다 |
| ㅂ irregular | 우 + -ㄹ 만하다 | 돕다 → 도울 만하다 |
Write 만 as a separate word after the verb (볼 만하다), and attach 하다 to 만. The past tense goes on 하다: -(으)ㄹ 만했다. To describe a noun, use -(으)ㄹ 만한: 볼 만한 영화 ("a movie worth watching"), 믿을 만한 친구 ("a friend you can trust").
- 어제 본 영화는 볼 만했다. — The movie I saw yesterday was worth watching.
- 새로 간 식당의 음식은 먹을 만했다. — The food at the new restaurant was decent.
- 이 동네는 살 만하다. — This neighborhood is a good place to live.
- 그 강의는 들을 만해서 다음 주에도 갈 생각이다. — The lecture was worth listening to, so I plan to go next week too.
Two shades of meaning
- Worth doing. The thing deserves your time or attention.
- 주말에 가 볼 만한 곳을 찾았다. — I found a place worth visiting this weekend.
- 이 책은 한 번쯤 읽을 만하다. — This book is worth reading at least once.
- Good enough / manageable. The thing is not great, but it is acceptable or bearable.
- 요즘 회사 생활이 할 만하다. — Work life is manageable these days.
- 생각보다 맵지 않아서 먹을 만했다. — It was less spicy than I expected, so it was easy enough to eat.
Notice the tone. 볼 만했다 is a modest compliment, not a rave. If the movie was fantastic, say 정말 재미있었다. If it was fine and you do not regret going, 볼 만했다 is the natural choice.
-(으)ㄹ 만하다 vs -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 vs -(으)ㄹ 가치가 있다
| Pattern | Feeling | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 | Ability or possibility: "can" | 이 음식은 먹을 수 있다. — I am able to eat this. |
| -(으)ㄹ 만하다 | Deserving or good enough: "worth it" | 이 음식은 먹을 만하다. — This food is decent. |
| -(으)ㄹ 가치가 있다 | A more formal, stronger "has value" | 이 책은 읽을 가치가 있다. — This book is worth reading. |
Use -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 for what you are able to do, and -(으)ㄹ 만하다 for how good the thing is. In a diary, 만하다 sounds natural and relaxed, while 가치가 있다 sounds like a review or an essay.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 매운 음식을 먹을 만해요 (meaning "I can eat spicy food") ✗ | 저는 매운 음식을 먹을 수 있어요 ✓ | 만하다 judges the thing ("it's decent to eat"). It does not talk about your ability. |
| 음악을 듣을 만하다 ✗ | 음악을 들을 만하다 ✓ | 듣다 is a ㄷ irregular verb: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel. |
| 이 동네는 살을 만하다 ✗ | 이 동네는 살 만하다 ✓ | A stem that already ends in ㄹ takes -ㄹ, not -을. |
| 그 영화는 봤을 만했다 ✗ | 그 영화는 볼 만했다 ✓ | Put the past tense on 하다 only. The verb before 만하다 always stays in the -(으)ㄹ form. |
Try it in tonight's entry
Think of one thing today that was worth your time, or one thing that was just about bearable:
- 퇴근길에 들른 카페는 앉아 있을 만했다.
- 점심으로 먹은 도시락은 먹을 만했다.
- 오늘 본 전시회는 가 볼 만했다.
- 야근이 많지만 아직은 견딜 만하다.
Then add one short sentence on whether you would do it again: 다음에 또 가고 싶다 ("I want to go again") or 한 번이면 충분하다 ("once is enough"). The pattern gives the verdict, and your follow-up gives the feeling. Want to check that your -(으)ㄹ 만하다 sentences sound natural? Write your diary at kdiaryai.com and get instant corrections.