Nuance Dictionary / Pride & Joy
대견하다 dae-gyeon-ha-da
Feeling deeply proud of someone else's growth or achievement (usually someone younger)
What does 대견하다 mean?
대견하다 (dae-gyeon-ha-da) means: Feeling deeply proud of someone else's growth or achievement (usually someone younger).
You cannot feel '대견하다' towards your boss. It flows downwards. When a mother watches her child take their first steps, or a senior watches a junior employee successfully lead their first meeting, they feel '대견하다'.
◆ Growth-recognition awe — More weighty than 기특하다. It implies you remember how hard things were for them, and seeing them pull through makes your chest swell. It's the word a mentor uses when you finally stand on your own two feet.
◆ Growth-recognition awe — More weighty than 기특하다. It implies you remember how hard things were for them, and seeing them pull through makes your chest swell. It's the word a mentor uses when you finally stand on your own two feet.
🔊 From part 2’s story
기특하다 — Gi-teuk-ha-da
자랑스러워 — ja-rang-seu-reo-wo, "I'm proud of you"
대견하다 — Dae-gyeon-ha-da
보니 — bo-ni, "seeing that / now that I see"
흐뭇하다 — Heu-mut-ha-da
직접적인 자랑스럽다 — ja-rang-seu-reop-da, "to be proud"
대견스럽다 — dae-gyeon-seu-reop-da
걸 보면 — geol bo-myeon, "watching you"
Other sides of 대견하다
◆ Protective peer validation — Textbooks teach you this word means 'proud,' usually in a vertical, parent-to-child or boss-to-subordinate direction. But when used horizontally between friends or peers, *dae-gyeon-ha-da* takes on a distinct, slightly cheeky protective warmth born of *정* (deep affective bond). It signals: 'I’ve watched you struggle, I know your flaws, and damn—you actually did good today.' If you use this toward someone senior or a casual acquaintance, it immediately violates social boundaries, landing as wildly condescending rather than endearing.
Read the full story → · More on this word (part 2) →
How it's actually used
- 혼자서 힘든 과정을 끝까지 버텨낸 동생이 정말 대견하다.
honjaseo himdeun gwajeongeul kkeutkkaji beotyeonaen dongsangi jeongmal daegyenhada.
I'm so deeply proud of my younger sibling for enduring the hard process all by themselves.
💡 Used for someone younger who has shown great growth or perseverance. - 우리 딸이 언제 이렇게 커서 발표를 다 하네, 참 대견해.
uri ttari eonje ireoke keoseo balpyoreul da hane, cham daegyeonhae.
When did our daughter grow up enough to give a presentation like this? I'm so proud of her.
💡 Commonly used by parents witnessing a child's milestone. - 우리 딸이 혼자서 방을 깨끗이 치우는 모습을 보니 참 대견하다.
uri ttari honjaseo bangeul kkekkeuti chiuneun moseubeul boni cham daegyeonhada.
It makes me so proud to see my daughter cleaning her room all by herself.
💡 Used to express quiet pride in a child's independent action.
Related words in Pride & Joy
흐뭇하다 heu-mut-ha-da신나다 sin-na-da통쾌하다 tong-kwae-ha-da짜릿하다 jja-rit-ha-da뿌듯하다 ppu-deut-ha-da