What does 공허하다 mean?
공허하다 (gong-heo-ha-da) means: Hollow, void, and existentially empty.
The most abstract word in this category — used for a feeling with no specific cause, like finishing a huge project you'd worked toward for years and just feeling nothing but a hollow space where the goal used to be.
◆ Terrifying vastness of absence — Describes the specific echo left behind when a space or relationship is completely evacuated. It is not just missing an object; it is staring at an empty chair where someone used to sit and feeling the terrifying vastness of the silence.
◆ Terrifying vastness of absence — Describes the specific echo left behind when a space or relationship is completely evacuated. It is not just missing an object; it is staring at an empty chair where someone used to sit and feeling the terrifying vastness of the silence.
🔊 From part 2’s story
그리다 — Geu-ri-da
애틋하다 — Ae-teut-ha-da
공허하다 — Gong-heo-ha-da
허전하다 — Heo-jeon-ha-da
아쉽다 — A-swip-da
후회하다 — hu-hoe-ha-da, "to regret with a sense of fault"
네가 너무 그리워서 잠을 못 자겠어 — listen & repeat
그때 우리가 참 애틋했지 — listen & repeat
Read the full story → · More on this word (part 2) →
How it's actually used
- 주말 내내 아무것도 안 하고 침대에만 있었더니 마음이 더 공허해.
jumal naenae amugeotdo an hago chimdaeman isseotdeoni maeumi deo gongheohae.
Lying in bed all weekend doing nothing just left me feeling even more hollow.
💡 Used when an unproductive or idle state leaves an inner void. - 결혼식이 끝나고 나니까 갑자기 큰 집안이 너무 공허하게 느껴져.
gyoronsigi kkeunago nanikka gapjagikeun jibani neomu gongheohage neukkyeojyeo.
Now that the wedding is over, suddenly the big house feels so empty and void.
💡 Captures the sudden quiet and emptiness after a major life event. - 목표로 하던 대학에 합격했는데도 마음 한편이 왠지 공허했다.
mokpyoro ha-deon daehag-e hapgyeokhaetneundedo maeum hanpyeon-i waenji gong-heohaetda.
Even though I got into the university I was aiming for, one corner of my heart felt somehow empty.
💡 Used when achieving a major goal fails to bring expected fulfillment.
Related words in Emptiness
허전하다 heo-jeon-ha-da허무하다 heo-mu-ha-da쓸쓸하다 sseul-sseul-ha-da허탈하다 heo-tal-ha-da텅 비다 teong bi-da