What does 쓸쓸하다 mean?
쓸쓸하다 (sseul-sseul-ha-da) means: Lonely and quietly desolate.
A gentle, almost poetic loneliness — often paired with autumn imagery in Korean songs and poems. It's the empty street after a festival ends, not a sharp, painful isolation.
How it's actually used
- 낙엽이 떨어지는 가을 거리 혼자 걸으려니 왠지 쓸쓸하네.
nagyobi tteoreojineun gaeul geori honja georeureoni waenji sseulsseulhane.
Walking down the autumn street alone with leaves falling makes me feel kind of lonely.
💡 The quintessential word for poetic, atmospheric autumn loneliness. - 친구들 다 집에 가고 나 혼자 남으니까 방 안이 엄청 쓸쓸해.
chingudeul da jibe gago na honja namunikka bang ani eomcheong sseulsseulhae.
After all my friends went home and I was left alone, the room felt so quietly desolate.
💡 Describes the quiet chill of being left by oneself. - 낙엽이 떨어지는 가을 거리에는 왠지 모르게 쓸쓸한 바람이 분다.
nakyeobi tteor-eonineun gaeul georie-neun waenji moreuge sseulsseulhan barami bunda.
A strangely lonely wind blows through the autumn streets where leaves are falling.
💡 Often paired with quiet, desolate scenery.
Related words in Emptiness
허탈하다 heo-tal-ha-da텅 비다 teong bi-da헛헛하다 heo-teo-ta-da무상하다 mu-sang-ha-da상실감 sang-sil-gam