아주 vs 너무 in Korean what is the difference | Hills Learning 
 Did you know that Hills Learning tweets a Korean word every day at 6 PM ? Not only that , we also tweet about various Korean events taking place in New York City , such as a free movie night , concert , Korean celebrity visit to NYC and distinctive knowledge of Korean culture . One follower tweeted to ask us the difference between Korean words ‘ 아주 ’ and ‘ 매우 . ’ I thought this information would be helpful to everyone ’ s studying Korean . 
 It ’ s not uncommon to get confused about adverbs . In a casual setting , many people focus on exchanging light information so they tend to use these two words interchangeably without realizing it . It is subtle but ‘ 아주 ’ and ‘ 너무 ’ are different . In order to accurately grasp a speaker ’ s intent , it is important to know the correct usage of the words , particularly , if you are in a formal environment . Furthermore , choosing the right word is always beneficial in academic writing . 
 The Korean word ‘ 아주 ’ ( pronounced as A - Ju ) , is an adverb that means very ( much ) , extremely , exceedingly ( formal ) in English . In a Korean sentence , ‘ 아주 ’ comes before adjectives , verbs or other adverbs to describe the conditions or status are beyond the average . Look at the example in below . 
 • 즐거웠 다 – I enjoyed the show 
 • 아주 즐거웠 다 – I enjoyed the show very much 
 In the first sentence , a speaker plainly describes that she / he had a good time watching the show . By adding ‘ 아주 ’ to the sentence , the speaker indicates the level of enjoyment was more than the average or expected . This adverb is often used to emphasize the degree of the conditions the speaker feels or faces . 
 Next , the adverb ‘ 너무 ’ ( pronounced as Neo - Mu ) originally stems from the verb ‘ 넘 다 ’ ( pronounced as Neom - Da ) and means ( much / far / way ) too , overly in English . 
 • 이 시계 는 사 기 비싸 다 – This watch is expensive to buy 
 • 이 시계 는 사기 너무 비싸 다 – This watch is too expensive to buy 
 The first sentence is a statement indicating the price of watch is not cheap . When you add the adverb ‘ 너무 , ’ the statement suggests that the speaker cannot buy or probably will not buy the watch because it is too expensive . With this adverb , sentences often carry a negative connotations . 
 I hope this article clarifies the questions of when to use 아주 vs 너무 . Please feel free to leave a comment or follow our Twitter if you have any further questions . 
 from → Korean Grammar , Korean Language