빨리 vs 서둘러
Korean word comparison
Listen to 빨리
Listen to 서둘러
| 빨리 | 서둘러 |
|---|---|
PPAL-li adverb | seodulleo adverb |
| quickly; fast | hastily; in a hurry (emphasizing urgency to act quickly) |
How they differ
서둘러 emphasizes urgency and the act of hurrying (often because of time pressure), while 빨리 simply denotes speed without necessarily implying urgency or haste. Using 서둘러 suggests you must hurry to meet a deadline or catch something, whereas 빨리 can be neutral about the reason.
When to use each
When to use 빨리: Prefer 빨리 when you want to state that something is fast without stressing urgency.
When to use 서둘러: Use 서둘러 when you want to convey that someone needs to hurry because of time constraints or an imminent event.
Side-by-side examples
- 버스를 놓치지 않으려면 빨리 가야 해.
(If we don't want to miss the bus, we have to go quickly.) - 버스를 놓치지 않으려면 서둘러 가야 해.
(If we don't want to miss the bus, we need to hurry.)
Register & nuance: 서둘러 is neutral and common in spoken Korean; it emphasizes urgency more than 빨리 but is not especially formal or informal.