# 달달하다 vs 달다



## 82riceballs

Hi all,

I recently came across 달달하다 and 달콤하다 (used in non-literal sense) in song lyrics and in English it was translated into "sweet," although I couldn't find a corresponding definition in Naver...

달달한 미소로 내게 인사하죠 [from the chorus of the song I feel you (lyrics)]
두근되는 기분 좋은날 달콤한 사랑이 오네요

So I'm wondering...
1. What's the difference between 달달하다 and 달다 and 달콤하다? 
2. Do you use 달달하다 in your life?

THanks in advance)


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## Ahyeon

달달하다? I am a native Korean Speaker, but have never heard of it before. Or it's possible I've forgotten completely. There is 간간하다 for a salty taste, but its meaning is very subjective. Anyway, it seems we use the expression for the salty taste we feel as pleasant. So I think 달달하다 could be a word which works like 간간하다 for a sweet taste. In general, 달콤하다/달다 and 간간하다/짜다 make a pair respectively. In everyday life, 짜다! means (too) salty (always negative), 달다! means sweet or too sweet (sometimes positive, sometimes negative). And 간간하다 means "It's good or OK (for a salty taste). And 너무 짜다 works, but 너무 간간하다 dosn't work. 달콤하다 dosn't work like 간간하다, sometimes. It dosn't mean "It's ok (for a sweet taste)". It's like "It's sweet". 너무 달다 works, but 너무 달콤하다 dosn't work. If you say "너무 달콤해!!!", you mean "It's so sweet!" or "It's so delicious! (for example when you are eating some cake).  달콤한 사랑 means 'sweet love'? Anyway, something like that. 달달한 미소? I have no idea. A less sweet smile? Logically...

 "나는 좀 달달하게 타줘" This expression says something to me very vaguely. It's when you ask somebody to put a little sugar in your coffee. Anyway its meaning is something like that!!!


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## jakartaman

달달하다 is another term for 달다 and is commonly used in everyday speech, though it's not registered in the dictionary.

Maybe it's because the word is not used by the people who were born and raised in the Seoul area and hence considered to be 사투리 by the dictionary makers.

Anyway, 달다 is a neutral term to describe the sweet taste of sugar whereas 달달하다 is said when something gives a long-lasting faint taste of sweetness.

So I would say 초콜릿은 달아요 but not 초콜릿은 달달해요 because chocolate is simply sweet. I would use 달달해요 for tea with a honey flavor.

달콤하다 gives an impression that something is not only sweet but also makes you happy and it's usually used for candy with a very sweet taste.

달콤하다 is also used figuratively--for example, 달콤한 키스 and 달콤한 사랑--while 달다 and 달달하다 are not used in this manner.

So 달달한 미소 doesn't sound like anything I would say or hear but, hey, it's part of lyrics so the song writer can say anything that sounds sweet to his/her ears.

I guess it means 'a faint but long-lasting smile' sort of like 은은한 미소.


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## Rance

I like Ahyeon's approach with paring with saltiness, so let me shamelessly steal her method...
Let me try to match the level of flavors:

달다 - 짜다 (Sweet - salty)
달콤하다 - 간간하다 (Level of flavor making one to crave for more)
달달하다 - 짭짜름하다 (Just enough level of flavor to feel it. Faint flavor)

Now going back to actual song, 

_달달한 _미소로 내게 인사하죠 
나의 고백을 들어줘요 I LOVE YOU

They haven't started dating and the guy is just about to confess.
Their love is just starting to develop(or so the guy thinks), so the author probably used 달달한 instead of 달콤한.


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