101 Must-Know Korean Verbs to Boost Your Vocabulary

written by
Caitlin Sacasas

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No matter what language you’re learning, you have to master your verbs to express what you’re doing. Korean verbs are no different.

But you may be surprised at how different Korean verbs are from English or Romance languages!

Why? Because of Korean culture and sentence structure.

For example, Korean verbs do not change to agree with a subject’s gender or number. Their forms do, however, reflect the speech level used toward the listener, and they can also mark respect for the sentence’s subject, often with the honorific suffix -시-.

But more on that in a bit.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Korean for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

101 Verbs In Korean to Boost Your Vocabulary
14 Verbs Using Your Senses
22 Essential Actions
22 Movement Verbs
10 Verbs for When You’re Hungry
5 Verbs for Getting Dressed
20 Verbs to Express Feelings
8 Verbs for When You’re Shopping
Using Your Verbs: Korean Sentence Order
- Korean Verb Endings
Korean Verb Conjugation: The Basics
Casual Verb Conjugation
Polite Verb Conjugation
Formal Verb Conjugation
Your Korean Skills Have Leveled Up!

(By the way, if you haven’t yet, check out the 101 core Korean words you need to know to understand about 50% of Korean.)

101 Verbs In Korean to Boost Your Vocabulary

Our main focus today is first learning Korean verbs to boost our vocabulary. Because if we don’t know any Korean verbs, we can’t express much, right?

For ease of studying, I like to categorize similar words together so it’s easier to memorize. So that’s what I’ve done here.

Below is a list of 101 common Korean verbs you’ll use every day, broken up into 7 categories based on daily activity.

14 Verbs Using Your Senses

To see/watch: 보다 (boda)
To talk/speak: 말하다 (malhada)
To ask: 묻다 (mudda)
To answer: 대답하다 (daedabhada)
To think: 생각하다 (saenggakhada)
To sleep: 자다 (jada)
To dream: 꿈꾸다 (kkumkkuda)
To make/create: 만들다 (mandeulda)
To listen/hear: 듣다 (deudda)
To play: 놀다 (nolda)
To need: 필요하다 (pilyohada)
To be: 이다 (ida)
To become: 되다 (doeda)
To be able to do: 할 수 있다 (hal su itda)

22 Essential Actions

To do: 하다 (hada)
To learn: 배우다 (baeuda)
To study: 공부하다 (gongbuhada)
To write: 쓰다 (sseuda)
To read: 읽다 (ilkda)
To work: 일하다 (ilhada)
To teach: 가르치다 (gareuchida)
To give: 주다 (juda)
To receive: 받다 (badda)
To clean: 청소하다 (cheongsohada)
To wash: 씻다 (sshitda)
To call (on the phone): 전화하다 (jeonhwahada)
To have: 있다 (itda)
To not have: 없다 (eopda)
To finish: 끝나다 (kkeutnada)
To know: 알다 (alda)
To not know: 모르다 (moleuda)
To practice: 연습하다 (yeonseubhada)
To take (a photo): 찍다 (jjikda)
To take (to carry): 가져가다 (gajyeogada)
To draw/paint: 그리다 (geurida)
To put: 놓다 (nohda)

22 Movement Verbs

To come: 오다 (oda)
To go: 가다 (gada)
To walk: 걷다 (geodda)
To sit: 앉다 (anjda)
To wake up: 일어나다 (ireonada)
To dance: 춤추다 (chumchuda)
To meet: 만나다 (mannada)
To exercise: 운동하다 (undonghada)
To drive: 운전하다 (unjeonhada)
To ride: 타다 (tada)
To open: 열다 (yeolda)
To close: 닫다 (dadda)
To arrive: 도착하다 (dochakhada)
To depart: 출발하다 (chulbalhada)
To enter: 들어오다 (deureooda)
To exit: 나가다 (nagada)
To wait: 기다리다 (gidarida)
To stop: 그만하다 (geumanhada)
To hurry: 서두르다 (seodureuda)
To move: 움직이다 (umjigida)
To return: 돌아오다 (doraoda)
To travel: 여행하다 (yeohaenghada)

10 Verbs for When You’re Hungry

To eat: 먹다 (meokda)
To drink: 마시다 (masida)
To cook: 요리하다 (yorihada)
To chop: 썰다 (sseolda)
To boil: 끓이다 (kkeulida)
To fry: 볶다 (bokkda)
To stir: 휘젓다 (hwijeotda)
To grill/bake/roast: 굽다 (gubda)
To mix: 섞다 (seokkda)
To pour: 붓다 (butda)

5 Verbs for Getting Dressed

To wear (a hat or glasses): 쓰다 (sseuda)
To wear (shirt, pants, dress): 입다 (ipda)
To wear (shoes or socks): 신다 (sinda)
To undress: 벗다 (beotda)
To change clothes: 갈아입다 (garaipda)

20 Verbs to Express Feelings

To cry: 울다 (ulda)
To like: 좋아하다 (johahada)
To dislike: 싫어하다 (sireohada)
To laugh: 웃다 (utda)
To be happy: 기뻐하다 (gippeohada)
To love: 사랑하다 (saranghada)
To fall in love: 사랑에 빠지다 (sarang-e ppajida)
To promise: 약속하다 (yaksokhada)
To confess: 고백하다 (gobaekhada)
To worry: 걱정하다 (geokjeonghada)
To marry: 결혼하다 (gyeolhonhada)
To lie: 거짓말하다 (geojitmalhada)
To live: 살다 (salda)
To die: 죽다 (jukda)
To fight/argue: 싸우다 (ssauda)
To win: 이기다 (igida)
To lose: 지다 (jida)
To be sorry: 죄송하다 (joesonghada)
To remember: 기억하다 (gieokhada)
To decide: 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada)

8 Verbs for When You’re Shopping

To buy: 사다 (sada)
To sell: 팔다 (palda)
To order: 주문하다 (jumunhada)
To help: 도와주다 (dowajuda)
To pay: 내다 (naeda)
To send: 보내다 (bonaeda)
To borrow: 빌리다 (billida)
To use: 사용하다 (sayonghada)

Using Your Verbs: Korean Sentence Order

If you’re new to Korean grammar, then the first thing you need to know is Korean sentence structure is different from that of English or romance languages.

In English, we use a subject-verb-object sentence structure, or SVO.

I go there. → Subject-verb-object

But in Korean, the order is subject-object-verb, or SOV.

나는 책을 읽어요. (na-neun chaeg-eul ilgeoyo.) → “I a book read.” → Subject-object-verb

While other parts of the sentence can move around a bit, the finite verb normally comes at the end of a main clause in Korean.

Korean Verb Endings

In Korean, verbs do not agree with the subject for person or grammatical gender. They change for tense and for the speech level you choose, and can also take the honorific suffix -시- when the subject is being honoured.

But Korean verbs do change based on who you’re talking to.

Korean uses different speech levels to match the relationship, setting and degree of formality. Verb endings are one of the main ways speakers signal that choice.

In Korean, there are three main speech patterns. Let’s look at them with the verb 가다 (gada, “to go”).

Casual verb endings: 가다 → 가 (ga)
Polite verb endings: 가다 → 가요 (gayo)
Formal verb endings: 가다 → 갑니다 (gamnida)

You’ll most often use polite verb endings the most, as it’s most acceptable in any situation. Casual form is used with peers the same age as you or younger. Formal speech is for elders, bosses, and those with higher authority.

Korean Verb Conjugation: The Basics

There’s a lot to Korean conjugation because there are so many verb endings in Korean. But today, I’ll show you how to conjugate into Korean present tense.

That way, you can take the verbs from the list above, which are in dictionary (or infinitive) form, and change them to the speech level you need.

Casual Verb Conjugation

Learning this one first will help with polite form, so we’ll start here.

For the basic present tense, start with the verb stem by removing 다 (da). A stem with ㅏ or ㅗ usually takes 아 (a); other stems usually take 어 (eo). Irregular verbs need their own patterns.

The one exception is 하 (ha). In this case, it becomes 해 (hae).

Let’s use 먹다 (meokda, “to eat”) as our first example. First, we drop 다.

먹다 → 먹

Now, we need to see what vowel is in the Hangul block. In this case, it’s ㅓ (eo). So we add 어.

먹다 → 먹 + 어 → 먹어 (meokeo)

Now let’s try 가다 (gada). It ends in ㅏ once you drop 다. In this case, it just becomes 가 because the Hangul block already ends in ㅏ.

가다 – 다 → 가

When the stem already ends in a vowel, the ending may contract with it. For example, 하다 combines with 여 to make 해, as in 해요.

So another example:

오다 (oda, “to come”)

오다 – 다 → 오 + 아 → 와 (wa)

The 오 + 아 combine in the same Hangul block to create 와 (wa).

Polite Verb Conjugation

Once you know the casual form, the polite form is easy. You simply add -요 to the end.

So let’s look at the examples we just did.

먹다 – 다 → 먹 + 어 → 먹어 + 요 → 먹어요 (meokeoyo, polite “eat”)

가다 – 다 → 가 + 요 → 가요 (gayo, polite “go”)

오다 – 다 → 오 + 아 → 와 + 요 → 와요 (wayo, polite “come”)

Another example is 하다. Its 하여 form contracts to 해. This is a common verb, so remember that when you add 요, it becomes 해요 (haeyo) in polite form.

Formal Verb Conjugation

To make a formal verb ending, we drop 다 and add ㅂ니다 (-mnida) if the hangul block ends in a vowel. If it ends in a consonant, we add 습니다 (-seumnida).

먹다 – 다 → 먹 ends in a consonant so add 습니다 → 먹습니다 (meokseumnida)

가다 – 다 → 가 ends in a vowel so add ㅂ니다 → 갑니다 (gamnida)

In the case of 오다, we don’t change it to 와 first. We leave it as is, then add ㅂ니다

오다 – 다 → 오 + ㅂ니다 → 옵니다 (omnida)

하다, too, becomes 합니다 (hamnida).

Here’s a Korean verb conjugation chart to help you remember the rules:

Korean irregular verbs have their own conjugation patterns. Use a current, clearly labelled reference when you start working through them.

Plus, if you want to see other ways to conjugate Korean verbs or check your notes, Dongsa Korean Verb Conjugator app is super useful. That way, you can try out Korean past tense verbs and future tense and whatever else you like.

But for now, I recommend mastering present tense in these three forms. Play around with the verb list above and check your conjugation skills with the verb conjugator app.

Your Korean Skills Have Leveled Up!

Now that you’ve learned all these helpful Korean verbs and learned the basics of conjugation, you’re ready to put it to use!

For more guided grammar practice, have a look at the Language Gym.

Why not learn some practical Korean phrases to use them with? Or have some fun and learn the colors of the rainbow!

Caitlin Sacasas

Content Writer, Fluent in 3 Months

Caitlin is a copywriter, content strategist, and language learner. Besides languages, her passions are fitness, books, and Star Wars. Connect with her: Twitter | LinkedIn

Speaks: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish