결정하다
gyeoljeonghada[kjʌ̹ʎt͡ɕ͈ʌ̹ŋɦa̠da̠]
To decide in Korean is 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada). Wiktionary also lists 정하다 (jeonghada).
Meaning: give judgement (verb)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 결정하다 | gyeoljeonghada | [kjʌ̹ʎt͡ɕ͈ʌ̹ŋɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 정하다 | jeonghada | [ˈt͡ɕɘ(ː)ŋɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The verb is used to mean give judgement.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 결정하다 is a combination of the noun 결정, meaning 'decision/determination' and the verb 하다, meaning 'to do'.
Which one should you use?
결정하다 is used for more formal, official or significant decisions, such as a company's policy or a government's decision.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 결정하다 is 결정했다. For the word 정하다, the polite past tense is 정했어요.
How do you pronounce it?
gyeoljeonghada
Did you know?
- The noun 결정 can also mean 'crystal' in a scientific context, though it is written with different characters in some contexts or shares a root of 'settling' into a form.
- While 결정하다 sounds very authoritative, if you are choosing something casual like a menu item or a color, using it might make you sound unnaturally serious or dramatic.
- The verb 정하다 can be written with different Hanja (Chinese characters) to change its meaning entirely, such as switching from 'to decide' to 'to purify' or 'to correct'.
Examples in context
- 사장님, 저희는 내일 회의 시간을 결정하고 싶습니다.Sir, we would like to decide the meeting time for tomorrow.
- 저는 다이어트를 시작하기로 결심했어요.I have decided to start a diet.
- 오늘 점심은 어디로 갈지 정했어?Have you decided where to go for lunch today?
- 야구 경기 일정이 드디어 정해졌어!The baseball game schedule is finally decided!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “decide” translations and entries 결정하다, 정하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
