하다
hada[ha̠da̠]
To say do in Korean, use 하다 (hada), the basic verb for performing an action.
하다 is the most common verb for do, and it is used with many nouns to name an activity.
Meaning: perform tasks (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense is 했다, and the negative is 하지 않다. 할 수 있다 means can do, and 하고 있다 describes an ongoing action, much like the English present continuous.
How do you pronounce it?
It is written in Latin letters as hada.
Did you know?
- In Korean, 하다 is so common that it allows speakers to turn almost any noun into a verb instantly. This makes the language capable of creating new action words much faster than English.
- The unexpected spelling of the form 하여 ('hayeo') is actually a linguistic fossil. It preserves a remnant of the ancient word stem *ᄒᆡ- ('*hoy-') from a much earlier stage of the language.
Examples in context
- 난 블로그를 시작했어. 블로그를 초반에만 반짝 많이 하다가 관두는 사람처럼은 되지 않으려고 최선을 다할 거야.I started a new blog. I'll do my best not to be one of those people who blogs a lot right at the start and then quits blogging.하다가 means doing something and then, here describing people who blog a lot at first.Tatoeba #8378470 by Eunhee, translation #1067139 by CK
- 제가 할 수 있어요.I can do it.할 수 있어요 means I can do it.
- 했어? 아니, 못 했어.Did you do it? No, I couldn't.했어 asks did you do it, and 못 했어 answers no, I could not.
- 일을 하다 (ireul hada)To work
- 공부를 하다 (gongbureul hada)To study
- 요리를 하다 (yorireul hada)To cook
- 임무를 수행하다 (immul suhenghada)To perform a mission
- 의무를 수행하다 (uimirul suhenghada)To fulfill a duty
- 책을 읽고 있다 (chaeg-eul ilkgo itda)I am reading a book
- TV를 보고 있다 (TV-reul bogo itda)I am watching TV
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
