친구를 사귀다
chin'gureul sagwida
To make friends in Korean is 친구를 사귀다 (chin'gureul sagwida).
The phrase 친구를 사귀다 is used to describe the active process of building a social circle or establishing a new relationship with someone.
Meaning: to create friendships (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is composed of 친구 (friend), 를 (the object marker) and 사귀다 (to associate with or to make a relationship with).
Which one should you use?
While 친구를 사귀다 focuses on the process of forming a new friendship, the phrase 친구와 놀다 means 'to hang out with friends' and implies that the friendship already exists.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the desire to make friends, you use the pattern 친구를 사귀고 싶어요. The past tense of the phrase is 친구를 사귀었어요.
How do you pronounce it?
chin'gureul sagwida
When do people say it?
If you want to suggest becoming friends, you can use the informal expression 친구하자 (Let's be friends) among people around your age. To express a desire to establish a closer bond with an acquaintance, you can use the informal expression 친해지고 싶어 (I want to become close friends).
Did you know?
- The verb 사귀다 is used not only for making friends but also for starting a romantic relationship. If you say you are 사귀는 with someone, it often implies you are dating them rather than just being platonic friends.
- Because age is so critical to the word 친구, Koreans often ask for a person's birth year almost immediately after meeting to determine if they can truly 친구하자 (be friends).
- The phrase 친구하자 (let's be friends) is a powerful social 'contract'. Once two people agree to this, they can drop formal language and speak to each other using 'banmal' or informal speech.
Examples in context
- 친구를 사귀고 싶어요I would like to make friends.
- 친구가 되고 싶어요I want to become friends.
- 친구하자Let's be friends.
- 친해지고 싶어I want to become close friends.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “make friends” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
