Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 공부하다 | gongbuhada | [ko̞ŋbuɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 배우다 | bae'uda | [pɛuda̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [pe̞uda̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
공부하다 is a common and versatile verb used for the general act of studying a subject, schoolwork or academic purposes. If you are referring to studying from a more disciplined academic perspective, you might use 학습하다. For professional or scientific contexts involving specialized learning, 연구하다 (to study or research) is more appropriate. You can also use the phrase 열심히 공부하다 to mean "to study hard."
Which one should you use?
공부하다 is used for the general act of studying a subject or academic work. In contrast, 배우다 focuses on the act of learning a specific skill or the process of being taught by someone else.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 공부하다 can be conjugated for different social contexts and tenses. In the polite informal style (해요체) used for everyday conversation, it becomes 공부해요. The past tense in the plain or informal style is 공부했다.
How do you pronounce it?
gongbuhada
Did you know?
- The word 공부 in 공부하다 is a loanword from Chinese that originally referred to the physical effort or time spent on a manual task.
- In highly competitive academic settings, students might use the slang 빡공, a contraction of 빡세게 공부하다, to describe studying with extreme, grueling intensity.
- In a professional setting, using 공부하다 to describe your job might sound slightly childish, as it carries a heavy connotation of schoolwork.
Examples in context
- 친구들과 함께 공부해요I study with friends
- 열심히 공부해야 돼요I have to study hard
- 저는 대학에서 경제를 공부합니다.I study economics at university.
- 매일 한 시간씩 영어를 공부합니다.I study English for an hour every day.
- 같이 열심히 공부해요!Let's study hard together!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “study” translations and entries 공부하다, 배우다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 공부하다, 배우다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
