하다
hada[ha̠da̠]
The English phrase "to do" is translated into Korean as 하다 (hada).
하다 means to perform an action or carry out a task. It is frequently attached to nouns to turn them into verbs, such as turning the noun 공부 (study) into 공부하다 (to study). Additionally, 하다 can be used to describe someone's feelings or states, such as turning the adjective 덥다 (to be hot) into 더워하다 (to be hot) or 슬프다 (to be sad) into 슬퍼하다 (to be sad).
Which one should you use?
While 하다 is the general term for "to do", you may use 실행하다 to mean "to execute" or "to carry out" and 시행하다 to emphasize the act of performing or doing in a formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 하다 changes based on the level of politeness and formality required: 해 is the casual, non-honorific form, 해요 is the polite, standard form and 합니다 is the formal, polite form.
How do you pronounce it?
hada
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, 하다 can be used to mean 'to be' when describing a person's profession or status, effectively merging 'doing' and 'being'.
- The irregular form 하여 suggests that the original root of 하다 was actually ᄒᆡ- in an ancient stage of the language.
- In casual conversation, the polite 해요 form of 하다 is often used as a universal 'softener' to make requests sound less demanding than the basic form.
Examples in context
- 일을 하다To work
- 계획을 실행하다To execute a plan
- 연구를 시행하다To conduct research
- 놀이를 하다To play
- 음식을 만들다To cook
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.
