How to Say "To Have" in Korean

있다

itda[it̚t͈a̠]

In Korean, the phrase 'to have' is translated as 있다 (itda).

While 있다 can be translated as 'to have' to express possession, it also carries the meaning 'to exist'.

Which one should you use?

The antonym of 있다 is 없다, which means 'to not have' or 'to not exist'.

The verb changes its ending based on politeness: use 있습니다 for formal situations, 있어요 for polite situations and 있어 for informal/casual situations.

itda

Unlike the English word 'have', which can describe experiencing an emotion or illness, 있다 is not used for feelings. To say 'I have a cold', Koreans use a phrase meaning 'a cold has come' or 'caught a cold'.
In very formal settings, the honorific version 계시다 is used instead of 있다 when referring to a person of higher status. This means you cannot use the standard 'to have' or 'to be' when talking about a grandparent or boss.
Depending on the context, 있다 can be used to tell someone to 'stay' or 'wait'. In this sense, it describes the act of remaining in a place rather than possessing an object.

삶의 목적은 행복해지는 것에 있지 않다. 잘 살았다는 것에 대한 차이를 만들기 위해, 유능하고 고결하고 자비로워지는 것에 있다.
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
This sentence uses 있다 to describe the purpose of living through the concept of having an impact.
Tatoeba #8473178 by Eunhee, translation #5972294 by Hybrid
저는 많은 책을 가지고 있어요.
I have many books.
그 회사는 많은 부동산을 소유하고 있어요.
That company owns a lot of real estate.
우리집에 강아지가 있어.
We have a dog at home.
가방에 돈을 소지하고 있어요.
I have money in my bag.
저는 공부실이 있어요.
I have a study room.
저는 아빠가 있어요.
I have a dad.

Sources

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