Verbs · Regular

안다 conjugation

to hug; to hold in one’s arms · anda · sounds like [안따]

Short answer: “To hug” in Korean is 안다 (anda), which also means to hold in one’s arms. Polite present: 안아요 (anayo); past: 안았어요 (anasseoyo); future: 안을 거예요. It is regular.

Present안아요[아나요] · anayo
Past안았어요[아나써요] · anasseoyo
Future안을 거예요[아늘 꺼예요] · aneul geoyeyo
Negative안 안아요[안 아나요] · an anayo

안다 in sentences

아기를 안았어요.I held the baby in my arms.
엄마를 안아 주세요.Give your mum a hug.

All forms of 안다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	안아요	[아나요]	anayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	안습니다	[안씀니다]	anseumnida
casual-아/어	안아	[아나]	ana
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	안는다	[안는다]	anneunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	안습니까?	[안씀니까]	anseumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	안고 있어요	[안꼬 이써요]	ango isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	안았어요	[아나써요]	anasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	안았습니다	[아낟씀니다]	anatseumnida
casual-았/었어	안았어	[아나써]	anasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	안았다	[아낟따]	anatda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	안을 거예요	[아늘 꺼예요]	aneul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	안을 겁니다	[아늘 껌니다]	aneul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	안을 거야	[아늘 꺼야]	aneul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	안겠습니다	[안껟씀니다]	angetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 안아요	[안 아나요]	an anayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 안았어요	[안 아나써요]	an anasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	안지 않아요	[안찌 아나요]	anji anayo
cannot못 …	못 안아요	[몯 아나요]	mot anayo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	안으세요	[아느세요]	aneuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	안으셨어요	[아느셔써요]	aneusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	안으십니다	[아느심니다]	aneusimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	안으세요	[아느세요]	aneuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	안아 주세요	[아나 주세요]	ana juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	안지 마세요	[안찌 마세요]	anji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	안읍시다	[아늡씨다]	aneupsida
let’s … (casual)-자	안자	[안짜]	anja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	안아라	[아나라]	anara

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	안고	[안꼬]	ango
… so / and then-아/어서	안아서	[아나서]	anaseo
if …-(으)면	안으면	[아느면]	aneumyeon
… but-지만	안지만	[안찌만]	anjiman
because …-(으)니까	안으니까	[아느니까]	aneunikka
… and / but (background)-는데	안는데	[안는데]	anneunde
even if …-아/어도	안아도	[아나도]	anado
while …-(으)면서	안으면서	[아느면서]	aneumyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	안으려고	[아느려고]	aneuryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	안으러	[아느러]	aneureo
before …-기 전에	안기 전에	[안끼 저네]	angi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	안은 후에	[아는 후에]	aneun hue

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) … now-는	안는	[안는]	anneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	안은	[아는]	aneun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	안을	[아늘]	aneul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	안고 싶어요	[안꼬 시퍼요]	ango sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	안을 수 있어요	[아늘 쑤 이써요]	aneul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	안을 수 없어요	[아늘 쑤 업써요]	aneul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	안아야 해요	[아나야 해요]	anaya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	안아도 돼요	[아나도 돼요]	anado dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	안으면 안 돼요	[아느면 안 돼요]	aneumyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	안기	[안끼]	angi

How 안다 changes

안 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 안아요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 안으면, 안을. 안다 is regular.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “hug” in Korean?

“To hug” is 안다 (anda), pronounced [안따]. In a sentence: 아기를 안았어요. — I held the baby in my arms.

What is the past tense of 안다?

안았어요 (anasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 안다 (“to hug”). Formal: 안았습니다; casual: 안았어.

How do you say 안다 politely?

Everyday polite: 안아요 (anayo). Formal: 안습니다. Casual, with close friends: 안아.

How do you say “I want to hug” in Korean?

안고 싶어요 (ango sipeoyo), pronounced [안꼬 시퍼요].

Is 안다 irregular?

No. 안 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 안아요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 안으면, 안을. 안다 is regular.

More regular words like 안다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check