Adjectives · 하다 word

비슷하다 conjugation

to be similar · biseutada · sounds like [비스타다]

Short answer: “Similar” in Korean is 비슷하다 (biseutada). Polite present: 비슷해요 (biseutaeyo); past: 비슷했어요 (biseutaesseoyo); future: 비슷할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present비슷해요[비스태요] · biseutaeyo
Past비슷했어요[비스태써요] · biseutaesseoyo
Future비슷할 거예요[비스탈 꺼예요] · biseutal geoyeyo
Negative안 비슷해요[안 비스태요] · an biseutaeyo

비슷하다 in sentences

두 사람이 비슷해요.The two of them look alike.
비슷한 옷을 샀어요.I bought similar clothes.

All forms of 비슷하다

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	비슷해요	[비스태요]	biseutaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	비슷합니다	[비스탐니다]	biseutamnida
casual-아/어	비슷해	[비스태]	biseutae
plain (written)-다	비슷하다	[비스타다]	biseutada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	비슷합니까?	[비스탐니까]	biseutamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	비슷했어요	[비스태써요]	biseutaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	비슷했습니다	[비스탣씀니다]	biseutaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	비슷했어	[비스태써]	biseutaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	비슷했다	[비스탣따]	biseutaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will probably be-(으)ㄹ 거예요	비슷할 거예요	[비스탈 꺼예요]	biseutal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	비슷할 겁니다	[비스탈 껌니다]	biseutal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	비슷할 거야	[비스탈 꺼야]	biseutal geoya

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 비슷해요	[안 비스태요]	an biseutaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 비슷했어요	[안 비스태써요]	an biseutaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	비슷하지 않아요	[비스타지 아나요]	biseutaji 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	비슷하세요	[비스타세요]	biseutaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	비슷하셨어요	[비스타셔써요]	biseutasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	비슷하십니다	[비스타심니다]	biseutasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	비슷하고	[비스타고]	biseutago
… so / and then-아/어서	비슷해서	[비스태서]	biseutaeseo
if …-(으)면	비슷하면	[비스타면]	biseutamyeon
… but-지만	비슷하지만	[비스타지만]	biseutajiman
because …-(으)니까	비슷하니까	[비스타니까]	biseutanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	비슷한데	[비스탄데]	biseutande
even if …-아/어도	비슷해도	[비스태도]	biseutaedo
while …-(으)면서	비슷하면서	[비스타면서]	biseutamyeonseo

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that is) …-(으)ㄴ	비슷한	[비스탄]	biseutan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	비슷할	[비스탈]	biseutal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	비슷할 수 있어요	[비스탈 쑤 이써요]	biseutal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	비슷할 수 없어요	[비스탈 쑤 업써요]	biseutal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	비슷해야 해요	[비스태야 해요]	biseutaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	비슷해도 돼요	[비스태도 돼요]	biseutaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	비슷하게	[비스타게]	biseutage
becomes …-아/어지다	비슷해져요	[비스태저요]	biseutaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	비슷하기	[비스타기]	biseutagi

How 비슷하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 비슷해요, 비슷했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 비슷합니다, 비슷하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “similar” in Korean?

“Similar” is 비슷하다 (biseutada), pronounced [비스타다]. In a sentence: 두 사람이 비슷해요. — The two of them look alike.

What is the past tense of 비슷하다?

비슷했어요 (biseutaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 비슷하다 (“to be similar”). Formal: 비슷했습니다; casual: 비슷했어.

How do you say 비슷하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 비슷해요 (biseutaeyo). Formal: 비슷합니다. Casual, with close friends: 비슷해.

How do you say “not similar” in Korean?

안 비슷해요 or 비슷하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 비슷하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 비슷해요, 비슷했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 비슷합니다, 비슷하면.

More 하다 words like 비슷하다

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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