Adjectives · 하다 word

착하다 conjugation

to be good-natured; kind · chakada · sounds like [차카다]

Short answer: “Good-natured” in Korean is 착하다 (chakada), which also means kind. Polite present: 착해요 (chakaeyo); past: 착했어요 (chakaesseoyo); future: 착할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present착해요[차캐요] · chakaeyo
Past착했어요[차캐써요] · chakaesseoyo
Future착할 거예요[차칼 꺼예요] · chakal geoyeyo
Negative안 착해요[안 차캐요] · an chakaeyo

착하다 in sentences

제 친구는 정말 착해요.My friend is really kind.
착한 아이예요.He’s a good kid.

All forms of 착하다

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	착해요	[차캐요]	chakaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	착합니다	[차캄니다]	chakamnida
casual-아/어	착해	[차캐]	chakae
plain (written)-다	착하다	[차카다]	chakada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	착합니까?	[차캄니까]	chakamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	착했어요	[차캐써요]	chakaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	착했습니다	[차캗씀니다]	chakaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	착했어	[차캐써]	chakaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	착했다	[차캗따]	chakaetda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 착해요	[안 차캐요]	an chakaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 착했어요	[안 차캐써요]	an chakaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	착하지 않아요	[차카지 아나요]	chakaji 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	착하세요	[차카세요]	chakaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	착하셨어요	[차카셔써요]	chakasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	착하십니다	[차카심니다]	chakasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	착하고	[차카고]	chakago
… so / and then-아/어서	착해서	[차캐서]	chakaeseo
if …-(으)면	착하면	[차카면]	chakamyeon
… but-지만	착하지만	[차카지만]	chakajiman
because …-(으)니까	착하니까	[차카니까]	chakanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	착한데	[차칸데]	chakande
even if …-아/어도	착해도	[차캐도]	chakaedo
while …-(으)면서	착하면서	[차카면서]	chakamyeonseo

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	착한	[차칸]	chakan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	착할	[차칼]	chakal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	착할 수 있어요	[차칼 쑤 이써요]	chakal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	착할 수 없어요	[차칼 쑤 업써요]	chakal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	착해야 해요	[차캐야 해요]	chakaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	착해도 돼요	[차캐도 돼요]	chakaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	착하게	[차카게]	chakage
becomes …-아/어지다	착해져요	[차캐저요]	chakaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	착하기	[차카기]	chakagi

How 착하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 착해요, 착했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 착합니다, 착하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “good-natured” in Korean?

“Good-natured” is 착하다 (chakada), pronounced [차카다]. In a sentence: 제 친구는 정말 착해요. — My friend is really kind.

What is the past tense of 착하다?

착했어요 (chakaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 착하다 (“to be good-natured”). Formal: 착했습니다; casual: 착했어.

How do you say 착하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 착해요 (chakaeyo). Formal: 착합니다. Casual, with close friends: 착해.

How do you say “not good-natured” in Korean?

안 착해요 or 착하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 착하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 착해요, 착했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 착합니다, 착하면.

More 하다 words like 착하다

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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