Adjectives · 하다 word

건강하다 conjugation

to be healthy · geonganghada · sounds like [건강하다]

Short answer: “Healthy” in Korean is 건강하다 (geonganghada). Polite present: 건강해요 (geonganghaeyo); past: 건강했어요 (geonganghaesseoyo); future: 건강할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present건강해요[건강해요] · geonganghaeyo
Past건강했어요[건강해써요] · geonganghaesseoyo
Future건강할 거예요[건강할 꺼예요] · geonganghal geoyeyo
Negative안 건강해요[안 건강해요] · an geonganghaeyo

건강하다 in sentences

할머니는 아직 건강하세요.My grandmother is still healthy.
건강한 음식을 먹으려고 해요.I try to eat healthy food.

All forms of 건강하다

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	건강해요	[건강해요]	geonganghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	건강합니다	[건강함니다]	geonganghamnida
casual-아/어	건강해	[건강해]	geonganghae
plain (written)-다	건강하다	[건강하다]	geonganghada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	건강합니까?	[건강함니까]	geonganghamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	건강했어요	[건강해써요]	geonganghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	건강했습니다	[건강핻씀니다]	geonganghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	건강했어	[건강해써]	geonganghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	건강했다	[건강핻따]	geonganghaetda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 건강해요	[안 건강해요]	an geonganghaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 건강했어요	[안 건강해써요]	an geonganghaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	건강하지 않아요	[건강하지 아나요]	geonganghaji 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	건강하세요	[건강하세요]	geonganghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	건강하셨어요	[건강하셔써요]	geonganghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	건강하십니다	[건강하심니다]	geonganghasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	건강하고	[건강하고]	geonganghago
… so / and then-아/어서	건강해서	[건강해서]	geonganghaeseo
if …-(으)면	건강하면	[건강하면]	geonganghamyeon
… but-지만	건강하지만	[건강하지만]	geonganghajiman
because …-(으)니까	건강하니까	[건강하니까]	geonganghanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	건강한데	[건강한데]	geonganghande
even if …-아/어도	건강해도	[건강해도]	geonganghaedo
while …-(으)면서	건강하면서	[건강하면서]	geonganghamyeonseo

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	건강한	[건강한]	geonganghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	건강할	[건강할]	geonganghal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	건강할 수 있어요	[건강할 쑤 이써요]	geonganghal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	건강할 수 없어요	[건강할 쑤 업써요]	geonganghal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	건강해야 해요	[건강해야 해요]	geonganghaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	건강해도 돼요	[건강해도 돼요]	geonganghaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	건강하게	[건강하게]	geonganghage
becomes …-아/어지다	건강해져요	[건강해저요]	geonganghaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	건강하기	[건강하기]	geonganghagi

How 건강하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 건강해요, 건강했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 건강합니다, 건강하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “healthy” in Korean?

“Healthy” is 건강하다 (geonganghada), pronounced [건강하다]. In a sentence: 할머니는 아직 건강하세요. — My grandmother is still healthy.

What is the past tense of 건강하다?

건강했어요 (geonganghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 건강하다 (“to be healthy”). Formal: 건강했습니다; casual: 건강했어.

How do you say 건강하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 건강해요 (geonganghaeyo). Formal: 건강합니다. Casual, with close friends: 건강해.

How do you say “not healthy” in Korean?

안 건강해요 or 건강하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 건강하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 건강해요, 건강했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 건강합니다, 건강하면.

More 하다 words like 건강하다

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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