귀찮다 conjugation

to be a bother; can’t be bothered · gwichanta · sounds like [귀찬타]

Short answer: “A bother” in Korean is 귀찮다 (gwichanta), which also means can’t be bothered. Polite present: 귀찮아요 (gwichanayo); past: 귀찮았어요 (gwichanasseoyo); future: 귀찮을 거예요. It is regular.

Present귀찮아요[귀차나요] · gwichanayo
Past귀찮았어요[귀차나써요] · gwichanasseoyo
Future귀찮을 거예요[귀차늘 꺼예요] · gwichaneul geoyeyo
Negative안 귀찮아요[안 귀차나요] · an gwichanayo

귀찮다 in sentences

요리하기 귀찮아요.I can’t be bothered to cook.
귀찮으면 내일 하세요.If it’s a hassle, do it tomorrow.

All forms of 귀찮다

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	귀찮아요	[귀차나요]	gwichanayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	귀찮습니다	[귀찬씀니다]	gwichanseumnida
casual-아/어	귀찮아	[귀차나]	gwichana
plain (written)-다	귀찮다	[귀찬타]	gwichanta
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	귀찮습니까?	[귀찬씀니까]	gwichanseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	귀찮았어요	[귀차나써요]	gwichanasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	귀찮았습니다	[귀차낟씀니다]	gwichanatseumnida
casual-았/었어	귀찮았어	[귀차나써]	gwichanasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	귀찮았다	[귀차낟따]	gwichanatda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 귀찮아요	[안 귀차나요]	an gwichanayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 귀찮았어요	[안 귀차나써요]	an gwichanasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	귀찮지 않아요	[귀찬치 아나요]	gwichanchi 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	귀찮으세요	[귀차느세요]	gwichaneuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	귀찮으셨어요	[귀차느셔써요]	gwichaneusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	귀찮으십니다	[귀차느심니다]	gwichaneusimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	귀찮고	[귀찬코]	gwichanko
… so / and then-아/어서	귀찮아서	[귀차나서]	gwichanaseo
if …-(으)면	귀찮으면	[귀차느면]	gwichaneumyeon
… but-지만	귀찮지만	[귀찬치만]	gwichanchiman
because …-(으)니까	귀찮으니까	[귀차느니까]	gwichaneunikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	귀찮은데	[귀차는데]	gwichaneunde
even if …-아/어도	귀찮아도	[귀차나도]	gwichanado
while …-(으)면서	귀찮으면서	[귀차느면서]	gwichaneumyeonseo

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	귀찮은	[귀차는]	gwichaneun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	귀찮을	[귀차늘]	gwichaneul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	귀찮을 수 있어요	[귀차늘 쑤 이써요]	gwichaneul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	귀찮을 수 없어요	[귀차늘 쑤 업써요]	gwichaneul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	귀찮아야 해요	[귀차나야 해요]	gwichanaya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	귀찮아도 돼요	[귀차나도 돼요]	gwichanado dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	귀찮게	[귀찬케]	gwichanke
becomes …-아/어지다	귀찮아져요	[귀차나저요]	gwichanajeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	귀찮기	[귀찬키]	gwichanki

How 귀찮다 changes

귀찮 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 귀찮아요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 귀찮으면, 귀찮을. 귀찮다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “a bother” in Korean?

“A bother” is 귀찮다 (gwichanta), pronounced [귀찬타]. In a sentence: 요리하기 귀찮아요. — I can’t be bothered to cook.

What is the past tense of 귀찮다?

귀찮았어요 (gwichanasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 귀찮다 (“to be a bother”). Formal: 귀찮았습니다; casual: 귀찮았어.

How do you say 귀찮다 politely?

Everyday polite: 귀찮아요 (gwichanayo). Formal: 귀찮습니다. Casual, with close friends: 귀찮아.

How do you say “not a bother” in Korean?

안 귀찮아요 or 귀찮지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 귀찮다 irregular?

No. 귀찮 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 귀찮아요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 귀찮으면, 귀찮을. 귀찮다 is regular.

More regular words like 귀찮다

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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