Verbs · 하다 word

전화하다 conjugation

to call; to phone · jeonhwahada · sounds like [전화하다]

Short answer: “To call” in Korean is 전화하다 (jeonhwahada), which also means to phone. Polite present: 전화해요 (jeonhwahaeyo); past: 전화했어요 (jeonhwahaesseoyo); future: 전화할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present전화해요[전화해요] · jeonhwahaeyo
Past전화했어요[전화해써요] · jeonhwahaesseoyo
Future전화할 거예요[전화할 꺼예요] · jeonhwahal geoyeyo
Negative전화 안 해요[전화 안 해요] · jeonhwa an haeyo

Note: with noun + 하다 verbs, 안 and 못 go before 하다 — 전화 안 해요, not 안 전화해요.

전화하다 in sentences

이따가 전화할게요.I’ll call you later.
엄마한테 전화했어요.I called my mum.

All forms of 전화하다

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	전화해요	[전화해요]	jeonhwahaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	전화합니다	[전화함니다]	jeonhwahamnida
casual-아/어	전화해	[전화해]	jeonhwahae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	전화한다	[전화한다]	jeonhwahanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	전화합니까?	[전화함니까]	jeonhwahamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	전화하고 있어요	[전화하고 이써요]	jeonhwahago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	전화했어요	[전화해써요]	jeonhwahaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	전화했습니다	[전화핻씀니다]	jeonhwahaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	전화했어	[전화해써]	jeonhwahaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	전화했다	[전화핻따]	jeonhwahaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	전화할 거예요	[전화할 꺼예요]	jeonhwahal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	전화할 겁니다	[전화할 껌니다]	jeonhwahal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	전화할 거야	[전화할 꺼야]	jeonhwahal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	전화하겠습니다	[전화하겓씀니다]	jeonhwahagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	전화 안 해요	[전화 안 해요]	jeonhwa an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	전화 안 했어요	[전화 안 해써요]	jeonhwa an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	전화하지 않아요	[전화하지 아나요]	jeonhwahaji anayo
cannot못 …	전화 못 해요	[전화 모태요]	jeonhwa mot haeyo

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	전화하세요	[전화하세요]	jeonhwahaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	전화하셨어요	[전화하셔써요]	jeonhwahasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	전화하십니다	[전화하심니다]	jeonhwahasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	전화하세요	[전화하세요]	jeonhwahaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	전화해 주세요	[전화해 주세요]	jeonhwahae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	전화하지 마세요	[전화하지 마세요]	jeonhwahaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	전화합시다	[전화합씨다]	jeonhwahapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	전화하자	[전화하자]	jeonhwahaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	전화해라	[전화해라]	jeonhwahaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	전화하고	[전화하고]	jeonhwahago
… so / and then-아/어서	전화해서	[전화해서]	jeonhwahaeseo
if …-(으)면	전화하면	[전화하면]	jeonhwahamyeon
… but-지만	전화하지만	[전화하지만]	jeonhwahajiman
because …-(으)니까	전화하니까	[전화하니까]	jeonhwahanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	전화하는데	[전화하는데]	jeonhwahaneunde
even if …-아/어도	전화해도	[전화해도]	jeonhwahaedo
while …-(으)면서	전화하면서	[전화하면서]	jeonhwahamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	전화하려고	[전화하려고]	jeonhwaharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	전화하러	[전화하러]	jeonhwahareo
before …-기 전에	전화하기 전에	[전화하기 저네]	jeonhwahagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	전화한 후에	[전화한 후에]	jeonhwahan 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	전화하는	[전화하는]	jeonhwahaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	전화한	[전화한]	jeonhwahan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	전화할	[전화할]	jeonhwahal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	전화하고 싶어요	[전화하고 시퍼요]	jeonhwahago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	전화할 수 있어요	[전화할 쑤 이써요]	jeonhwahal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	전화할 수 없어요	[전화할 쑤 업써요]	jeonhwahal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	전화해야 해요	[전화해야 해요]	jeonhwahaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	전화해도 돼요	[전화해도 돼요]	jeonhwahaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	전화하면 안 돼요	[전화하면 안 돼요]	jeonhwahamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	전화하기	[전화하기]	jeonhwahagi

How 전화하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 전화해요, 전화했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 전화합니다, 전화하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “call” in Korean?

“To call” is 전화하다 (jeonhwahada), pronounced [전화하다]. In a sentence: 이따가 전화할게요. — I’ll call you later.

What is the past tense of 전화하다?

전화했어요 (jeonhwahaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 전화하다 (“to call”). Formal: 전화했습니다; casual: 전화했어.

How do you say 전화하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 전화해요 (jeonhwahaeyo). Formal: 전화합니다. Casual, with close friends: 전화해.

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

전화하고 싶어요 (jeonhwahago sipeoyo), pronounced [전화하고 시퍼요].

Is 전화하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 전화해요, 전화했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 전화합니다, 전화하면.

More 하다 words like 전화하다

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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