Verbs · 하다 word

좋아하다 conjugation

to like · joahada · sounds like [조아하다]

Short answer: “To like” in Korean is 좋아하다 (joahada). Polite present: 좋아해요 (joahaeyo); past: 좋아했어요 (joahaesseoyo); future: 좋아할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present좋아해요[조아해요] · joahaeyo
Past좋아했어요[조아해써요] · joahaesseoyo
Future좋아할 거예요[조아할 꺼예요] · joahal geoyeyo
Negative안 좋아해요[안 조아해요] · an joahaeyo

Opposite: 싫어하다 — to dislike

좋아하다 in sentences

저는 한국 음식을 좋아해요.I like Korean food.
무슨 음악을 좋아해요?What music do you like?

All forms of 좋아하다

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	좋아해요	[조아해요]	joahaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	좋아합니다	[조아함니다]	joahamnida
casual-아/어	좋아해	[조아해]	joahae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	좋아한다	[조아한다]	joahanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	좋아합니까?	[조아함니까]	joahamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	좋아하고 있어요	[조아하고 이써요]	joahago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	좋아했어요	[조아해써요]	joahaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	좋아했습니다	[조아핻씀니다]	joahaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	좋아했어	[조아해써]	joahaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	좋아했다	[조아핻따]	joahaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	좋아할 거예요	[조아할 꺼예요]	joahal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	좋아할 겁니다	[조아할 껌니다]	joahal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	좋아할 거야	[조아할 꺼야]	joahal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	좋아하겠습니다	[조아하겓씀니다]	joahagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 좋아해요	[안 조아해요]	an joahaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 좋아했어요	[안 조아해써요]	an joahaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	좋아하지 않아요	[조아하지 아나요]	joahaji anayo
cannot못 …	못 좋아해요	[몯 쪼아해요]	mot joahaeyo

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	좋아하세요	[조아하세요]	joahaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	좋아하셨어요	[조아하셔써요]	joahasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	좋아하십니다	[조아하심니다]	joahasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	좋아하세요	[조아하세요]	joahaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	좋아해 주세요	[조아해 주세요]	joahae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	좋아하지 마세요	[조아하지 마세요]	joahaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	좋아합시다	[조아합씨다]	joahapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	좋아하자	[조아하자]	joahaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	좋아해라	[조아해라]	joahaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	좋아하고	[조아하고]	joahago
… so / and then-아/어서	좋아해서	[조아해서]	joahaeseo
if …-(으)면	좋아하면	[조아하면]	joahamyeon
… but-지만	좋아하지만	[조아하지만]	joahajiman
because …-(으)니까	좋아하니까	[조아하니까]	joahanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	좋아하는데	[조아하는데]	joahaneunde
even if …-아/어도	좋아해도	[조아해도]	joahaedo
while …-(으)면서	좋아하면서	[조아하면서]	joahamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	좋아하려고	[조아하려고]	joaharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	좋아하러	[조아하러]	joahareo
before …-기 전에	좋아하기 전에	[조아하기 저네]	joahagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	좋아한 후에	[조아한 후에]	joahan 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	좋아하는	[조아하는]	joahaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	좋아한	[조아한]	joahan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	좋아할	[조아할]	joahal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	좋아하고 싶어요	[조아하고 시퍼요]	joahago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	좋아할 수 있어요	[조아할 쑤 이써요]	joahal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	좋아할 수 없어요	[조아할 쑤 업써요]	joahal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	좋아해야 해요	[조아해야 해요]	joahaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	좋아해도 돼요	[조아해도 돼요]	joahaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	좋아하면 안 돼요	[조아하면 안 돼요]	joahamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	좋아하기	[조아하기]	joahagi

How 좋아하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 좋아해요, 좋아했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 좋아합니다, 좋아하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “like” in Korean?

“To like” is 좋아하다 (joahada), pronounced [조아하다]. In a sentence: 저는 한국 음식을 좋아해요. — I like Korean food.

What is the past tense of 좋아하다?

좋아했어요 (joahaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 좋아하다 (“to like”). Formal: 좋아했습니다; casual: 좋아했어.

How do you say 좋아하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 좋아해요 (joahaeyo). Formal: 좋아합니다. Casual, with close friends: 좋아해.

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

좋아하고 싶어요 (joahago sipeoyo), pronounced [조아하고 시퍼요].

Is 좋아하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 좋아해요, 좋아했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 좋아합니다, 좋아하면.

More 하다 words like 좋아하다

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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