Adjectives · 하다 word

딱딱하다 conjugation

to be hard; stiff · ttakttakada · sounds like [딱따카다]

Short answer: “Hard” in Korean is 딱딱하다 (ttakttakada), which also means stiff. Polite present: 딱딱해요 (ttakttakaeyo); past: 딱딱했어요 (ttakttakaesseoyo); future: 딱딱할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present딱딱해요[딱따캐요] · ttakttakaeyo
Past딱딱했어요[딱따캐써요] · ttakttakaesseoyo
Future딱딱할 거예요[딱따칼 꺼예요] · ttakttakal geoyeyo
Negative안 딱딱해요[안 딱따캐요] · an ttakttakaeyo

Opposite: 부드럽다 — to be soft

딱딱하다 in sentences

빵이 딱딱해요.The bread is hard.
딱딱한 의자에 오래 앉았어요.I sat on a hard chair for a long time.

All forms of 딱딱하다

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	딱딱해요	[딱따캐요]	ttakttakaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	딱딱합니다	[딱따캄니다]	ttakttakamnida
casual-아/어	딱딱해	[딱따캐]	ttakttakae
plain (written)-다	딱딱하다	[딱따카다]	ttakttakada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	딱딱합니까?	[딱따캄니까]	ttakttakamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	딱딱했어요	[딱따캐써요]	ttakttakaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	딱딱했습니다	[딱따캗씀니다]	ttakttakaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	딱딱했어	[딱따캐써]	ttakttakaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	딱딱했다	[딱따캗따]	ttakttakaetda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 딱딱해요	[안 딱따캐요]	an ttakttakaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 딱딱했어요	[안 딱따캐써요]	an ttakttakaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	딱딱하지 않아요	[딱따카지 아나요]	ttakttakaji 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	딱딱하세요	[딱따카세요]	ttakttakaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	딱딱하셨어요	[딱따카셔써요]	ttakttakasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	딱딱하십니다	[딱따카심니다]	ttakttakasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	딱딱하고	[딱따카고]	ttakttakago
… so / and then-아/어서	딱딱해서	[딱따캐서]	ttakttakaeseo
if …-(으)면	딱딱하면	[딱따카면]	ttakttakamyeon
… but-지만	딱딱하지만	[딱따카지만]	ttakttakajiman
because …-(으)니까	딱딱하니까	[딱따카니까]	ttakttakanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	딱딱한데	[딱따칸데]	ttakttakande
even if …-아/어도	딱딱해도	[딱따캐도]	ttakttakaedo
while …-(으)면서	딱딱하면서	[딱따카면서]	ttakttakamyeonseo

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	딱딱한	[딱따칸]	ttakttakan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	딱딱할	[딱따칼]	ttakttakal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	딱딱할 수 있어요	[딱따칼 쑤 이써요]	ttakttakal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	딱딱할 수 없어요	[딱따칼 쑤 업써요]	ttakttakal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	딱딱해야 해요	[딱따캐야 해요]	ttakttakaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	딱딱해도 돼요	[딱따캐도 돼요]	ttakttakaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	딱딱하게	[딱따카게]	ttakttakage
becomes …-아/어지다	딱딱해져요	[딱따캐저요]	ttakttakaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	딱딱하기	[딱따카기]	ttakttakagi

How 딱딱하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 딱딱해요, 딱딱했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 딱딱합니다, 딱딱하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “hard” in Korean?

“Hard” is 딱딱하다 (ttakttakada), pronounced [딱따카다]. In a sentence: 빵이 딱딱해요. — The bread is hard.

What is the past tense of 딱딱하다?

딱딱했어요 (ttakttakaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 딱딱하다 (“to be hard”). Formal: 딱딱했습니다; casual: 딱딱했어.

How do you say 딱딱하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 딱딱해요 (ttakttakaeyo). Formal: 딱딱합니다. Casual, with close friends: 딱딱해.

How do you say “not hard” in Korean?

안 딱딱해요 or 딱딱하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 딱딱하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 딱딱해요, 딱딱했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 딱딱합니다, 딱딱하면.

More 하다 words like 딱딱하다

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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