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Adjectives · 하다 word

유명하다 conjugation

to be famous · yumyeonghada · sounds like [유명하다]

Short answer: “Famous” in Korean is 유명하다 (yumyeonghada). Polite present: 유명해요 (yumyeonghaeyo); past: 유명했어요 (yumyeonghaesseoyo); future: 유명할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

유명하다 in sentences

All forms of 유명하다

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.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-아/어요유명해요[유명해요]yumyeonghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다유명합니다[유명함니다]yumyeonghamnida
casual-아/어유명해[유명해]yumyeonghae
plain (written)-다유명하다[유명하다]yumyeonghada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?유명합니까?[유명함니까]yumyeonghamnikka?
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요유명했어요[유명해써요]yumyeonghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다유명했습니다[유명핻씀니다]yumyeonghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어유명했어[유명해써]yumyeonghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다유명했다[유명핻따]yumyeonghaetda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will probably be-(으)ㄹ 거예요유명할 거예요[유명할 꺼예요]yumyeonghal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다유명할 겁니다[유명할 껌니다]yumyeonghal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야유명할 거야[유명할 꺼야]yumyeonghal geoya
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 유명해요[안 유명해요]an yumyeonghaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 유명했어요[안 유명해써요]an yumyeonghaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요유명하지 않아요[유명하지 아나요]yumyeonghaji anayo
Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
honorific — present-(으)세요유명하세요[유명하세요]yumyeonghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요유명하셨어요[유명하셔써요]yumyeonghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다유명하십니다[유명하심니다]yumyeonghasimnida
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고유명하고[유명하고]yumyeonghago
… so / and then-아/어서유명해서[유명해서]yumyeonghaeseo
if …-(으)면유명하면[유명하면]yumyeonghamyeon
… but-지만유명하지만[유명하지만]yumyeonghajiman
because …-(으)니까유명하니까[유명하니까]yumyeonghanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데유명한데[유명한데]yumyeonghande
even if …-아/어도유명해도[유명해도]yumyeonghaedo
while …-(으)면서유명하면서[유명하면서]yumyeonghamyeonseo
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that is) …-(으)ㄴ유명한[유명한]yumyeonghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ유명할[유명할]yumyeonghal
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요유명할 수 있어요[유명할 쑤 이써요]yumyeonghal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요유명할 수 없어요[유명할 쑤 업써요]yumyeonghal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요유명해야 해요[유명해야 해요]yumyeonghaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요유명해도 돼요[유명해도 돼요]yumyeonghaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게유명하게[유명하게]yumyeonghage
becomes …-아/어지다유명해져요[유명해저요]yumyeonghaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기유명하기[유명하기]yumyeonghagi

How 유명하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 유명해요, 유명했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 유명합니다, 유명하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “famous” in Korean?

“Famous” is 유명하다 (yumyeonghada), pronounced [유명하다]. In a sentence: 이 식당은 비빔밥으로 유명해요. — This restaurant is famous for its bibimbap.

What is the past tense of 유명하다?

유명했어요 (yumyeonghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 유명하다 (“to be famous”). Formal: 유명했습니다; casual: 유명했어.

How do you say 유명하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 유명해요 (yumyeonghaeyo). Formal: 유명합니다. Casual, with close friends: 유명해.

How do you say “not famous” in Korean?

안 유명해요 or 유명하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 유명하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 유명해요, 유명했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 유명합니다, 유명하면.

More 하다 words like 유명하다

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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