-(으)ㄴ 척하다 Pretend: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -(으)ㄴ 척하다 with verbs, adjectives, past actions and nouns.
• Say that someone pretends to do, to have done or to be something.
• Choose between 척하다 and -(으)ㄴ 것 같다, and know the second word 체하다.
• Recognise common phrases such as 모르는 척 and 못 본 척.

Prerequisites: the noun modifiers -는 noun modifier and -(으)ㄴ adjective and past modifier, and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• 척 is a dependent noun that means "a pretence" or "an act". It always follows a modifier.
• 하다 after 척 turns the phrase into a verb: 척하다 means "to put on an act".
• Verbs use -는, adjectives and past actions use -(으)ㄴ, and nouns use 인.
• The pattern is deliberate. If the speaker only guesses, use -(으)ㄴ 것 같다.
• There is no future form: -(으)ㄹ 척하다 does not exist.

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines the pattern and shows what it means.

What Does -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Pretend Mean?

-(으)ㄴ 척하다 means that a person acts in a way that gives a false impression. A dependent noun is a noun that cannot stand alone and needs a modifier before it. 척 is one: on its own it means little, but 자는 척 means "the act of sleeping" or "pretence of sleeping".

The word 하다 in 척하다 is the ordinary verb "do". So 자는 척하다 is, word for word, "to do the pretence of sleeping". English shortens this to "pretend to sleep". Because 척하다 ends in 하다, it conjugates like any 하다 verb: 척해요 in the polite present and 척했어요 in the polite past.

The sentence says something about the doer's aim. The person wants others to believe something that is not so. It can be playful, as with a child who closes their eyes, or unkind, as with someone who ignores a person on purpose.

A First Example

Here are two sentences, one in the past and one as a request.

In Revised Romanization, the h of 하다 forms is shown, so 척해요 is written cheokaeyo and not cheokhaeyo. The spoken [처캐요] has an aspirated ㅋ because 척 ends in ㄱ and 하 starts with ㅎ. The prohibition in the second sentence follows -지 마세요 don't. The next section shows how the pattern is formed.

How Does -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Pretend Work?

The rule has two steps: put the right modifier before 척, then conjugate 하다. The modifier depends on the word class and on the time of the pretended action.

1. Choose the modifier. For an action that is being pretended now, use -는. For an adjective, use -(으)ㄴ. For an action pretended to be finished, use -(으)ㄴ. For a noun, add 인.
2. Add 척. Leave a space between the modifier and 척.
3. Add 하다 and conjugate it. 척해요, 척했어요, 척하지 마세요.

Modifier Table

Three points explain most of the table. First, the verbs 알다 and 놀다 lose their ㄹ before the -는 ending, so they become 아는 and 노는. Second, the present modifier 있는 and 없는 also works for 있다 and 없다: 돈이 있는 척하다 means "pretend to have money". Third, a pretended action that is already complete takes the past modifier. 밥을 먹은 척했어요 means "I pretended that I had eaten", while 밥을 먹는 척했어요 means "I pretended to be eating".

How Does 척하다 Change?

Only 하다 changes with tense and speech level. The modifier stays the same. The next table shows the forms you will use most.

The next section builds one sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 학생인 척했어요

To say that someone pretended to be a student, start from the noun and add the pattern in five steps.

1. Pick the noun. "Student" is 학생.
2. Add 인. For nouns the modifier is 인, the modifier form of the copula 이다. 학생인 means "being a student".
3. Add 척. 학생인 척 means "the pretence of being a student".
4. Add 하다 in the polite past. 했어요 gives 학생인 척했어요.
5. Add the person and the reason if needed. 어른이 학생인 척했어요 ("An adult pretended to be a student").

You'll know it worked when the modifier ends in 인, 척 stands as its own word, and 하다 closes the sentence. The same steps give 어른인 척해요 [어르닌 처캐요], "He pretends to be an adult", and 외국인인 척했어요, "He pretended to be a foreigner".

Now compare an adjective: 괜찮다 becomes 괜찮은 척하다. 괜찮은 척했지만 사실은 슬펐어요 means "I pretended to be fine, but in fact I was sad". The spoken form is [괜차는 처캗찌만 사시른 슬퍼써요]. The word 사실은 ("in fact") often follows the pretence to reveal the truth.

In a question, the question word carries the prominence and the sentence often ends with a fall or a rise-fall. 왜 모르는 척해요? means "Why do you pretend not to know?" A yes/no question such as 모르는 척해요? ends with a rise.

The next section compares the pattern with the forms learners confuse it with.

How Is -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Different from Similar Forms?

Three ideas are close to each other. 척하다 says someone acts on purpose. -(으)ㄴ 것 같다 is a different pattern that states the speaker's guess. 체하다 is a close variant of 척하다.

The first two differ in whose mind they describe. 자는 척해요 is about the sleeper's aim. 자는 것 같아요 is about the speaker's impression, and the sleeper may really be asleep. If you add a reason such as "because he does not want to talk", you need 척하다.

척 and 체

척 and 체 are both dependent nouns with the same sense. 척하다 is the form you hear most in daily speech, while 체하다 sounds a little more old-fashioned or written. Treat them as variants and learn 척하다 first. Be careful with the verb 체하다 as a separate word: 체했어요 [체해써요] also means "I have indigestion". The context decides: 아는 체했어요 is "pretended to know", and 점심을 급하게 먹어서 체했어요 is "I ate lunch too fast and got indigestion".

The next section collects the set phrases built on 척.

Which Set Phrases Use 척?

Several phrases with 척 are used so often that they work like single expressions.

Notice the forms of 본 and 들은. They are past modifiers, so the phrase means "pretend not to have seen" and not "pretend not to see". Learners sometimes translate it as an ongoing act, which gives the wrong picture.

Two meanings of 아는 척하다. In the first, you pretend to know something you do not: 모르면서 아는 척하지 마세요. In the second, you show that you recognise a person, which means a small greeting: 길에서 만나면 아는 척해 주세요 means "If you see me on the street, please say hello". Dictionaries spell this greeting sense 알은척하다 (알은척해 주세요), but 아는 척 is what most people say and type. The sentence around it tells you which one is meant.

When the Pattern Does Not Fit

Skip 척하다 in three situations. First, when the speaker is only guessing: use -(으)ㄴ 것 같다. Second, when the act is not deliberate: use the plain verb or an expression of accident. Third, for a future pretence: Korean does not have -(으)ㄹ 척하다, so say what you will do: 모르는 척할 생각이에요 ("I plan to pretend not to know") puts the future on 생각.

What this lesson does not cover. The pattern for turning feeling adjectives into verbs (-아/어 하다) and the pattern for something worth doing (-(으)ㄹ 만하다) have their own lessons. The related pages are -아/어 하다 emotion verbs and -(으)ㄹ 만하다 worth.

An honest limit. The difference between 척하다 and 체하다 is a matter of style and habit, and dictionaries treat them as variants. If you are unsure, use 척하다.

The next section lists the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄴ 척하다?

Learners make five predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often use a future modifier. Actually there is no future form. Wrong: 갈 척해요 for "I pretend that I will go". Right: say what you will do with another construction, such as 갈 것처럼 행동했어요 ("I acted as if I would go"). Fix: use only -는 or -(으)ㄴ before 척.

Learners often leave out 인 after a noun. Actually nouns need the modifier form of the copula. Wrong: 학생 척했어요. Right: 학생인 척했어요. Fix: add 인 to every noun.

Learners often mix the present and past modifiers. Actually -는 shows an act in progress and -(으)ㄴ on a verb shows a finished act. 자는 척했어요 means "I pretended to be sleeping". 잔 척했어요 means "I pretended to have slept". Fix: ask whether the pretence is of an ongoing or a completed act.

Learners often use 척하다 for a guess. Actually the pattern is deliberate. Wrong: 비가 오는 척해요 for "It seems to be raining". Right: 비가 오는 것 같아요. Fix: for impressions, use -(으)ㄴ 것 같다.

Learners often read 체했어요 as "pretended". Actually it can mean "got indigestion". 급하게 먹어서 체했어요 means "I ate too fast and got an upset stomach". Fix: look at the whole sentence.

Practice puts these rules into your own sentences, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: add 척했어요. Write the full phrase.

1. 자다 (pretend to be sleeping)
2. 아프다 (pretend to be sick)
3. 바쁘다 (pretend to be busy)
4. 선생님 (pretend to be a teacher)

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 학생 척했어요.
2. 내일 갈 척해요.
3. 비가 오는 척해요. (the meaning is "It seems to be raining")

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "Do not pretend to be busy." and "I pretended not to know."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence about someone who pretends to be sick, and one with a past modifier.

Answer key

1. (1) 자는 척했어요 (2) 아픈 척했어요 (3) 바쁜 척했어요 (4) 선생님인 척했어요
2. (1) 학생인 척했어요. (2) There is no future form. Say 내일 갈 거예요 for the plan. (3) 비가 오는 것 같아요.
3. 바쁜 척하지 마세요. 모르는 척했어요.
4. Sample answers: 동생이 아픈 척했어요. ("My younger sibling pretended to be sick.") 밥을 먹은 척했어요. ("I pretended to have eaten.") Any verb or adjective is correct if the right modifier comes before 척.

If task 1 was correct, you have the modifiers. If task 2 was hard, return to the modifier table and check the word class. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Pretend?

After -(으)ㄴ 척하다 pretend, learn -아/어 하다 emotion verbs, which turns feeling adjectives into verbs for other people. If the modifiers felt unfamiliar, review -는 noun modifier and -(으)ㄴ adjective and past modifier. For another pattern that follows a modifier, read -(으)ㄹ 만하다 worth.

For a wider view, the parent page Korean auxiliary verbs lists every lesson in learning order. To review a simpler auxiliary, return to -아/어 보다 try.

This lesson covers -(으)ㄴ 척하다 in the polite and linking forms. It does not cover every set phrase. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Mean?

-(으)ㄴ 척하다 means "to pretend to" do or be something. The speaker, or another person, acts as though something were true on purpose. 자는 척했어요 means "I pretended to sleep", and 아는 척하지 마세요 means "Do not pretend to know". The idea is a deliberate act, not an accident.

How Do I Form -(으)ㄴ 척하다?

Put a modifier before 척하다. Verbs take -는: 자는 척하다. Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ: 아픈 척하다. A past action takes -(으)ㄴ: 잔 척하다 means "pretend to have slept". Nouns take 인: 학생인 척하다. Then conjugate 하다: 척해요, 척했어요, 척하지 마세요.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -(으)ㄴ 척하다?

The most common mistake is using a future modifier, as in 갈 척하다, which does not exist. Korean cannot "pretend that something will happen" with this pattern. A second mistake is leaving out 인 after a noun, as in 학생 척했어요, and a third is mixing the present and past modifiers.

How Is -(으)ㄴ 척하다 Different from -(으)ㄴ 것 같다?

-(으)ㄴ 척하다 says someone acts on purpose to give a false impression: 자는 척해요, "He is pretending to sleep". -(으)ㄴ 것 같다 says the speaker guesses that something is true: 자는 것 같아요, "He seems to be sleeping". The first is about a deliberate act, and the second is about the speaker's judgement.

Do I Use -(으)ㄴ 척하다 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. It is very common in speech, in dramas and in messages, as in 모르는 척했어요. In writing it appears in stories and essays with plain forms such as 아픈 척했다. The variant 체하다 is close in meaning, but 척하다 is the form you hear most often in daily talk.

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