Key Facts
- Hangul: 방문하다 (bangmunhada)
- Meaning: to visit
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 방문하
- Conjugation class: 하다
- Grammar: The place or person takes 을/를: 박물관을 방문해요.
- Usage: Common in news, signs and visitor information. 방문객 means a visitor.
What Does 방문하다 Mean?
방문하다 suits companies, museums, countries and official guests: 회사를 방문하다 is to visit a company. The place or person takes 을/를, as in 박물관을 방문해요.
The noun 방문객 means a visitor, and you will see the word on signs and in news. It can describe a home visit too, though 가다 or 놀러 가다 often sounds more relaxed in conversation.
How Do You Pronounce 방문하다?
방문하다 is read as it is written. The final 해요 and 했어요 come from 하 plus 여, which contracts to 해. The noun 방문 on its own is the word for a visit.
How Do You Use 방문하다 in a Sentence?
외국 손님이 회사를 방문해요.
A foreign guest is visiting the company.
외국 손님이 is the subject, a foreign guest, and 회사를 is the place visited. 방문해요 states that the visit is happening.
지난주에 박물관을 방문했어요.
I visited the museum last week.
지난주에 means last week, and 방문했어요 puts the visit in the past. A museum is a typical object.
한국을 방문하고 싶어요.
I want to visit Korea.
한국을 방문하고 싶어요 uses 고 싶어요 to say that the speaker wants to visit Korea.
How Does Bangmunhada Conjugation Work?
The stem 방문하 follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 gives 해, so the polite present is 방문해요 and the past 방문했어요. Endings with consonants keep the stem (방문하고), and nothing else is irregular.
방문하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 방문해요 | ||
| Polite past | 방문했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 방문할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 방문하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 방문합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 방문했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 방문할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 방문해 | ||
| Casual past | 방문했어 | ||
| Casual future | 방문할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 방문하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 방문하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 방문해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 방문하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 방문하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 방문한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 방문할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 방문 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 방문하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 방문했어요 | [방문해써요] |
| Polite future | 방문할 거예요 | [방문할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 방문하겠어요 | [방문하게써요] |
| Formal present | 방문합니다 | [방문함니다] |
| Formal past | 방문했습니다 | [방문핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 방문할 것입니다 | [방문할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 방문했어 | [방문해써] |
| Casual future | 방문할 거야 | [방문할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 방문하고 싶어요 | [방문하고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 방문하지 않아요 | [방문하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong (too stiff for relaxed conversation): ✗ 친구 집을 방문해요
Correct: ✓ 친구 집에 놀러 가요.
Why: 방문하다 is grammatical here, but it can sound stiff in relaxed conversation. 놀러 가다 is a natural choice when you mean going over for fun.
Which Objects Fit 방문하다 Best?
Places and organisations suit it: 회사를, 박물관을 and 한국을 all appear in the sentences above. A guest who comes to you is a 방문객. When the visit is personal, such as seeing a relative, 찾아가다 is the better verb, and for dropping in on a friend you would say 놀러 가다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 방문하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 방문하다 |
|---|---|
| 찾아가다 | 찾아가다 is a personal visit to see someone; 방문하다 is formal and fits places and official calls. |
| 구경하다 | 구경하다 is looking around a place, while 방문하다 is just going there. |
Arranging a Museum Visit
A museum receptionist is speaking with a visitor who plans to return. Both use polite conversation rather than a ceremonial speech.
Receptionist
지난주에 방문했어요?
Jinanjue bangmunhaesseoyo?
Did you visit last week?
Visitor
네. 내일도 방문할 거예요.
Ne. Naeildo bangmunhal geoyeyo.
Yes. I will visit again tomorrow.
Receptionist
내일은 몇 시에 방문해요?
Naeireun myeot sie bangmunhaeyo?
What time are you visiting tomorrow?
The object is omitted because the museum is already understood. 방문했어요 looks back, 방문할 거예요 gives a plan, and 방문해요 asks about its timing. The word fits an ordinary museum visit even though it has a more administrative feel than 가다.
Useful Phrases on Visitor Information
방문 예약 means a reservation for a visit. You may see it on a museum or company website. It names the booking, not permission to enter at any time. Read the date and time beside it to find the actual appointment.
방문 목적 is the purpose of a visit. On a reception form, the expected information might be a meeting, an interview or a delivery. The phrase asks why you came; it does not ask which transport you used or how long the journey took.
방문객 means visitor, while 방문자 is another word for someone who visits. Both can appear in instructions for people entering a building. 재방문 means a return visit. In a review or a customer survey, it concerns coming back rather than visiting a second place on the same trip.
방문해 주셔서 감사합니다 means “Thank you for visiting.” The literal structure thanks someone for doing the visit for the speaker. As a welcome message, it expresses appreciation for the visitor's presence. It need not mean that the visitor performed a special favour.
Where Will You Hear 방문하다?
At reception desks, visitor procedures make 방문하다 useful even when the visit is quite ordinary. A company may ask for your name and purpose; a museum may ask about your reservation. The word suits the process of receiving guests, without implying that every guest is on official business.
News reports use 방문하다 for public figures visiting places or people. The verb records the visit itself. It does not guarantee that the visitor toured the building, stayed overnight or held a meeting. Other verbs or nouns supply those details.
Among friends, 집에 가다 or 놀러 가다 often sounds warmer when you mean going over to someone's home. 방문하다 is still grammatical for a home visit, especially in a written account. Choose it when the visit itself is the information you want to record.
What Makes 방문하다 Tricky?
With an object, use 박물관을 방문하다. A destination marked with 에 is also possible with 방문하다, so seeing 박물관에 방문하다 does not automatically signal a mistake. For your first sentences, the 을/를 pattern is a useful consistent model. The National Institute of Korean Language's usage answer confirms both patterns.
Keep 방문하다 together as one word. 방문해요 and 방문했어요 follow the same spelling. If you use the noun with an object particle, write 방문을 하다 instead. The National Institute's spacing explanation explains why 방문하다 is written together.
방문한 사람 means a person who visited; 방문하는 사람 describes someone visiting or someone who visits. This distinction helps with visitor records: a past visit and a current or habitual visit are different information. The ending changes the time relationship, while 방문 keeps its meaning.
Words around a Visit
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 예약 | reservation | A visit may require a time booked beforehand. |
| 방문객 | visitor | A common label for guests entering a place. |
| 입장 | admission; entry | Visiting and being admitted are separate steps. |
| 안내 | guidance; information | Look for it when you need visitor instructions. |
Find more destination words in travel and attraction vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Plan the Visit
- Report a completed visit using 방문하다 in the polite past.
- Complete the object pattern: 박물관____ 방문해요.
- Say “I want to visit” using the wish form in the table.
- Choose the usual spacing for the single verb: 방문 해요 or 방문해요.
Show drill answers
- 방문했어요.
- 박물관을 방문해요.
- 방문하고 싶어요.
- 방문해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 방문 목적 ask why you came or how you travelled?
- Does 방문하다 itself mean “look around the exhibits”?
- What does 재방문 mean?
Show answers
- Why you came.
- No. 구경하다 expresses looking around.
- A return visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 방문하다 Formal?
It often sounds more formal than 가다 and is common in news and visitor information, as in 회사를 방문하다. It can also describe ordinary visits; it does not have to mean an official visit.
How Do I Say I Want to Visit Korea?
한국을 방문하고 싶어요. The country takes 을, and -고 싶어요 adds want to.
What Does 방문객 Mean?
It means visitor, and it appears on signs and in announcements.
How Do I Visit a Friend Casually?
Say 친구 집에 놀러 가요 (I'm going over to my friend's place). 방문하다 is also grammatical, but often sounds more formal or like a written account.
Which Words Are Related to 방문하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Continue with 찾아가다 for the personal version, then 구경하다 for sightseeing. 하다 to 해요 explains the 해요 pattern, the Korean verb conjugator tests other 하다 verbs, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest. Negation is in negating 하다 verbs.