Key Facts
- Hangul: 착하다 (chakada)
- Meaning: kind
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 착하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: The kind person takes 이/가 or 은/는, and the quality is often a part of the heart: 마음이 착해요.
- Usage: Warm praise for children and for a person's character.
What Does 착하다 Mean?
착하다 describes a good-natured, gentle person with a good heart, as in 마음이 착해요 or 착한 아이. It is about inner goodness, close to 'sweet' or 'well-behaved' in English.
It praises children and kind-hearted people most of all, and it suggests an obedient, uncomplicated nature. The phrase 착하게 살다 means to live a good life.
How Do You Pronounce 착하다?
The ㄱ at the end of 착 meets ㅎ, and the two merge into one aspirated ㅋ sound, so the dictionary form is read [차카다]. The same merge repeats in every form: 착해요 is [차캐요], 착했어요 is [차캐써요] and 착합니다 is [차캄니다].
How Do You Use 착하다 in a Sentence?
제 친구는 정말 착해요.
My friend is really kind.
정말 strengthens 착해요, and 제 친구는 makes the friend the topic.
착한 아이가 할머니를 도와줘요.
A good child helps the grandmother.
착한 sits in front of 아이가 as a modifier; 도와줘요 says what the good child does for the grandmother.
그 사람은 착하지 않아요.
That person is not kind.
The long negative 착하지 않아요 uses a polite ending to say someone is not kind; the judgment can still sound critical, and 그 사람은 is the topic.
How Does Chakada Conjugation Work?
착하다 is a 하다 adjective, so every ending beginning with 아/어 turns into 해: 착해요, 착했어요, 착해서. The modifier is 착한 before a noun, and the long negative is 착하지 않아요. Because it describes a state, it has no -고 싶다 form.
착하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 착해요 | ||
| Polite past | 착했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 착할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 착하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 착합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 착했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 착할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 착해 | ||
| Casual past | 착했어 | ||
| Casual future | 착할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 착하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 착해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 착하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 착한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 착했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 착할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 착해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 착하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary form | 착하다 | [차카다] |
| Polite present | 착해요 | [차캐요] |
| Polite past | 착했어요 | [차캐써요] |
| Polite future | 착할 거예요 | [차칼꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 착하겠어요 | [차카게써요] |
| Formal present | 착합니다 | [차캄니다] |
| Formal past | 착했습니다 | [차캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 착할 것입니다 | [차칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 착해 | [차캐] |
| Casual past | 착했어 | [차캐써] |
| Casual future | 착할 거야 | [차칼꺼야] |
| Honorific polite | 착하세요 | [차카세요] |
| Because | 착해서 | [차캐서] |
| Conditional | 착하면 | [차카면] |
| Present modifier | 착한 | [차칸] |
| Past modifier | 착했던 | [차캗떤] |
| Future modifier | 착할 | [차칼] |
| Short negative | 안 착해요 | [안 차캐요] |
| Long negative | 착하지 않아요 | [차카지 아나요] |
착하다 Forms to Reach for First
- Politely (kind): 착해요
- Earlier, in the past (kind): 착했어요
- Giving the reason (kind): 착해서
- If the condition holds (kind): 착하면
- Before a noun (kind): 착한, or 착했던 for the past
- Denying it (kind): 착하지 않아요
- Honorific, about a respected person (kind): 착하세요
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 착하는 사람
Correct: ✓ 착한 사람
Why: 착하다 is an adjective, so before a noun it takes -한: 착한 사람 is a kind person. The -하는 ending is for verbs.
When Does 착하다 Fit Best?
Use 착하다 to say what someone is like deep down. To praise how a person treated you in a particular moment, 친절하다 fits better.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 착하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 착하다 |
|---|---|
| 친절하다 | 착하다 is about a person's inner goodness; 친절하다 is about how someone treats others, such as a kind clerk. |
| 상냥하다 | 상냥하다 stresses a soft, sweet manner of speaking; 착하다 stresses a good heart and obedient nature. |
A Child Helps a Neighbor
Two neighbors have just seen a child carry a shopping bag for an older resident. They talk about the child afterward.
Jisu
저 아이는 정말 착해요.
Jeo aineun jeongmal chakaeyo.
That child is really kind.
Minho
어릴 때부터 착했어요.
Eoril ttaebuteo chakaesseoyo.
They have been kind since they were little.
Jisu
착한 아이네요. 할머니를 도와줬어요.
Chakan aineyo. Halmeonireul dowajwosseoyo.
What a good child. They helped the grandmother.
착해요 praises the child's character now. 착했어요 recalls the same quality during childhood, without suggesting it has disappeared. 착한 turns the adjective into a description before 아이. The concrete helpful act makes the praise easy to understand.
Phrases about a Good Heart
마음이 착하다 means “to have a good heart”, literally “the heart is kind”. 마음 concerns a person's mind or heart in the emotional sense. The phrase praises intentions and disposition, rather than the physical organ or someone's speaking style.
착하게 살다 means “to live decently” or “to live a good life”. 착하게 describes how someone lives. The expression concerns behavior toward others, not material success. It can appear in family advice or in a character's reflection on their choices.
착한 가격 means “a reasonable price” in advertising language. Literally, the price is “good-hearted”. The playful extension presents the price as fair or affordable. It does not turn 착하다 into the ordinary adjective for every good object, meal or experience.
Where Will You Hear 착하다?
Adults often use 착하다 when praising children for considerate or cooperative behavior. In a family scene, 착한 아이 may translate as “a good child” or “a sweet child”. Context tells you whether kindness, obedience or a gentle nature is the focus.
Friends may describe someone as 착해요 when that person is generous, gentle or unwilling to hurt others. The word evaluates character. If you are thanking a server for helping with an order, 친절하다 is more specific because it praises helpful treatment in that interaction.
A direct compliment about being 착하다 can sometimes feel parental. Adding a polite ending does not remove that possibility. With an adult you do not know well, describe the helpful action or express thanks. This keeps the praise tied to what they did for you.
In shopping posts and advertisements, the price phrase is a separate figurative use. Recognizing 착한 가격 helps you understand the claim, but the phrase alone does not establish whether the price is actually low. You still need the amount and the product for comparison.
Which Details Are Easy to Get Wrong?
The romanization chakada reflects the sound change across ㄱ and ㅎ. The spelling remains 착하다, with both letters. In 착한, the same contact produces the aspirated sound shown in the pronunciation section. This is a sound change inside a regular 하다 adjective, not a new irregular class.
Before a noun, use 착한 사람. For the manner of an action, use 착하게, as in 착하게 살다. Both describe goodness, but they connect to different kinds of words. The adjective modifier identifies a person; the adverbial form describes behavior.
착하지 않아요 is polite in its ending, but calling someone unkind is still criticism. It does not necessarily mean “evil”. Likewise, 나쁘다 can mean “bad” in a broader range of situations. The positive and negative character judgments depend on what behavior is being discussed.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 친절하다 | kind; helpful | Focuses on considerate treatment of others. |
| 상냥하다 | gentle; sweet | Often describes a soft, friendly manner. |
| 마음 | heart; mind | Useful in 마음이 착하다. |
| 성격 | personality | Lets you discuss character more broadly. |
The personality vocabulary lesson gives more precise descriptions when “kind” is too broad, including words for strengths and ways of behaving.
Mini Drill
- Describe a kind person: ____ 사람.
- Recall the quality in the polite past.
- Complete the phrase “live decently”: ____ 살다.
- Write the polite long negative.
Show drill answers
- 착한 사람.
- 착했어요.
- 착하게 살다.
- 착하지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 착한 가격 literally describe the seller's personality?
- Which word is more specific for a helpful clerk: 착하다 or 친절하다?
- Should the sound change in 착하다 alter its spelling?
Show answers
- No. It is an advertising phrase for a reasonable price.
- 친절하다 focuses on helpful treatment.
- No. Write 착하다 even though ㄱ and ㅎ combine in pronunciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 착하다?
착해요, pronounced [차캐요]. The final ㄱ of 착 combines with ㅎ into an aspirated ㅋ sound.
How Do I Say 'a Good Child'?
착한 아이. The modifier 착한 goes before the noun.
Can 착하다 Describe Food or Weather?
Mostly no. It is for people and sometimes pets, and 좋다 covers things. Advertising slang does use 착한 before a price to mean 'reasonable'.
What Does 착하게 살다 Mean?
To live a good life, behaving decently toward others.
Which Words Are Related to 착하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, compare 착하다 with 친절하다 and 상냥하다 to separate inner goodness, helpful behaviour and a soft manner. The 하다 lesson explains why all three share the same 해요 pattern. The pattern is explained in how 하다 words become 해요. Then run another word through the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.