Key Facts
- Hangul: 참다 (chamda)
- Meaning: to endure
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Pronounced: [참따]
- Stem: 참
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: What is held back takes 을/를 (눈물을 참아요).
- Usage: Pronounced [참따]. 참으세요 is a common polite request.
What Does 참다 Mean?
The first sense is putting up with discomfort: 아픔을 참다. The second is holding back laughter or tears: 웃음을 참다. What is held back takes 을/를.
참으세요 is a common polite request meaning please bear with it.
The two senses blend in practice: bearing pain and holding back tears use the same verb with a different object, as in 눈물을 참아요 (I hold back tears).
Senses:
- to endure: Put up with pain or discomfort: 아픔을 참다.
- to hold back: Hold back laughter or tears: 웃음을 참다.
How Do You Pronounce 참다?
The dictionary form is read [참따]. Before a vowel the ㅁ links to the next syllable, as in 참아요.
How Do You Use 참다 in a Sentence?
아파도 참아요.
I put up with it even though it hurts.
아파도 means even though it hurts, and 참아요 says the speaker puts up with it.
웃음을 참았어요.
I held back my laughter.
웃음을 is the laughter held back, and 참았어요 is the past.
조금만 참으면 끝나요.
If you hold out a little longer, it will be over.
참으면 is the conditional, and the second clause says that it will be over soon.
How Does Chamda Conjugation Work?
참다 is regular. The stem vowel of 참 is ㅏ, so the ending is 아: 참아요, 참았어요. With 으 endings the vowel is inserted: 참으면, 참으세요.
참다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 참아요 | ||
| Polite past | 참았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 참을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 참겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 참습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 참았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 참을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 참아 | ||
| Casual past | 참았어 | ||
| Casual future | 참을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 참고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 참으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 참아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 참으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 참는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 참은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 참을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 참아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 참지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 참아요 | [차마요] |
| Polite past | 참았어요 | [차마써요] |
| Polite future | 참을 거예요 | [차믈꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 참겠어요 | [참께써요] |
| Formal present | 참습니다 | [참씀니다] |
| Formal past | 참았습니다 | [차맏씀니다] |
| Formal future | 참을 것입니다 | [차믈꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 참아 | [차마] |
| Casual past | 참았어 | [차마써] |
| Casual future | 참을 거야 | [차믈꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 참고 싶어요 | [참꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 참으세요 | [차므세요] |
| Because / and then | 참아서 | [차마서] |
| If (conditional) | 참으면 | [차므면] |
| Past modifier | 참은 | [차믄] |
| Future modifier | 참을 | [차믈] |
| Short negative | 안 참아요 | [안 차마요] |
| Long negative | 참지 않아요 | [참찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 참어요
Correct: ✓ 참아요
Why: The vowel ㅏ in 참 picks 아, so the form is 참아요, never 참어요.
What Do You Hold Back with 참다?
Feelings and physical discomfort. 아픔을 참다 is to bear pain, 웃음을 참다 is to suppress a laugh, and 눈물을 참다 is to hold back tears. When a struggle drags on, Korean reaches for 힘들다 (to be hard) and 노력하다 (to make an effort).
견디다 often describes withstanding hardship or difficult conditions. 참다 is especially useful when someone holds back a reaction; both verbs can describe enduring discomfort.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 참다?
| Word | How to tell it from 참다 |
|---|---|
| 견디다 | 견디다 often describes withstanding hardship or difficult conditions. |
| 기다리다 | 기다리다 is to wait. |
| 억누르다 | 억누르다 is to suppress strongly. |
Trying Not to Laugh in a Quiet Library
Two friends are studying in a library. One has just seen a funny message. The conversation moves from a request to a report about holding back laughter.
Jisu
왜 웃어요?
Wae useoyo?
Why are you laughing?
Alex
사진이 너무 웃겨요.
Sajini neomu utgyeoyo.
The photo is so funny.
Jisu
여기는 도서관이에요. 조금만 참으세요.
Yeogineun doseogwanieyo. Jogeumman chameuseyo.
This is a library. Please hold it in a little longer.
Alex
네. 아까도 웃음을 참았어요.
Ne. Akkado useumeul chamasseoyo.
Okay. I held back my laughter earlier too.
참으세요 asks the other person to hold something back. 참았어요 reports that someone already did so. The object disappears in the request because both friends know it is laughter. In the reply, 웃음을 makes that object explicit again. The polite ending keeps the request courteous, although the situation still determines how welcome it feels.
Which Phrases Go Naturally with 참다?
- 웃음을 참다 — to hold back laughter. The laugh is ready to come out, but the person keeps it in. This fits a quiet classroom, a meeting, or an awkward moment.
- 눈물을 참다 — to hold back tears. This describes resisting the urge to cry. It does not say that the person feels fine; the effort to control the tears is the point.
- 화를 참다 — to hold back anger. The person controls an angry reaction. The phrase can describe staying quiet rather than shouting, even when the anger remains.
- 배고픔을 참다 — to put up with hunger. Here nothing is being physically held. English “hold back hunger” would sound odd; “bear hunger” or “put up with being hungry” fits the Korean meaning.
These are ordinary collocations, not mysterious idioms. The object tells you whether English needs “endure,” “bear,” or “hold back.” Keep that object in mind when translating a line from a drama: the same verb can describe a physical sensation or an emotional reaction.
Where Will You Hear 참다?
In a drama, 참아 can be a short appeal to stay calm or put up with an unpleasant situation. It is casual, so it fits close friends or a speaker addressing someone younger. In a tense scene, it can also sound forceful. The translation may be “hold it in” rather than “be patient.”
The phrase 조금만 참으세요 is a polite request to bear something briefly. 조금만 means “just a little,” which makes the request feel limited. The phrase still asks someone to tolerate discomfort; it does not simply ask them to wait for their turn. 기다리다 is the clearer verb when waiting itself is the main action.
What Is Tricky about the Stem 참?
The final ㅁ stays in the spelling throughout 참아요, 참으면, and 참는. There is no irregular consonant replacement. 참으면 includes 으 because the stem ends in a consonant; 참아요 uses 아 because the stem vowel is ㅏ. Those are two different decisions, so copying the vowel from one ending into another will not work.
Keep the negative separate in 안 참아요. That means choosing not to endure or hold something back. A person who cannot help laughing may need English “cannot hold it in,” which expresses inability rather than a decision. The negative in the table should therefore not be translated automatically as “cannot.”
| Related word | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 웃음 | laughter | Names what someone suppresses in 웃음을 참다. |
| 눈물 | tears | Connects the verb to resisting crying. |
| 화 | anger | Names the reaction controlled in 화를 참다. |
| 인내심 | patience | Describes a person's capacity to endure, rather than one act of holding back. |
For the feelings behind these expressions, explore Korean adjectives for emotions.
Mini Drill: Build the Right Form
- Give the polite present of 참다.
- Change 참아요 to the polite past.
- Complete the conditional: 조금만 ____ 끝나요.
- Say “I do not hold back” using 안.
Show drill answers
- 참아요. The ㅏ in the stem selects 아.
- 참았어요. The past ending records an earlier act of enduring.
- 참으면. The consonant-ending stem needs 으 before 면.
- 안 참아요. Write 안 separately.
Quick Self-Test
- In 웃음을 참다, what is being held back?
- Does 눈물을 참다 mean the person has no urge to cry?
- Which verb directly means waiting: 참다 or 기다리다?
Show answers
- Laughter. 웃음을 is the object.
- No. The person is resisting tears.
- 기다리다. 참다 focuses on tolerating or restraining something.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say Bear with It?
참으세요, the polite request form. 조금만 참으세요 asks someone to hold on a little longer.
How Do I Say I Held Back Laughter?
웃음을 참았어요. The laughter takes 을, and the past tense shows it already happened.
What Is the Polite Present?
참아요. The stem vowel ㅏ selects 아, so it is never 참어요.
How Is It Pronounced?
The dictionary form is read [참따]: after the ㅁ of the stem, the ㄷ of the ending becomes tense.
Which Words Are Related to 참다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Move on to 견디다 next. polite present recipe explains the forms, the Korean verb conjugator tests more stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest.