Key Facts
- Hangul: 찾다 (chatda)
- Meaning: to find/look for
- Level: A1
- Stem: 찾
- Conjugation class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 찾다 Mean?
It has four common uses: to look for (열쇠를 찾다), to find, to withdraw money (돈을 찾다), and as part of the compound 찾아가다, to visit. The thing sought or found takes 을/를. The honorific polite form is 찾으세요.
The tense carries a lot of meaning here. Present 찾아요 can describe a search that is going on, while past 찾았어요 reports success, so check whether you want 'looking' or 'found'. The money sense, 돈을 찾다, is the same verb in a bank context and is worth learning as a chunk. The compound 찾아가다 shows how the verb extends to going somewhere to meet or visit a person or place.
How Do You Pronounce 찾다?
The dictionary form is read [찯따].
How Do You Use 찾다 in a Sentence?
저는 열쇠를 찾아요.
I am looking for my key.
찾아요 with 열쇠를 expresses the search itself: 'I am looking for my key'.
드디어 잃어버린 지갑을 찾았어요.
I finally found my lost wallet.
찾았어요 with 잃어버린 지갑을 (the lost wallet) and 드디어 (finally): here the past tense means the search succeeded.
찾으면 바로 연락할게요.
If I find it, I will contact you right away.
찾으면 promises action once the search ends, and 연락할게요 states the promise.
How Does Chatda Conjugation Work?
The stem 찾 is regular, and ㅊ stays in every form: 찾 + 아요 gives 찾아요, and the past is 찾았어요. Before consonants it appears as 찾습니다, 찾는, 찾으면. The dictionary form is pronounced [찯따].
찾다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 찾아요 | ||
| Polite past | 찾았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 찾을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 찾겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 찾습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 찾았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 찾을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 찾아 | ||
| Casual past | 찾았어 | ||
| Casual future | 찾을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 찾고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 찾으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 찾아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 찾으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 찾는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 찾은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 찾을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 찾아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 찾지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 찾아요 | [차자요] |
| Polite past | 찾았어요 | [차자써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 찾을 거예요 | [차즐꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 찾겠어요 | [찯께써요] |
| Formal present | 찾습니다 | [찯씀니다] |
| Formal past | 찾았습니다 | [차잗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 찾을 것입니다 | [차즐꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 찾아 | [차자] |
| Casual past | 찾았어 | [차자써] |
| Casual future | 찾을 거야 | [차즐꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 찾고 싶어요 | [찯꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 찾으세요 | [차즈세요] |
| Because / and then | 찾아서 | [차자서] |
| If (conditional) | 찾으면 | [차즈면] |
| Present modifier | 찾는 | [찬는] |
| Past modifier | 찾은 | [차즌] |
| Future modifier | 찾을 | [차즐] |
| Short negative | 안 찾아요 | [안 차자요] |
| Long negative | 찾지 않아요 | [찯찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 지금 지갑을 찾았어요 (meaning I am still searching)
Correct: ✓ 지금 지갑을 찾고 있어요
Why: Past 찾았어요 means you found it. If you are still searching, use the ongoing 찾고 있어요 (or the plain present 찾아요).
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 찾다 |
|---|---|
| 잃어버리다 | 찾다 is to look for or find; 잃어버리다 is to lose. They are two halves of one story: first you lose a wallet, then you look for it. |
| 구하다 | 찾다 is to look for something specific you are trying to locate; 구하다 is to seek or obtain something you need, such as a job or help. |
Looking for a Wallet before Leaving
Two roommates are about to leave home. One cannot find a wallet, and the other offers a place to check. The last line reports a successful search.
Jisu
뭐 찾아요?
Mwo chajayo?
What are you looking for?
Alex
지갑을 찾고 있어요.
Jigabeul chatgo isseoyo.
I’m looking for my wallet.
Jisu
가방 안에 있어요?
Gabang ane isseoyo?
Is it inside your bag?
Alex
네, 찾았어요!
Ne, chajasseoyo!
Yes, I found it!
뭐 찾아요 leaves out the object marker after 뭐, “what,” as people often do in conversation. 찾고 있어요 makes the ongoing search explicit. 찾았어요 announces the result. English uses different verbs for “look for” and “find,” but this exchange keeps 찾다 and changes the form and context.
Which Everyday Phrases Use 찾다?
길을 찾다 means to find or look for a route. In a station or an unfamiliar neighbourhood, it can concern working out which way to go. 일자리를 찾다 means to look for a job. The object need not be a lost possession: it can be something you need to locate or obtain.
돈을 찾다 means to withdraw money when the setting is a bank or cash machine. The literal “find money” reading would fit a different story, such as discovering cash on the ground. Listen for a bank location or an account reference before deciding which English meaning fits.
물건을 찾다 can mean collecting an item that has been kept for you, such as a repaired product or luggage. The item is available and you are retrieving it, rather than searching a room. At a service counter, the situation often makes this meaning clear before the verb appears.
손님이 찾다 describes a customer or visitor asking for someone or seeking a product. 손님 is the subject, so the next useful question is what or whom they want. The verb’s object may be understood from a previous sentence.
Where Will You Hear or See 찾다?
A shop assistant may use 찾으세요 to ask what a customer is looking for. In that setting, the form can be part of a polite question rather than a command. The exact question and intonation tell you which. The 시 in the ending shows respect to the customer doing the looking.
찾습니다 appears in notices looking for a person, an owner or an item. It is the formal present, so a notice with this word normally announces an active search. 찾았어요 in a message, by contrast, often ends the search by reporting success.
For digital searching, 검색하다 names the search action on a website or in a database. 찾다 covers the broader goal. You can search online with 검색하다 and still fail to locate what you wanted. The two verbs describe related stages rather than guaranteeing the same result.
Why Is 찾다 Regular despite Its Sound Changes?
The written stem stays 찾 in 찾아요, 찾으면 and 찾는. Before the vowel in 찾아요, the final ㅊ links into the next syllable, giving the pronunciation already shown in the table. Before ㄴ in 찾는, the sound becomes nasal. Neither change removes the written ㅊ or makes the verb irregular.
Use the vowel of 찾, which is ㅏ, to choose 아 rather than 어: 찾아요. For endings that offer an 으 form after a consonant, keep that vowel, as in 찾으면 and 찾으세요. The spelling and the sound have different jobs here: the spelling preserves the stem, while the sound adjusts to the next syllable.
Tense is a useful clue to meaning, but it is not an absolute rule. 찾았어요 usually means “found it” in a lost-wallet conversation. In a bank conversation, the same past form can report withdrawing money. First identify the object and setting, then interpret the tense.
Words for a Search
| Word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 지갑 | wallet | An everyday object in lost-item conversations. |
| 열쇠 | key | Another common object of 찾다. |
| 분실물 | lost property | The category to ask about after losing an item. |
| 주인 | owner | The person a found item needs to reach. |
| 검색 | search | The noun used for digital information searches. |
The everyday objects lesson teaches more things you might need to locate at home.
Mini Drill: Searching or Finding?
- You still cannot see your wallet. Choose 찾고 있어요 or 찾았어요.
- Complete the conditional: 찾___ 바로 연락할게요.
- Give the respectful polite form for a customer’s searching.
- Choose the written present modifier: 찾는 or 찬는.
Show the search answers
- 찾고 있어요. The search is ongoing.
- 찾으면 바로 연락할게요.
- 찾으세요.
- 찾는. The pronunciation is [찬는], but the spelling keeps 찾.
Quick Self-Test
- What can 돈을 찾다 mean at a bank?
- Does a sound change make 찾다 irregular?
- In the dialogue, which form shows that the wallet has been located?
Show answers
- To withdraw money.
- No. The written stem remains 찾.
- 찾았어요.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'I Am Looking for My Wallet'?
Say 지갑을 찾고 있어요, using the ongoing form. 찾았어요 would mean you already found it.
Can 찾다 Mean 'Withdraw Money'?
Yes. 돈을 찾다 is the standard bank expression.
What Does 찾아가다 Mean?
찾아가다 means to go and visit a person or place, literally 'go to find'.
How Do I Say 'If I Find It'?
Use 찾으면: 찾으면 바로 연락할게요.
Which Words Are Related to 찾다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, learn 잃어버리다 for things you have lost, and 구하다 for seeking help or work; the rule behind this page is in polite present recipe, and any form can be checked in the Korean verb conjugator, the full list is in the Korean verb dictionary.