Key Facts
- Hangul: 취직하다 (chwijikada)
- Meaning: to get a job
- Spoken as: [취지카다]
- Level: B1
- Stem: 취직하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: intransitive
Meaning and Register
취직하다 means to get a job, to start working at a company: 회사에 취직하다. The company takes 에.
It belongs to talk about careers. Two related nouns are useful: 취직 준비 (job hunting) and 취업 (employment).
The central meaning:
- to get a job. Start working at a company: 회사에 취직하다.
Grammar note: The company takes 에: 회사에 취직하다.
Usage note: Common in talk about careers. Related nouns: 취직 준비 (job hunting), 취업.
Sound
The ㄱ of 직 meets the ㅎ and gives a ㅋ sound: [취지카다], 취직해요 [취지캐요], 취직했어요 [취지캐써요], 취직합니다 [취지캄니다].
Example Sentences
친구가 큰 회사에 취직했어요.
My friend got a job at a big company.
The company takes 에: 큰 회사에 (at a big company).
졸업하면 취직할 거예요.
After graduating I will get a job.
졸업하면 (after I graduate) sets the time, and 취직할 거예요 states the plan.
빨리 취직하고 싶어요.
I want to get a job soon.
빨리 (soon, quickly) with the want-to form.
Chwijikada Conjugation Table
하다 pattern: 취직해요, 취직했어요, 취직해, then 취직합니다, 취직하면, 취직하는. Negatives: 취직 안 해요, 취직하지 않아요.
취직하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 취직해요 | ||
| Polite past | 취직했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 취직할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 취직하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 취직합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 취직했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 취직할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 취직해 | ||
| Casual past | 취직했어 | ||
| Casual future | 취직할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 취직하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 취직하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 취직해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 취직하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 취직하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 취직한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 취직할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 취직 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 취직하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 취직해요 | [취지캐요] |
| Polite past | 취직했어요 | [취지캐써요] |
| Polite future | 취직할 거예요 | [취지칼꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 취직하겠어요 | [취지카게써요] |
| Formal present | 취직합니다 | [취지캄니다] |
| Formal past | 취직했습니다 | [취지캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 취직할 것입니다 | [취지칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 취직해 | [취지캐] |
| Casual past | 취직했어 | [취지캐써] |
| Casual future | 취직할 거야 | [취지칼꺼야] |
| Want to | 취직하고 싶어요 | [취지카고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 취직하세요 | [취지카세요] |
| Because | 취직해서 | [취지캐서] |
| If | 취직하면 | [취지카면] |
| Present modifier | 취직하는 | [취지카는] |
| Past modifier | 취직한 | [취지칸] |
| Future modifier | 취직할 | [취지칼] |
| Short negative | 취직 안 해요 | - |
| Long negative | 취직하지 않아요 | [취지카지 아나요] |
Class: 하다 Type
하다 type; the noun part 취직 never changes.
하 + 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-.
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 회사를 취직했어요.
Correct: ✓ 회사에 취직했어요.
Why: 취직하다 takes 에 for the workplace.
English "get a job at a company" leads some learners to make the company an object. In Korean the company is where you join, so it takes 에.
Confusable Verbs
| Verb | Difference |
|---|---|
| 일하다 | 일하다 is the act of working; 취직하다 is getting hired. |
| 출근하다 | 출근하다 is going to work each day; 취직하다 is getting the job. |
The Path to a Job
Related verbs trace a career path. 졸업하다 is graduating, 합격하다 is passing an exam or interview, 취직하다 is getting the job, 출근하다 is the first commute and 일하다 is the work itself.
The second example follows that order: 졸업하면 sets graduation as the condition and 취직할 거예요 states the plan that follows. Putting the conditional first and the plan second is a natural pattern for any life-stage sentence.
Two related nouns help with reading. 취직 준비 is job hunting, and 취업 is the broader word for employment. Neither is a verb, so they take the usual noun particles when they are the topic of a sentence.
Sharing News after a Job Interview
Two former classmates meet after one has received a job offer. They use polite speech even though they know each other.
Jisu
취직했어요?
Chwijikaesseoyo?
Did you get a job?
Alex
네. 작은 회사에 취직했어요.
Ne. Jageun hoesae chwijikaesseoyo.
Yes. I got a job at a small company.
Jisu
축하해요. 저도 빨리 취직하고 싶어요.
Chukahaeyo. Jeodo ppalli chwijikago sipeoyo.
Congratulations. I want to get a job soon too.
Alex
어떤 회사에 취직할 거예요?
Eotteon hoesae chwijikal geoyeyo?
What kind of company are you planning to get a job at?
The past 취직했어요 reports the result of the job search. The wish 취직하고 싶어요 describes the other speaker’s goal, and 취직할 거예요 asks about a future plan. The final question asks about an intended workplace; it does not imply that an offer is already guaranteed.
Phrases You Will Meet While Job Hunting
회사에 취직하다 means to get a job at a company. The company can be described with 큰, “big”, or 작은, “small”, without changing the particle 에. A city can also give the location of the new job. Keep the role of each noun clear: the person gets hired, and the workplace follows 에.
취직 준비 means preparation for getting a job. It can include writing applications and practising interviews. It does not mean that the person has already been hired. 취직 준비를 하다 names that preparation as an activity, while 취직하다 names the successful move into employment.
취직이 되다 is another common way of talking about getting a job. The noun 취직 takes 이 here. This structure focuses on the outcome coming about. It is useful to recognise alongside the active verb, but you do not need to change 회사에 when you name the workplace.
Where Will You Hear 취직하다?
Family conversations, reunions and graduation discussions often include 취직했어요? The question asks whether someone has found employment. It can feel personal if you do not know the person well, especially if the search has been difficult. When sharing your own news, naming the company or field gives the listener something concrete to respond to.
Career services and employment news often use 취업, the noun for employment, in headings and programme names. In everyday conversation, 취직하다 is a natural way to report getting a job. The two belong to the same topic; 취업 is not limited to a completely different kind of employment.
A company advertisement may use 채용, meaning recruitment or hiring. That wording presents the company’s action. 취직하다 presents the job seeker’s result. Reading a hiring notice does not mean you have 취직했어요 yet: an application and interview can still come first.
Job-Search Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 이력서 | résumé / CV | The document that lists your background and experience. |
| 지원하다 | to apply | Applying comes before the result described by 취직하다. |
| 면접 | interview | A stage in the hiring process, not the job itself. |
| 채용 | recruitment / hiring | Often appears in notices from the employer. |
The job interview vocabulary lesson teaches the language around applications and interviews. Knowing which stage you are describing helps you choose between applying, interviewing and getting hired.
Why Does the Spelling Keep 직하?
The sound of 취직하다 can hide the boundary between 취직 and 하다. The spelling keeps both parts even though ㄱ and ㅎ combine in pronunciation. The same boundary remains in 취직해요 and 취직했어요. Conjugate the 하다 part; do not respell the noun to match what you hear.
The short negative 취직 안 해요 normally expresses not taking a job, such as a decision to continue studying. It does not by itself explain a failed job search. In a conversation about difficulty finding work, add that context rather than expecting 안 to communicate inability. The 하다 conjugation lesson shows how the final verb changes.
Mini Drill
- Choose the workplace particle: 회사__ 취직했어요.
- Change 취직해요 to a report about the past.
- Say “I want to get a job”.
- Give the conditional form meaning “if/when I get a job”.
Show drill answers
- 회사에 취직했어요.
- 취직했어요.
- 취직하고 싶어요.
- 취직하면.
Quick Self-Test
- Which reports being hired: 취직했어요 or 일해요?
- Does 취직 준비 mean someone already has a job?
- Whose action does 채용 present in a hiring notice?
Show self-test answers
- 취직했어요 reports getting hired; 일해요 describes working.
- No. It means preparing to get a job.
- The employer’s recruitment or hiring.
FAQ
Which Particle Marks the Company?
에, as in 회사에 취직하다 (get a job at a company).
What Is the Polite Past?
취직했어요 (I got a job), read [취지캐써요].
How Do I Say "I Will Get a Job"?
Use the plan future 취직할 거예요, as in 졸업하면 취직할 거예요.
Is 취직하다 the Same as Working?
No. 취직하다 is the event of getting hired; the daily work itself is 일하다.
How Is 취직하다 Pronounced?
It is read [취지카다]: the final ㄱ of 직 merges with the ㅎ of 하 into ㅋ.
Related Verbs
Next Steps
Read 일하다 and 출근하다, then 졸업하다 and 합격하다.
To try other forms of 취직하다 yourself, open the Korean verb conjugator; all entries are listed in the verb dictionary.