Key Facts
- Hangul: 당기다 (danggida)
- Meaning: to pull
- Level: B1
- Syllables: 3 (당 · 기 · 다)
- Stem: 당기
- Conjugation class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
- Polite present: 당겨요
What Does 당기다 Mean?
What is pulled takes 을/를 (문을 당겨요).
On a door you will see 당기다 on the pull side and 밀다 on the push side. The usual objects are 문, 줄 and 손잡이, all things that come toward you. Strength shows in an adverb: 줄을 세게 당겼어요 pulls the rope hard, and 손잡이를 당기면 열려요 says the handle opens when pulled. If you only grab and do not move the thing, 잡다 is the better verb.
How Do You Pronounce 당기다?
Danggida has 3 syllables (당 · 기 · 다) and is said as it is spelled.
How Do You Use 당기다 in a Sentence?
문을 당겨요.
I pull the door.
당겨요 is the polite present form.
줄을 세게 당겼어요.
I pulled the rope hard.
당겼어요 is the polite past form.
손잡이를 당기면 열려요.
If you pull the handle, it opens.
당기면 is the if (conditional) form.
Usage Notes
If you already know 밀다, use it as a memory hook: one verb brings the thing toward you and the other sends it away. Dragging something along behind you is 끌다, a different movement, because the thing trails after you instead of coming straight to you. The conditional 손잡이를 당기면 열려요 reads like an instruction on a device.
How Does Danggida Conjugation Work?
당기다 is regular: 기 and the ending 어 contract to 겨, giving 당겨요 and 당겼어요.
The pattern behind 당기다 (to pull) is taught step by step in polite present recipe.
당기다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 당겨요 | ||
| Polite past | 당겼어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 당길 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 당기겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 당깁니다 | ||
| Formal past | 당겼습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 당길 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 당겨 | ||
| Casual past | 당겼어 | ||
| Casual future | 당길 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 당기고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 당기세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 당겨서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 당기면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 당기는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 당긴 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 당길 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 당겨요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 당기지 않아요 |
Before a noun, 당기다 (to pull) becomes 당기는 (present) or 당긴 (past); as a link between clauses it is 당겨서 for 'because' and 당기면 for 'if'.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 당겼어요 | [당겨써요] |
| Future (plan) | 당길 거예요 | [당길꺼예요] |
| Future (guess) | 당기겠어요 | [당기게써요] |
| Formal present | 당깁니다 | [당김니다] |
| Formal past | 당겼습니다 | [당겯씀니다] |
| Formal future | 당길 것입니다 | [당길꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 당겼어 | [당겨써] |
| Casual future | 당길 거야 | [당길꺼야] |
| Want to | 당기고 싶어요 | [당기고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 당기지 않아요 | [당기지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong (in speech): ✗ 당기어요
Correct: ✓ 당겨요
Why: 기 + 어 contracts to 겨. The full form 당기어요 can appear in writing, but in speech and everyday spelling the polite form is 당겨요.
당기다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 밀다 | 밀다 is the opposite: to push. |
| 끌다 | 끌다 is to drag something along behind you. |
| 잡다 | 잡다 is to hold or grab, without necessarily pulling. |
At a Café Door
A visitor cannot open the café door. A friend beside them explains the direction.
Alex
문을 당겼어요. 안 열려요.
Muneul danggyeosseoyo. An yeollyeoyo.
I pulled the door. It won’t open.
Jisu
이쪽은 밀어요. 안에서 나오면 당겨요.
Ijjogeun mireoyo. Aneseo naomyeon danggyeoyo.
You push on this side. You pull when coming out from inside.
Alex
아, 나갈 때 당기면 돼요?
A, nagal ttae danggimyeon dwaeyo?
Oh, so I pull when I leave?
당겼어요 reports the failed attempt, 당겨요 describes the action from the other side, and 당기면 appears in a check about what to do. The same door can require opposite movements depending on where you stand. 이쪽 means “this side”, so the friend points out the relevant viewpoint.
Pull Signs, Cravings, and Earlier Dates
On doors, look for 당기세요, a polite instruction to pull. Some signs use 당김, a short label meaning “pull”. Its opposite label is 밀기 or 미세요, meaning “push”. The sign tells you the movement to make; it does not tell you whether the door is locked.
입맛이 당기다 means to feel an appetite. The attraction is figurative: food draws you toward eating. A particular food can also be the subject, as in 단 음식이 당겨요, “I feel like something sweet”. Here 이 marks what appeals to you, unlike 문을 당겨요, where 을 marks the object you physically pull.
일정을 당기다 means to move a schedule earlier. Imagine pulling an event toward the present on a calendar. Moving a meeting from Friday to Wednesday brings it forward; moving it to the following Monday goes the other way. The event or schedule keeps the object marker 을/를.
These appetite and scheduling uses are listed in the Korean Learners’ Dictionary entry for 당기다. They explain why a conversation containing 당기다 may have nothing to do with doors or ropes.
Where Does the Pulling Meaning Appear?
At the gym, a trainer can use 당기다 for pulling a cable or bringing a handle toward the body. 줄을 당기다 describes pulling a rope; 손잡이를 당기다 describes pulling a handle. The body part or object named in the instruction matters more than translating every occurrence as a whole-body movement.
In daily conversation, a drawer is another natural object. Pulling describes the action, while opening describes the result. A drawer can be pulled without opening fully, and a sliding door may open through a different movement. That is why 열다 and 당기다 are useful together without being synonyms.
The verb is neutral. A friend may say 당겨, while a staff member usually chooses 당기세요. Both describe the same movement. The longer form suits an instruction to an unfamiliar visitor; the short form suits someone you already address casually.
Why Does 기 Become 겨?
당겨요 contains the ordinary contraction of 기 plus 어. The stem is still 당기, which you can see clearly in 당기면 and 당기는. Avoid changing every form to 겨 just because the polite present uses it. The contraction belongs to endings beginning with 어.
The future 당길 거예요 has a space before 거예요. The present modifier 당기는 can describe an object being pulled or a mechanism operated by pulling. In both cases the ending attaches directly to the verb stem. A space belongs between that modifier and the following noun.
Objects and Directions to Recognize
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 문 | door | Check which side requires pulling. |
| 손잡이 | handle | Name the part you grip rather than the whole door. |
| 줄 | rope; cord | Often the object in exercise or equipment instructions. |
| 서랍 | drawer | A household object commonly opened by pulling. |
See everyday household objects for the surrounding vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Choose the Pulling Form
- Give the polite past of 당기다.
- Complete “if you pull”: 당기다 → ____.
- Choose the polite instruction: 당겨 or 당기세요?
- Give the short negative with 안.
Show drill answers
- 당겼어요.
- 당기면.
- 당기세요. 당겨 is casual.
- 안 당겨요, with a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- What movement does a door sign reading 당김 request?
- If you 당기다 a meeting date, does it become earlier or later?
- Does 단 음식이 당겨요 mean someone is pulling food with their hands?
Show answers
- Pull.
- Earlier.
- No. It means sweet food appeals to the speaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'I Pull the Door' in Korean?
문을 당겨요. What is pulled takes 을/를.
How Is 당기다 (to pull) Different from 밀다?
They are opposites: 당기다 brings something toward you, and 밀다 pushes it away. Doors are often marked with one or the other.
How Is 당기다 (to pull) Different from 끌다?
끌다 is dragging something along behind you; 당기다 pulls it straight toward you.
Is 당기어요 Correct Korean?
It is the uncontracted form and is not used in normal speech. Say 당겨요: 기 + 어 contracts to 겨.
What Is the Polite past of 당기다?
For 'to pull', the polite past is 당겼어요; the polite present is 당겨요 and the formal present is 당깁니다.
How Do You Say 'Not Pull' with 당기다?
For 'not pull', the short negative is 안 당겨요 and the long one is 당기지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 당기다?
- 밀다 (to push)
- 끌다 (to drag)
- 잡다 (to catch/hold)
- 열다 (to open)
- Korean verb dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Try other forms of 당기다 in the Korean verb conjugator, then continue with 밀다 (to push). More entries like 당기다 (to pull) sit together in the Korean verb dictionary.