Key Facts
- Hangul: 도착하다 (dochakada)
- Meaning: to arrive
- Spoken as: [도차카다]
- Level: A2
- Stem: 도착하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: intransitive
Meaning and Register
도착하다 means to arrive, to reach a destination, as in 서울에 도착하다. It is a 하다 verb at level A2.
The destination takes 에 and there is no object. Typical collocations are 공항에 도착하다 and 집에 도착하다, an airport and a home.
In respectful speech the honorific polite form is 도착하세요, for example when you ask what time a senior will arrive.
Meanings:
- to arrive. Reach a destination, as in 서울에 도착하다.
Sound
The ㄱ at the end of 착 meets the ㅎ of 하 and turns into a ㅋ sound, so the dictionary form is read [도차카다]. The same happens in the conjugated forms: 도착해요 is read [도차캐요], 도착했어요 is read [도차캐써요] and 도착합니다 is read [도차캄니다]. Reading the written syllables one by one gives the wrong sound.
Example Sentences
기차가 서울에 도착해요.
The train arrives in Seoul.
The train is the subject and Seoul takes 에. The present tense here describes a scheduled arrival, which is a common use in timetables.
저는 어제 공항에 도착했어요.
I arrived at the airport yesterday.
도착했어요 with 어제 and 공항에 is the model for a personal arrival report.
도착하면 연락하세요.
Please contact me when you arrive.
The conditional 도착하면 fronts the clause, followed by a request to contact the speaker. It is the sentence to learn for 'let me know when you arrive'.
Dochakada Conjugation Table
This is a 하다 verb: 하 plus 여 contracts into 해, so every ending that starts with 아 or 어 becomes 해: 도착해요, 도착했어요, 도착해. Other forms attach to 하: 도착합니다, 도착하면, 도착하는. The short negative puts 안 after the noun part: 도착 안 해요, and the long form is 도착하지 않아요.
도착하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 도착해요 | ||
| Polite past | 도착했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 도착할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 도착하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 도착합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 도착했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 도착할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 도착해 | ||
| Casual past | 도착했어 | ||
| Casual future | 도착할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 도착하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 도착하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 도착해서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 도착하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 도착하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 도착한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 도착할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 도착 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 도착하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 도착해요 | [도차캐요] |
| Polite past | 도착했어요 | [도차캐써요] |
| Polite future | 도착할 거예요 | [도차칼꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 도착하겠어요 | [도차카게써요] |
| Formal present | 도착합니다 | [도차캄니다] |
| Formal past | 도착했습니다 | [도차캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 도착할 것입니다 | [도차칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 도착해 | [도차캐] |
| Casual past | 도착했어 | [도차캐써] |
| Casual future | 도착할 거야 | [도차칼꺼야] |
| Want to | 도착하고 싶어요 | [도차카고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 도착하세요 | [도차카세요] |
| Because | 도착해서 | [도차캐서] |
| If | 도착하면 | [도차카면] |
| Present modifier | 도착하는 | [도차카는] |
| Past modifier | 도착한 | [도차칸] |
| Future modifier | 도착할 | [도차칼] |
| Short negative | 도착 안 해요 | - |
| Long negative | 도착하지 않아요 | [도차카지 아나요] |
Class: 하다 Type
It is a 하다 type verb. The noun part 도착 stays unchanged, and the pattern on this page is the same as in every other 하다 verb. See the 하다 conjugation lesson for the rule.
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 서울을 도착해요
Correct: ✓ 서울에 도착해요
Why: 도착하다 marks the destination with 에, not 을/를.
English 'reach Seoul' takes a direct object, which is where the 을/를 comes from. Korean treats Seoul as the destination, so it takes 에.
Confusable Verbs
| Verb | Difference |
|---|---|
| 오다 | 도착하다 is to arrive at a destination; 오다 is to come, with no stress on the arrival. |
| 출발하다 | 도착하다 is to arrive; 출발하다 is to depart. |
오다 is simply coming, with no emphasis on arrival. 도착하다 focuses on reaching the destination.
출발하다 is the opposite end of the trip: departing. A timetable uses both words together.
Meeting at the Station
Jisu is waiting outside a station. Alex messages from the train, then sends an update after getting off.
Jisu
몇 시에 도착해요?
Myeot sie dochakaeyo?
What time do you arrive?
Alex
세 시에 도착해요.
Se sie dochakaeyo.
I’ll arrive at three.
Jisu
도착하면 연락하세요.
Dochakamyeon yeollakaseyo.
Contact me when you arrive.
Alex
지금 도착했어요.
Jigeum dochakaesseoyo.
I’ve just arrived.
The present question and answer describe a schedule: a present ending can refer to an expected arrival when the time is clear. The last line reports a completed event. In a message, 도착했어요 often translates naturally as “I’m here.” It confirms that the journey has ended, even if the person is still looking for the meeting point.
Arrival Phrases on Screens and in Messages
도착 시간 means “arrival time.” On a travel booking, it labels the time you reach the destination. 출발 시간 is the matching “departure time.” Read the label before copying the time into a message: the two numbers describe opposite ends of the journey.
도착 예정 means “expected arrival.” The noun 예정 adds the idea of a schedule or expectation; it does not promise that the train is already there. 도착 완료 means “arrival completed” and can appear in status information. Short screen labels often use 도착 without 하다 because the label names an event rather than making a full sentence.
무사히 도착하다 means “to arrive safely,” literally to arrive without mishap. It fits a message after a long drive or flight. 잘 도착하다 also appears in everyday travel check-ins, where 잘 asks whether the journey ended okay rather than praising someone's arrival technique.
도착하다 works for things as well as people. A parcel, a letter or a train can be the subject. In a delivery notification, look for what arrived: the arrival of a parcel at a sorting center does not necessarily mean it has reached your door.
What Makes an Arrival Sentence Tricky?
A time and a destination can both take 에. In a sentence about arriving in Seoul at three, one 에 belongs to the city and the other belongs to the hour. Their meanings come from the nouns, so you do not need to remove one to avoid repetition.
Keep 도착하다 together as one dictionary verb. The short negative 도착 안 해요 separates the noun part and 하다, but that spacing does not carry over to the ordinary positive form. Compare it with 도착하지 않아요, where the negative ending follows the complete stem.
An arrival is a point in the journey. 도착해서 links reaching the place to what happens afterward, while 도착하면 sets up a condition or an expected next step. The dialogue uses the latter because the call should happen once Alex gets there.
도착하세요 honors the arriving person. When asking a teacher about their arrival time, it can be a question rather than an instruction to arrive. The question word and intonation make the difference; the ending alone does not tell you the sentence's purpose.
| Related word | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 도착 | arrival | The noun used in timetable headings. |
| 출발 | departure | The start of the trip, paired with arrival. |
| 공항 | airport | A destination commonly used with 에. |
| 예정 | plan / expectation | Helps you read an estimated arrival status. |
The transportation vocabulary lesson explains the travel words you will see beside these labels.
Mini Drill: Report an Arrival
- Complete the destination: 서울___ 도착해요.
- Change 도착해요 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional for “when you arrive.”
- Write the short negative shown in the table, with spaces.
Show arrival drill answers
- 서울에 도착해요. Seoul is the destination.
- 도착했어요.
- 도착하면.
- 도착 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 도착 예정 mean the arrival has already happened?
- Which verb describes the start of a journey?
- In the station dialogue, why does the final message use the past?
Show answers
- No. It means the arrival is expected or scheduled.
- 출발하다, to depart.
- Alex has reached the station; the arrival is complete.
FAQ
What Marks the Destination?
에, as in 서울에 도착해요.
How Do I Say 'Let Me Know When You Arrive'?
Use the conditional 도착하면 followed by 연락하세요, as in the example.
How Is 도착하다 Pronounced?
[도차카다], with a ㅋ sound in the middle.
What Is the Short Negative?
도착 안 해요.
Is It Regular?
Yes, it is a 하다 verb.
Related Verbs
Next Steps
Read 출발하다 next, then 돌아오다. 가다 is on the related list for the plain going verb.
To try other forms of 도착하다 yourself, open the Korean verb conjugator; all entries are listed in the verb dictionary.