Key Facts
- Hangul: 도와주다 (dowajuda)
- Meaning: to help (do something for someone)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 도와주
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific or humble: 도와드리다
What Does 도와주다 Mean?
도와주다 means to help do something for someone: 숙제를 도와주다. It takes 을/를 for the person helped and can take it for the task too. 도와주세요 is the standard way to ask for help. The humble partner is 도와드리다, used when you help someone you respect, and 도와드릴까요? offers help politely.
Senses:
- to help (do something for someone). Used for helping someone with a task: 숙제를 도와주다.
How Do You Pronounce 도와주다?
Mostly read as written; the main changes are the past [도와줘써요] and the formal present [도와줌니다].
Read as dowajuda. Pronunciation of each form:
- 도와줬어요 [도와줘써요]
- 도와줄 거예요 [도와줄꺼예요]
- 도와주겠어요 [도와주게써요]
- 도와줍니다 [도와줌니다]
- 도와줬습니다 [도와줟씀니다]
- 도와줄 것입니다 [도와줄꺼심니다]
- 도와줬어 [도와줘써]
- 도와줄 거야 [도와줄꺼야]
- 도와주고 싶어요 [도와주고 시퍼요]
- 도와주지 않아요 [도와주지 아나요]
How Do You Use 도와주다 in a Sentence?
친구가 저를 도와줘요.
My friend helps me.
The helper is 친구가 and the helped person 저를: both are marked in the usual way. (도와줘요)
선생님이 숙제를 도와줬어요.
The teacher helped with my homework.
A specific task: 선생님이 helped 숙제를, in the past form 도와줬어요. (도와줬어요)
저를 좀 도와주세요.
Could you help me, please?
A polite request: 도와주세요 is the honorific polite form, and 좀 softens it. (도와주세요)
How Does Dowajuda Conjugation Work?
도와주다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 도와줘요 | ||
| Polite past | 도와줬어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 도와줄 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 도와주겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 도와줍니다 | ||
| Formal past | 도와줬습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 도와줄 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 도와줘 | ||
| Casual past | 도와줬어 | ||
| Casual future | 도와줄 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 도와주고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 도와주세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 도와줘서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 도와주면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 도와주는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 도와준 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 도와줄 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 도와줘요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 도와주지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 도와줘요 | as written |
| Polite past | 도와줬어요 | [도와줘써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 도와줄 거예요 | [도와줄꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 도와주겠어요 | [도와주게써요] |
| Formal present | 도와줍니다 | [도와줌니다] |
| Formal past | 도와줬습니다 | [도와줟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 도와줄 것입니다 | [도와줄꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 도와줘 | as written |
| Casual past | 도와줬어 | [도와줘써] |
| Casual future | 도와줄 거야 | [도와줄꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 도와주고 싶어요 | [도와주고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 도와주세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 도와줘서 | as written |
| Conditional (if) | 도와주면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 도와주는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 도와준 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 도와줄 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 도와줘요 | as written |
| Long negative | 도와주지 않아요 | [도와주지 아나요] |
Is 도와주다 Regular or Irregular?
도와주다 is regular. The stem 도와주 ends in 주, and 주 plus 어 contracts to 줘, giving 도와줘요 and 도와줬어요. For the pattern behind it, see polite present recipe.
Common Mistake with 도와주다
Wrong (impolite): ✗ 할머니를 도와줘요
Correct (respectful): ✓ 할머니를 도와드려요
Why: When you help someone you respect, use the humble 도와드리다.
할머니를 도와줘요 is understood, but it sounds as if you are helping a peer or a child. For a grandparent, teacher or customer, the humble 도와드리다 shows respect to the person you help.
도와주다 Versus 돕다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 돕다 | 돕다 is more formal or general; 도와주다 is the everyday way to ask for or offer help. |
| 도와드리다 | 도와드리다 is the humble form, used when you help someone you respect. |
Talking about Help with a Move
Two coworkers are talking about a move that is taking several days. One asks who helped yesterday and whether that help will continue.
Jisu
어제 누가 이사를 도와줬어요?
Eoje nuga isareul dowajwosseoyo?
Who helped you move yesterday?
Minho
친구가 도와줬어요.
Chinguga dowajwosseoyo.
A friend helped me.
Jisu
오늘도 도와줘요?
Oneuldo dowajwoyo?
Are they helping today too?
Minho
네. 저도 다음에 도와줄 거예요.
Ne. Jeodo daeume dowajul geoyeyo.
Yes. I will help them next time too.
도와줬어요 asks about completed help, 도와줘요 checks today's arrangement, and 도와줄 거예요 states a plan to return the favor. The first line names the task with 이사를, while the reply names the helper with 친구가. In the final line, the friend becomes the person who will receive help.
Who Helps Whom?
In 친구가 저를 도와줘요, 친구가 is the helper and 저를 is the person receiving help. In 숙제를 도와주다, the object is the task instead. You can therefore understand the verb without expecting every sentence to name both a person and a task.
A useful way to expand a short request is to say what kind of help you need: 숙제 means homework, while 이사 means moving home. Helping with homework can mean explaining a question or checking an answer. The verb does not necessarily mean doing the whole assignment for someone.
The 주다 part presents the action as something done for another person's benefit. It does not mean giving money or handing over an object in this compound. That is why 도와주다 works for practical help, explaining something and sharing effort on a task.
Phrases You Will Hear Every Day
좀 도와주세요 is a polite request for help. 좀 literally relates to a small amount, but in a request it often softens the wording. It does not promise that the task will take only a moment. If the favor is large, the listener still needs enough information to decide whether they can help.
도와줘서 고마워요 means “thank you for helping”. 도와줘서 connects the help to the thanks. It suits thanking a friend or peer while keeping a polite ending. If the helper deserves greater respect, the wording may change; the relationship still matters after the help is finished.
도와드릴까요? offers help respectfully, as a shop assistant might do for a customer. This asks whether help is wanted. 도와주세요 goes in the other direction: the speaker needs the listener's help. Remembering the direction of the favor prevents a polite phrase from sending the opposite message.
Requests, Offers and Respect
도와주세요 honors the person being asked to help through 세요. 도와드리다 honors the recipient of the help through 드리다. If you offer to help an older customer, 도와드릴까요? fits because the customer receives the benefit. If you ask that customer to help you, 도와주세요 fits the different direction of the request.
The humble forms lesson explains this recipient distinction. Adding 요 alone makes a sentence polite to the listener, but it does not replace the choice between 주다 and 드리다.
Why Is This Verb Regular When 돕다 Is Irregular?
The 도와 part already contains the changed form of 돕다. When you conjugate 도와주다, the ending attaches to the final 주: 도와줘요, 도와줬어요, 도와주면. You do not change 도와 again. Write the compound 도와주다 as one word, and keep the separate negative in 안 도와줘요.
Words That Make the Favor Specific
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 숙제 | homework | Names the task in 숙제를 도와주다. |
| 이사 | moving home | Useful when asking for help with a move. |
| 부탁 | request / favor | Names what you ask someone to do. |
| 알려주다 | let someone know / tell | Specifies giving information rather than general help. |
For school tasks and the objects around them, use the classroom vocabulary lesson.
Mini Drill: Form and Direction of Help
- Give the polite past of 도와주다.
- Complete “if you help”: 도와주다 → ____.
- Choose the phrase for asking for help: 도와주세요 or 도와드릴까요?
- Give the short negative of 도와줘요.
Show drill answers
- 도와줬어요. The final 주 combines with the past ending.
- 도와주면.
- 도와주세요. 도와드릴까요? offers help to someone else.
- 안 도와줘요, with a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- Who receives help in 친구가 저를 도와줘요?
- Does 좀 guarantee that a favor is small?
- What does 도와줘서 고마워요 thank someone for?
Show answers
- 저, “me”. The friend is the helper.
- No. It often softens a request.
- Helping the speaker or someone understood from the situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Offer Help Politely?
Say 도와드릴까요? (Shall I help you?). It uses the humble 도와드리다, which shows respect to the person you offer to help.
How Do I Ask for Help?
Say 도와주세요 (please help me). Add 좀 for a softer request: 저를 좀 도와주세요.
When Do I Use 도와드리다?
When the person you help is someone you respect, such as a grandparent, a teacher or a customer: 할머니를 도와드려요.
Can 도와주다 Take Two Objects?
Yes. The person helped takes 을/를, and the task can take 을/를 too, as in 숙제를 도와주다 (help with homework).
Which Words Are Related to 도와주다?
- 돕다
- 부탁하다
- 주다
- 알려주다
- Dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 돕다, 부탁하다 and 알려주다. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator.