Key Facts
- Hangul: 가지다 (gajida)
- Meaning: to have; to hold
- Level: A2
- Stem: 가지
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 가지세요
What Does 가지다 Mean?
가지다 means to have or to hold, as in 돈을 가지다. It is transitive and takes 을/를. Register matters here: in daily speech 있다 is more common for 'have', and 가지다 shows up in phrases like 관심을 가지다 and in 가지고 가다 / 가지고 오다, which often shorten to 가져가다 and 가져오다. The honorific is 가지세요.
Meanings:
- to have; to hold. Used for possessing or carrying something: 돈을 가지다 (to have money).
How Do You Pronounce 가지다?
The stem 가지 merges with the ending, so 가져요 is read [가저요]: after ㅈ, ㅉ and ㅊ, the vowel ㅕ is pronounced ㅓ. The formal and future forms also shift as listed below.
Romanized as gajida. How the forms sound:
- 가져요 [가저요]
- 가졌어요 [가저써요]
- 가질 거예요 [가질꺼예요]
- 가지겠어요 [가지게써요]
- 가집니다 [가짐니다]
- 가졌습니다 [가젇씀니다]
- 가질 것입니다 [가질꺼심니다]
- 가져 [가저]
- 가졌어 [가저써]
- 가질 거야 [가질꺼야]
- 가지고 싶어요 [가지고 시퍼요]
- 가져서 [가저서]
- 안 가져요 [안 가저요]
- 가지지 않아요 [가지지 아나요]
How Do You Use 가지다 in a Sentence?
이거 가지세요.
Here, please keep this.
A polite offer: 이거 (this) is the object with its particle dropped, and the honorific 가지세요 invites the listener to take it and keep it. You hear this when someone hands over a gift or a spare item. (가지세요)
어릴 때부터 한국 문화에 관심을 가졌어요.
I became interested in Korean culture as a child.
The fixed phrase 관심을 가지다, to take an interest, with the topic marked by 에 (한국 문화에). 어릴 때부터 means 'since I was little', and 가졌어요 is the past. (가졌어요)
저도 그런 가방을 가지고 싶어요.
I want to have a bag like that too.
가지고 싶어요 is the want-to form, and it is the natural way to say you want to own something: 그런 가방을 means 'a bag like that'. Here 가지다 is about owning, not carrying. (가지고 싶어요)
How Does Gajida Conjugation Work?
가지다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 가져요 | ||
| Polite past | 가졌어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 가질 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 가지겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 가집니다 | ||
| Formal past | 가졌습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 가질 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 가져 | ||
| Casual past | 가졌어 | ||
| Casual future | 가질 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 가지고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 가지세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 가져서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 가지면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 가지는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 가진 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 가질 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 가져요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 가지지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 가져요 | [가저요] |
| Polite past | 가졌어요 | [가저써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 가질 거예요 | [가질꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 가지겠어요 | [가지게써요] |
| Formal present | 가집니다 | [가짐니다] |
| Formal past | 가졌습니다 | [가젇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 가질 것입니다 | [가질꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 가져 | [가저] |
| Casual past | 가졌어 | [가저써] |
| Casual future | 가질 거야 | [가질꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 가지고 싶어요 | [가지고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 가지세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 가져서 | [가저서] |
| Conditional (if) | 가지면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 가지는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 가진 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 가질 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 가져요 | [안 가저요] |
| Long negative | 가지지 않아요 | [가지지 아나요] |
Is 가지다 Regular or Irregular?
가지다 is regular. The stem 가지 ends in 지, and 지 plus 어 contracts to 져. That contraction is the only change, and it produces 가져요 and 가졌어요. Do not mistake the ㅈ+ㅕ spelling for an irregular pattern. For the pattern behind it, see polite present recipe.
Common Mistake with 가지다
Wrong: ✗ 저는 형이 가져요
Correct: ✓ 저는 형이 있어요
Why: For people or relatives, Korean uses 있다 (to exist), not 가지다.
Use 가지다 for things you own, hold or take. For people, including family, Korean says that they exist for you, so 'I have an older brother' is 저는 형이 있어요.
가지다 Versus 있다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 있다 | 있다 is the normal way to say you have something (저는 차가 있어요). 가지다 sounds more formal or stresses owning, holding or taking; in the present, 가지고 있어요 is the natural 'have'. |
| 들다 | 들다 means to hold or carry something in the hand; 가지다 is wider and also means to own. |
Offering a Spare Bag
Two friends are sorting spare bags before an outing. One offers a bag to keep, and the other explains why they want it.
Jisu
이 가방 가지세요.
I gabang gajiseyo.
Please keep this bag.
Minho
저도 이런 가방을 가지고 싶어요.
Jeodo ireon gabangeul gajigo sipeoyo.
I want to have a bag like this too.
Jisu
그럼 이거 가지세요.
Geureom igeo gajiseyo.
Then please keep this one.
Minho
고마워요. 잘 쓸게요.
Gomawoyo. Jal sseulgeyo.
Thank you. I will put it to good use.
가지세요 offers possession, while 가지고 싶어요 expresses wanting to own something. The speaker offering the bag does not specify a destination. If the instruction were to take the bag away when leaving, 가져가세요 would make that movement explicit.
Why Does English “Have” Need More than One Verb?
가지다 emphasizes possessing, taking or keeping something. 있다 often reports that something is available or belongs to you. In 저는 차가 있어요, “I have a car”, 차 is marked with 가. In 돈을 가지다, money is the object of 가지다 and takes 을. Changing the verb can therefore change the particle pattern as well as the meaning.
For current possession, 가지고 있어요 is a common expression. The 고 form connects 가지다 with 있다 to describe having something in your possession.
The offer 이거 가지세요 can transfer an item to the listener. That is different from asking someone merely to hold it for a moment. In the bag dialogue, the final promise to use it confirms that the bag is being given to keep. If you only need someone to hold a heavy bag, choose wording built around 들다 and explain the temporary task.
Common Combinations beyond Objects
관심을 가지다 means taking or having an interest. The object 관심 is the interest itself, and 에 marks what it is directed toward: 한국 문화에 관심을 가지다. English may say “be interested in Korean culture”, but the Korean expression treats interest as something a person has.
자신감을 가지다 means having confidence. It often appears in encouragement: the focus is on a person's attitude rather than a possession that can be handed over. A learner who knows only the literal “hold an object” meaning may miss this use.
시간을 가지다 means setting aside or having time for something. It occurs in expressions about taking time to think or talk. 회의를 가지다 means holding a meeting; it is common in organized or workplace writing. These uses make 가지다 useful beyond buying, owning and carrying things.
Where Will You Hear 가지다?
가지세요 appears when someone offers a spare item, a gift or something they no longer need. 가지고 싶어요 comes up in wishes about possessions, including clothes, bags and equipment. Neither phrase automatically means that the desired object has been obtained.
In interviews, introductions and articles, 관심을 가지다 describes interests and how they developed. In encouragement, 자신감을 가지다 concerns confidence. Keep the noun and the verb together when learning these phrases; translating 가지다 as the same English verb in every setting can sound unnatural.
Spelling and Movement Verbs
가지 plus 어 becomes 가져, but the spelling keeps 져 even though it sounds [저]. For movement, recognize 가지고 가다 and 가지고 오다 alongside the contracted verbs 가져가다 and 가져오다. In 가지고 싶어요, keep a space before 싶어요.
Words for Possession and Relationships
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 관심 | interest | The topic of interest takes 에. |
| 자신감 | confidence | An attitude in 자신감을 가지다. |
| 형 | older brother (male speaker) | Family relationships use 있다 rather than 가지다. |
| 있다 | exist / have | Uses 이/가 for the thing you have. |
The family vocabulary lesson supplies kinship words for sentences using 있다, such as the older-brother example above.
Mini Drill: Possession and Particles
- Give the polite past of 가지다.
- Complete “interest in Korean culture”: 한국 문화___ 관심___ 가지다.
- Give the want-to form of 가지다.
- Choose the verb for “I have an older brother”: 가지다 or 있다.
Show drill answers
- 가졌어요.
- 한국 문화에 관심을 가지다.
- 가지고 싶어요. The wish expression stays separate.
- 있다, as in 저는 형이 있어요 for a male speaker.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 가지세요 necessarily tell someone to go somewhere?
- What is being “had” in 자신감을 가지다?
- Which particle marks the car in 저는 차가 있어요?
Show answers
- No. It can mean “keep this”; 가져가세요 explicitly includes taking it away.
- Confidence, an attitude rather than a physical object.
- 가, because 있다 uses the thing as its subject.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Say 'I Have an Older Brother' with 가지다?
No. For people and relatives Korean uses 있다: 저는 형이 있어요 is correct, and 저는 형이 가져요 is the typical mistake. (형 is an older brother, as a male speaker says it.)
Why Does the Polite Present Look Like 가져요?
The stem 가지 plus 어 contracts to 가져요. It is the normal regular contraction, not an irregularity.
What Are 가져가다 and 가져오다?
They are contractions of 가지고 가다 and 가지고 오다, taking and bringing things. Each has its own entry.
Which Phrase Uses 가지다 outside Ownership?
관심을 가지다, to take an interest, as in 한국 문화에 관심을 가졌어요.
Which Words Are Related to 가지다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go to 가져가다 and 가져오다 for the carry-along verbs built on this one, then 들다 and 잡다 for hand actions. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator.