Key Facts
- Hangul: 가깝다 (gakkapda)
- Meaning: near
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 가깝
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Dictionary form sounds like: [가깝따]
- Grammar: Descriptive word; the subject takes 이/가 and the reference takes 에서 or 와 (역에서 가까워요).
- Usage: Basic A1 word. Adverb 가까이 (가까이 오세요, come closer) is common. Close friends: 가까운 친구.
What Does 가깝다 Mean?
가깝다 means near. 집이 가까워요 says the house is close, and 가까운 곳 is a place nearby. It also describes closeness in relationship, as in 가까운 친구. The subject takes 이/가 and the reference point takes 에서 or 와: 역에서 가까워요.
How Do You Pronounce 가깝다?
The dictionary form is [가깝따]: the ㅂ stays and the 다 is tensed. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 워, so 가까워요 is read as written and 가까웠어요 is [가까워써요]. The formal 가깝습니다 is [가깝씀니다].
How Do You Use 가깝다 in a Sentence?
우리 집은 역에서 가까워요.
My home is close to the station.
우리 집은 is the topic, and 역에서 sets the station as the reference point.
가까운 곳에 식당이 있어요.
There is a restaurant nearby.
가까운 is the present modifier and goes before 곳에.
학교가 가까워서 걸어가요.
The school is near, so I walk.
학교가 가까워서 gives the reason, and 걸어가요 says how the speaker gets there.
The examples cover a plain statement, a modifier and a because-clause.
How Does Gakkapda Conjugation Work?
가깝다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 우, and 우 + 어 becomes 워: 가까워요, 가까웠어요, 가까워서. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 가깝습니다 and 가깝지 않아요. The present modifier is 가까운, and the if-form is 가까우면. The rule behind this class is in the lesson on ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives.
가깝다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 가까워요 | ||
| Polite past | 가까웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 가까울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 가깝겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 가깝습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 가까웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 가까울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 가까워 | ||
| Casual past | 가까웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 가까울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 가까우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 가까워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 가까우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 가까운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 가까웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 가까울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 가까워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 가깝지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 가까웠어요 | [가까워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 가까울 거예요 | [가까울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 가깝겠어요 | [가깝께써요] |
| Formal present | 가깝습니다 | [가깝씀니다] |
| Formal past | 가까웠습니다 | [가까웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 가까울 것입니다 | [가까울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 가까웠어 | [가까워써] |
| Casual future | 가까울 거야 | [가까울꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 가까웠던 | [가까웓떤] |
| Long negative | 가깝지 않아요 | [가깝찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 가깝다
Wrong: ✗ 가깝어요
Correct: ✓ 가까워요
Why: This is a ㅂ-irregular adjective: the ㅂ turns into 워 before 어, so 가까워요 is correct and 가깝어요 is not. The formal form is 가깝습니다.
가까이 and Close Friends
The adverb 가까이 is very common: 가까이 오세요 means come closer. 가깝다 also describes people you are close to, so 가까운 친구 is a close friend. As a basic A1 word, it is worth learning together with its irregular forms from the beginning.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 가깝다?
| Word | How to tell it from 가깝다 |
|---|---|
| 멀다 | The opposite: 멀다 is far, 가깝다 is near. |
| 친하다 | 친하다 is close in friendship; 가깝다 can also mean close in relationship but mainly means physical nearness. |
친하다 is close in friendship. 가깝다 can describe a close relationship too, but mainly means physical nearness.
Choosing a Café near the Station
Two travelers choose a place to meet. One asks about distance; the other compares an earlier café and suggests a nearby one.
Mina
이 카페는 역에서 가까워요?
I kapeneun yeogeseo gakkawoyo?
Is this café close to the station?
Alex
네, 어제 간 카페도 가까웠어요.
Ne, eoje gan kapedo gakkawosseoyo.
Yes, the café we went to yesterday was close too.
Mina
그럼 가까운 카페에서 만나요.
Geureom gakkaun kapeeseo mannayo.
Then let’s meet at a nearby café.
Alex
좋아요. 거기서 만나요.
Joayo. Geogiseo mannayo.
Sounds good. Let’s meet there.
가까워요 describes the current choice; 가까웠어요 recalls the earlier location; 가까운 selects a nearby café. Notice the two uses of 에서: 역에서 sets the reference point for distance, while 카페에서 marks where the meeting happens. The same particle serves different roles in the two clauses.
Which Close Expressions Mean Distance or Relationship?
가까운 곳 means a nearby place. It does not name a fixed walking time or number of meters. A local resident and a visitor carrying luggage may judge the same distance differently. When arranging a meeting, the phrase identifies the general area, while a travel time gives more precise information.
가까운 친구 means a close friend. Here the closeness concerns a relationship, so it does not tell you where the friend lives. A friend in another country can still be 가까운 친구. By contrast, a café described as 가까운 normally concerns physical distance from a location understood in the conversation.
가까운 미래 means the near future. The word extends from distance in space to distance in time. The phrase points forward without supplying a date. You may meet it in discussions of plans or expectations, where the surrounding sentence must explain what is expected to happen.
Where Will You See 가깝다 outside a Conversation?
Accommodation descriptions often mention a nearby station, beach or attraction. A phrase built around 가깝다 tells you the place is considered close to that reference point. It does not promise an easy route: stairs, road crossings and entrances are separate details that the adjective alone leaves unstated.
In directions, 가까운 출구 means a nearby exit. The modifier selects an exit by proximity. It does not necessarily mean the nearest exit unless the wording adds a comparison such as 가장, “most”. This distinction matters when a station has several exits within a short distance.
Relationship descriptions may use 가까운 without any travel context. Look for a person noun such as 친구 or a location noun such as 역 before translating. English “close” has a similar range, but the Korean noun and reference point are still needed to establish the intended meaning.
How Do You Choose the Particle and Form?
역에서 가까워요 presents the station as the reference point. A phrase with 와/과 can relate two places directly. In either pattern, 가깝다 describes the relationship between locations; it is not the action of moving toward them. The sentence needs a separate movement verb if someone walks, comes or goes.
가까이 is an adverb used with movement and position. In 가까이 오세요, it describes coming closer. 가까운 instead goes before a noun, as in 가까운 곳. The English word “near” can hide this difference, so check whether you are naming a place or describing someone’s movement.
The ㅂ change gives 가까우면 before the conditional ending, but 가까워요 before 어요. Keep the two shapes distinct instead of inserting 워 into every form. In 가까운 곳, the modifier attaches to the 우 stem; in 가깝습니다, the consonant ending keeps the original ㅂ.
A Vocabulary Set for Nearby Places
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 멀다 | to be far | The direct distance contrast with 가깝다. |
| 근처 | vicinity; nearby area | A noun naming the surrounding area. |
| 주변 | surroundings | Includes what lies around a place. |
| 거리 | distance; street | In a distance discussion, it names the gap between places. |
The directions and position vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Learn 근처 as a place noun alongside the adjective 가깝다: one names an area, while the other describes how close something is.
Mini Drill: Choose the Form
- Give the polite present of 가깝다.
- Complete “a nearby place”: ____ 곳.
- Give the conditional “if it is close”.
- Complete a formal description with 가깝다: 역에서 ____.
Show drill answers
- 가까워요.
- 가까운 곳.
- 가까우면.
- 역에서 가깝습니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Must a 가까운 친구 live nearby?
- Does 가까운 출구 always mean the nearest exit?
- Which goes before 곳: 가까운 or 가까이?
Show answers
- No. It describes closeness in the relationship.
- No. It means a nearby exit; it does not by itself rank every exit.
- 가까운 is the noun modifier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'My Home Is Close to the Station'?
우리 집은 역에서 가까워요.
Is 가깝어요 Correct?
No. It is ㅂ-irregular, so use 가까워요.
What Is the Adverb Form?
가까이, as in 가까이 오세요.
What Is the Formal Present?
가깝습니다, and the ㅂ is kept.
What Is the Opposite of 가깝다?
The opposite is 멀다, which means far.
Which Words Are Related to 가깝다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 멀다 as the opposite, then see the ㅂ-irregular lesson for the rest of the class. Once you know how to say "near", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.