Key Facts
- Hangul: 같다 (gatda)
- Meaning: same
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 같
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the subject; 와/과 or 하고 name what it equals or resembles.
- Usage: Also ~같아요 (seems like): 비가 올 것 같아요. 같이 is the adverb 'together', and attached to a noun it is the particle 'like'.
What Does 같다 Mean?
같다 describes things that are identical, or similar to something. 같은 반 is the same class, and 이 가방은 제 것과 같아요 says the bag is the same as mine.
A second use is the pattern ~같아요, which means seems like, as in 비가 올 것 같아요. The related form 같이 is the adverb 'together', and attached to a noun it is the particle 'like'.
How Do You Pronounce 같다?
The ㅌ of 같 keeps its aspirated sound only when a vowel follows: 같아요 is [가타요]. At the end of a word or before a consonant it is read as a ㄷ stop, so the lemma is [갇따].
How Do You Use 같다 in a Sentence?
우리는 같은 학교에 다녀요.
We go to the same school.
우리는 is the topic, and 같은 학교에 means to the same school.
이 가방은 제 것과 같아요.
This bag is the same as mine.
제 것과 gives the comparison; 같아요 states the sameness.
날씨가 어제와 같지 않아요.
The weather is not the same as yesterday.
날씨가 어제와 같지 않아요 is the long negative, so the weather is not the same as yesterday.
The examples cover sameness before a noun (같은), a direct comparison with 과 (같아요) and a denial with the long negative (같지 않아요).
How Does Gatda Conjugation Work?
같다 is regular, and the stem 같 never changes. Vowel endings give 같아요, 같았어요 and 같아서, spoken [가타요], [가타써요]. Consonant endings give 같습니다 and 같지 않아요. The modifier is 같은, because this is an adjective, not a verb.
To say something is not the same, put 안 in front for 안 같아요 or use the long negative 같지 않아요. The because-form is 같아서, the if-form 같으면, and the modifiers are 같은 (now), 같았던 (earlier) and 같을 (later); the honorific polite form is 같으세요.
같다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 같아요 | ||
| Polite past | 같았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 같을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 같겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 같습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 같았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 같을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 같아 | ||
| Casual past | 같았어 | ||
| Casual future | 같을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 같으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 같아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 같으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 같은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 같았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 같을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 같아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 같지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 같아요 | [가타요] |
| Polite past | 같았어요 | [가타써요] |
| Polite future | 같을 거예요 | [가틀꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 같겠어요 | [갇께써요] |
| Formal present | 같습니다 | [갇씀니다] |
| Formal past | 같았습니다 | [가탇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 같을 것입니다 | [가틀꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 같아 | [가타] |
| Casual past | 같았어 | [가타써] |
| Casual future | 같을 거야 | [가틀꺼야] |
| Honorific | 같으세요 | [가트세요] |
| Because form | 같아서 | [가타서] |
| Conditional | 같으면 | [가트면] |
| Present modifier | 같은 | [가튼] |
| Past modifier | 같았던 | [가탇떤] |
| Future modifier | 같을 | [가틀] |
| Short negative | 안 같아요 | [안 가타요] |
| Long negative | 같지 않아요 | [갇찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 같는 사람
Correct: ✓ 같은 사람
Why: Some learners use the verb modifier and say 같는. The word is an adjective, so the modifier is 같은.
Same, Like and Together
Pay attention to the second job of this word: ~같아요 expresses a guess, as in 비가 올 것 같아요. 똑같다 is exactly the same, a stronger version, and 비슷하다 allows differences.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 같다?
| Word | How to tell it from 같다 |
|---|---|
| 똑같다 | 똑같다 is exactly the same, stronger than 같다. |
| 비슷하다 | 비슷하다 means similar, not identical. |
Noticing Matching Bags
Two classmates notice that they own the same bag design. The first line makes a comparison with 같아요, the second asks about the past with 같았어요, and the final line places 같은 before 가방.
Mina
이 가방은 제 것과 같아요.
I gabangeun je geotgwa gatayo.
This bag is the same as mine.
Jisu
정말요? 색깔도 같았어요?
Jeongmallyo? Saekkkaldo gatasseoyo?
Really? Was the colour the same too?
Mina
네. 같은 가방을 샀어요.
Ne. Gateun gabangeul sasseoyo.
Yes. We bought the same bag.
“The same bag” here means the same kind or model of bag. The speakers still own separate physical objects. Context decides whether 같은 identifies one shared item or two matching items. The question about colour makes the comparison more precise: two bags could match in design but differ in colour.
How Does “the Same” Become “It Seems”?
With a noun, 가족 같아요 can mean “they feel like family”. The comparison is figurative: close friends can feel like family without being relatives. 같다 follows 가족 as a separate word. The phrase describes closeness rather than establishing a family relationship.
With a clause, the pattern 것 같아요 expresses an impression or a guess. In 비가 올 것 같아요, “I think it will rain”, 올 points forward to possible rain. The speaker presents a prediction, rather than claiming certainty. The phrase is useful when there are signs of something but no final confirmation.
For an action happening now, 오는 것 같아요 can mean “seems to be coming”. For an action already completed, 온 것 같아요 can mean “seems to have come”. The modifier before 것 supplies the time or aspect. The final 같아요 can stay the same, so changing that earlier part changes what the speaker is guessing about.
This is why learning only the English gloss “same” is limiting. A direct comparison asks whether things match. A clause followed by 것 같아요 tells the listener how certain the speaker is about a situation. Look immediately before 같다 to identify which construction you are hearing.
Everyday Phrases and Their Tone
마음이 같아요, literally “our hearts or minds are the same”, can mean that people feel the same way. It need not be romantic. Friends deciding on a plan can share a preference, and people discussing an experience can share a feeling. The surrounding conversation supplies what they agree about.
예전과 같아요 means “it is the same as before”. 과 marks the earlier state used for comparison. This can reassure someone that nothing has changed, or point out a lack of progress. 같다 itself does not say whether staying the same is welcome.
In workplace conversation, 것 같아요 can soften an opinion. The formal counterpart 같습니다 is common in presentations and polite business exchanges. Softening a claim does not reverse its meaning: the speaker is still offering an assessment, with room for uncertainty or disagreement.
What Needs Care in Spelling and Sound?
Keep spaces in 같은 학교 and 것 같아요. 같은 modifies a separate noun, and 같다 remains a separate word after 것. Writing the phrase as one long word hides the structure that tells you what is being compared or guessed.
The adverb 같이 is pronounced [가치]. The ㅌ changes before 이 in this word, while 같아요 keeps the sound shown earlier as [가타요]. 같이 can mean “together”, but adding 요 to the adverb does not give the adjective 같아요. For “we are the same”, you need the adjective; for doing something together, 같이 describes the action.
Also keep 같다 separate from 닮다, “to resemble”. Two people may look alike without being the same person. Likewise, 비슷하다 allows some differences. When matching luggage, a similar colour is weaker evidence than an identical name tag or design.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 똑같다 | exactly the same | Emphasises a close or complete match. |
| 비슷하다 | similar | Leaves room for differences. |
| 다르다 | different | States that the comparison does not match. |
| 닮다 | to resemble | Often compares appearance or family features. |
The size, shape and colour lessons give you more precise features to compare instead of relying only on “the same”.
Mini Drill: Compare or Guess
- Complete “the same school”: ____ 학교.
- Give the polite past of 같다.
- Make the long negative meaning “it is not the same”.
- Put the words in order for “I think it will rain”: 같아요 / 올 / 비가 / 것.
Show drill answers
- 같은 학교.
- 같았어요.
- 같지 않아요.
- 비가 올 것 같아요. Keep spaces around 것.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 비슷하다 promise an exact match?
- Does 비가 올 것 같아요 express certainty?
- How is 같이 pronounced?
Show answers
- No. It means similar.
- No. It presents rain as a prediction or impression.
- [가치], with a changed sound before 이.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Modifier of 같다?
같은, as in 같은 사람.
How Is 같아요 Pronounced?
[가타요].
What Does ~같아요 Mean?
Seems like, as in 비가 올 것 같아요.
How Do I Say It Is Not the Same?
같지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 같다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go to 똑같다 for exactly the same and 비슷하다 for similar. 같다 needs no special rule: the present-tense recipe explains why the ending is 아요. Compare it with 다르다 in the Korean verb conjugator to see a regular and an irregular side by side, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.