Key Facts
- Hangul: 걱정하다 (geokjeonghada)
- Meaning: to worry
- Level: A2
- Stem: 걱정하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 걱정하세요
What Does 걱정하다 Mean?
걱정하다 means to worry about a person or problem: 가족을 걱정하다, 시험을 걱정하다. It is a 하다 verb that takes 을/를 for what you worry about. The noun 걱정 works alone as in 걱정이 많다, and 걱정하지 마세요 is the stock phrase 'don't worry'.
- to worry. Used for worrying about a person or problem: 가족을 걱정하다 (to worry about your family), 시험을 걱정하다 (to worry about an exam).
How Do You Pronounce 걱정하다?
The dictionary form is read [걱쩡하다] and romanized geokjeonghada. The first syllable ends in ㄱ and the next begins with ㅈ, so the ㅈ is tensed in speech. This tensing appears in every form: 걱정해요 is read [걱쩡해요].
Some endings add a second change. The past 걱정했어요 is read [걱쩡해써요], and in the formal 걱정합니다 [걱쩡함니다] the ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced [ㅁ]. The table below gives the reading of every form.
How Do You Use 걱정하다 in a Sentence?
엄마는 항상 저를 걱정해요.
Mom always worries about me.
The worrier is 엄마는, and the person worried about is 저를, so the object takes 를. 항상 (always) makes it a habit.
시험 때문에 많이 걱정했어요.
I worried a lot because of the exam.
시험 때문에 (because of the exam) gives the reason, and 많이 (a lot) adds degree. The verb is in the past, 걱정했어요.
걱정해서 전화했어요.
I was worried, so I called.
The connector 걱정해서 gives the reason for the action that follows, 전화했어요 (I called).
How Does Geokjeonghada Conjugation Work?
걱정하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 걱정해요 | ||
| Polite past | 걱정했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 걱정할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 걱정하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 걱정합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 걱정했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 걱정할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 걱정해 | ||
| Casual past | 걱정했어 | ||
| Casual future | 걱정할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 걱정하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 걱정하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 걱정해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 걱정하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 걱정하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 걱정한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 걱정할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 걱정 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 걱정하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 걱정해요 | [걱쩡해요] |
| Polite past | 걱정했어요 | [걱쩡해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 걱정할 거예요 | [걱쩡할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 걱정하겠어요 | [걱쩡하게써요] |
| Formal present | 걱정합니다 | [걱쩡함니다] |
| Formal past | 걱정했습니다 | [걱쩡핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 걱정할 것입니다 | [걱쩡할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 걱정해 | [걱쩡해] |
| Casual past | 걱정했어 | [걱쩡해써] |
| Casual future | 걱정할 거야 | [걱쩡할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 걱정하고 싶어요 | [걱쩡하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 걱정하세요 | [걱쩡하세요] |
| Because / and then | 걱정해서 | [걱쩡해서] |
| If (conditional) | 걱정하면 | [걱쩡하면] |
| Modifier, present | 걱정하는 | [걱쩡하는] |
| Modifier, past | 걱정한 | [걱쩡한] |
| Modifier, future | 걱정할 | [걱쩡할] |
| Short negative | 걱정 안 해요 | [걱쩡 안 해요] |
| Long negative | 걱정하지 않아요 | [걱쩡하지 아나요] |
Is 걱정하다 Regular or Irregular?
걱정하다 is regular. Like every 하다 verb, it changes 하 to 해 before an ending that starts with 아/어, so the polite present is 걱정해요 and the past is 걱정했어요.
Common Mistake with 걱정하다
Wrong: ✗ 시험이 걱정해요 (when you mean 'I'm worried about the exam')
Correct: ✓ 시험이 걱정돼요, or 시험을 걱정해요
Why: With 걱정하다, the thing you worry about is the object and takes 을/를. If you want to mark it with 이/가, switch to the feeling verb 걱정되다. 시험이 걱정해요 would mean the exam itself is doing the worrying.
걱정하다 Versus 걱정되다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 걱정되다 | 걱정되다 describes feeling worried, with the worry marked by 이/가 (시험이 걱정돼요); 걱정하다 is the active verb of worrying about something. |
| 신경 쓰다 | 신경 쓰다 is to pay attention to something or let it bother you; 걱정하다 is to be anxious about it. |
A Reassuring Call after an Exam
Alex calls Jisu after a difficult exam. The conversation moves from past worry to reassurance and then to worry about the result.
Jisu
시험 때문에 많이 걱정했어요?
Siheom ttaemune mani geokjeonghaesseoyo?
Did you worry a lot because of the exam?
Alex
네. 결과도 걱정해요.
Ne. Gyeolgwado geokjeonghaeyo.
Yes. I am worried about the result too.
Jisu
너무 걱정하지 마세요.
Neomu geokjeonghaji maseyo.
Please do not worry too much.
Alex
고마워요. 정말 많이 걱정했어요.
Gomawoyo. Jeongmal mani geokjeonghaesseoyo.
Thank you. I was really worried.
결과도 means “the result too”. The particle 도 adds another concern without needing 을 after it. The final line returns to the past tense to emphasize how worried Alex was. The worry belongs to the caller; Korean can leave that subject unstated when the conversation makes it clear.
Phrases That Offer Reassurance
걱정하지 마세요 means “don’t worry”. With 너무, it becomes “don’t worry too much”. This is a polite request for someone to stop worrying, rather than a description of how they feel. It can reassure someone about a manageable problem, especially when you follow it with a concrete reason or offer of help.
걱정 마세요 is a shorter version you will also hear. In that expression, 걱정 is the noun and 마세요 carries the request. The shorter wording does not remove politeness. With a close friend, 걱정하지 마 drops the polite ending; save that form for a relationship where casual speech is already normal.
걱정이 태산이다 literally compares worries to a huge mountain. Its everyday meaning is to have an overwhelming number of worries. It expresses the size of the burden, rather than naming a particular problem. For a simple report about one exam, 시험을 걱정해요 is more direct.
Where Will You Hear 걱정하다?
Parents use 걱정하다 when talking about children, and friends use it about exams, health and uncertain plans. In dramas, 걱정해서 전화했어요 explains a check-in call. It tells the listener that concern prompted the call; it need not suggest that the caller chose to become anxious.
걱정하다 works in ordinary conversation and in formal writing. The formal 걱정합니다 may appear in a serious statement of concern. The honorific 걱정하세요 can describe a respected person worrying, but as a direct request it would ask the listener to worry. For reassurance, keep the negative request 걱정하지 마세요 intact.
How Do You Keep the Particles and Spacing Straight?
Build the active pattern around a person who worries: 엄마는 저를 걱정해요. The person causing concern is 저를. Now compare the feeling pattern 시험이 걱정돼요: the exam is marked with 이 because it is the source of the feeling. These are two ways to frame concern, not a difference between voluntary and involuntary anxiety in every situation.
With the noun-plus-하다 negative, write 걱정 안 해요. The noun stays first and 안 goes before 해요. The long negative is 걱정하지 않아요. In both patterns, the sentence says that someone does not worry; neither is a request telling another person to stop.
Keep 걱정하다 together as the dictionary verb. A phrase such as 걱정을 하다 separates the noun and verb because the noun now has the object particle 을. You will meet both structures, so a space does not always signal a misspelling.
For the 하다 ending pattern behind 걱정해요, see how 하다 becomes 해요.
| Related word | Meaning | Why it belongs here |
|---|---|---|
| 걱정 | worry | The noun inside 걱정하다. |
| 불안 | anxiety / uneasiness | Names an unsettled feeling. |
| 긴장 | tension / nervousness | Common before an exam or performance. |
| 안심 | relief / peace of mind | The calmer state after a concern is resolved. |
Compare these feelings in Korean emotion vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Worry or Reassurance?
- Choose the object marker: 가족____ 걱정해요.
- Change 걱정해요 to the polite past.
- Turn 걱정하다 into the polite request “don’t worry”.
- Write the short negative shown in the table.
Show drill answers
- 가족을 걱정해요.
- 걱정했어요.
- 걱정하지 마세요.
- 걱정 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 걱정해서 전화했어요 explain the reason for calling?
- Is 걱정하세요 the reassuring phrase “don’t worry”?
- What image does 걱정이 태산이다 use?
Show answers
- Yes. Concern prompted the call.
- No. Use 걱정하지 마세요.
- Worries as a huge mountain: an overwhelming burden.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'Don't Worry'?
Say 걱정하지 마세요. It is the polite, everyday way to tell someone not to worry.
Why Is 시험이 걱정해요 Wrong?
걱정하다 takes 을/를 for the thing you worry about: 시험을 걱정해요. If you want 이/가, switch to 걱정되다: 시험이 걱정돼요.
Can 걱정 Be Used as a Noun?
Yes. 걱정 means 'worry' on its own, as in 걱정이 많다 (to have a lot of worries).
How Do I Pronounce 걱정해요?
It is read [걱쩡해요]. The ㅈ after the final ㄱ is tensed.
Which Words Are Related to 걱정하다?
- 걱정되다
- 궁금하다
- 긴장되다
- 무서워하다
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 걱정되다 next, then 궁금하다, 긴장되다 and 무서워하다. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the verb dictionary.