Key Facts
- Hangul: 검색하다 (geomsaekada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to search
- Level: A2
- Stem: 검색하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: The search target takes 을/를, as in 정보를 검색하다.
What Does 검색하다 Mean?
검색하다 means to look something up on the internet, as in 인터넷에서 검색하다. The thing searched for takes 을/를, as in 정보를 검색하다.
It is everyday vocabulary: 검색어 means a search term, and 네이버에서 검색하다 is a typical phrase. The place you search takes 에서.
- to search: Look something up on the internet, as in 인터넷에서 검색하다.
How Do You Pronounce 검색하다?
The ㄱ at the end of 색 meets the ㅎ of 하, and the two sounds merge into one aspirated k sound. This is why Revised Romanization writes geomsaekada, with a k and no h, and why the word is said [검새카다]. The polite past 검색했어요 is [검새캐써요] and the formal 검색합니다 is [검새캄니다].
How Do You Use 검색하다 in a Sentence?
모르는 단어는 인터넷에서 검색해요.
I search the internet for words I do not know.
A habit: unknown words go into a search engine.
맛집을 검색했어요.
I searched for a good restaurant.
Past tense with a restaurant as the thing searched for.
검색하면 바로 나와요.
If you search, it comes up right away.
The -면 ending: search, and the result comes up immediately.
How Does Geomsaekada Conjugation Work?
검색하다 is a regular 하다 verb. 검색하 plus 여 contracts to 해, which gives 검색해요, 검색했어요 and 검색해서. The aspiration repeats in each form. The short negative is 검색 안 해요; the long form is 검색하지 않아요.
The pattern behind 검색하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
검색하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 검색해요 | ||
| Polite past | 검색했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 검색할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 검색하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 검색합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 검색했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 검색할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 검색해 | ||
| Casual past | 검색했어 | ||
| Casual future | 검색할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 검색하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 검색하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 검색해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 검색하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 검색하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 검색한 | ||
| Future modifier | 검색할 | ||
| Short negative | 검색 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 검색하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 검색해요 | [검새캐요] |
| Polite past | 검색했어요 | [검새캐써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 검색할 거예요 | [검새칼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 검색하겠어요 | [검새카게써요] |
| Formal present | 검색합니다 | [검새캄니다] |
| Formal past | 검색했습니다 | [검새캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 검색할 것입니다 | [검새칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 검색해 | [검새캐] |
| Casual past | 검색했어 | [검새캐써] |
| Casual future | 검색할 거야 | [검새칼꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 검색하고 싶어요 | [검새카고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 검색하세요 | [검새카세요] |
| Because / and then | 검색해서 | [검새캐서] |
| If (conditional) | 검색하면 | [검새카면] |
| Present modifier | 검색하는 | [검새카는] |
| Past modifier | 검색한 | [검새칸] |
| Future modifier | 검색할 | [검새칼] |
| Short negative | 검색 안 해요 | Separate 안 from the verb |
| Long negative | 검색하지 않아요 | [검새카지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 구글을 검색해요 (meant as 'I google it')
Correct: ✓ 구글에서 검색해요
Why: The place of searching takes 에서, while the thing searched for takes 을/를.
How Does 검색하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 검색하다 |
|---|---|
| 찾다 | Looking for or finding anything. 검색하다 is a search online or in a database. |
| 찾아보다 | Looking something up in general, such as a dictionary. 검색하다 implies a search engine. |
Finding a Restaurant on a Phone
Two friends are deciding where to eat. One has already searched for restaurants, and the other asks for the address. The last line introduces a future search.
Mina
근처 맛집을 검색했어요?
Geuncheo matjibeul geomsaekaesseoyo?
Did you search for good restaurants nearby?
Jun
네. 이름을 검색하면 바로 나와요.
Ne. Ireumeul geomsaekamyeon baro nawayo.
Yes. If you search the name, it comes up right away.
Mina
그럼 주소도 검색할 거예요.
Geureom jusodo geomsaekal geoyeyo.
Then I’m going to look up the address too.
검색했어요 asks about an earlier search, 검색하면 explains how to get the result, and 검색할 거예요 states the next plan. 이름을 is the search target. 주소도 adds the address as another thing to look up; 도 means “also” here.
Search Phrases You Will Actually Use
단어를 검색하다 means to look up a word using a search system. 맛집을 검색하다 means to search for a good restaurant or restaurants. The target does not have to be a specific place you already know. A category such as 맛집 can be enough to start the search.
이름으로 검색하다 means to search by name. Here 으로 marks the method or search key. Compare 이름을 검색하다, “search the name”, which treats the name as the target. Both can lead to the same screen, but the grammar presents different parts of the search process.
인터넷에서 검색하다 names the internet as the search environment. 구글에서 검색하다 and 네이버에서 검색하다 name a platform. 에서 tells you where the searching happens. The common mistake 구글을 검색해요 can instead suggest searching for Google itself, rather than using Google to find something else.
검색어를 입력하다 means to enter a search term. This phrase separates typing from searching. You may enter the term first, then press a search button. 검색하다 describes the lookup action; 입력하다 describes putting text into the field.
What Will You See on a Korean Search Screen?
검색 is the short label for “search”. A button does not need the full dictionary verb 검색하다. 검색창 is the search box, 검색어 is the search term, and 검색 결과 means search results. Learning these nouns helps you connect the spoken action to the labels on screen.
검색 결과가 없습니다 means “there are no search results”. It reports an empty result set for that search. It does not prove that the thing you want does not exist. Changing the spelling or the search term may produce a different result. The message concerns the search output, not the truth of the topic.
In a library catalog or workplace database, 검색하다 can also describe looking up records. It is not restricted to a public web search engine. The key idea is retrieving information through a search system. For looking around a room for a lost phone, 찾다 is the broader, more natural verb.
What Is Tricky about Its Spelling and Sound?
검색하다 keeps the spelling 검색하 even though ㄱ meets ㅎ in pronunciation. The sounds combine into an aspirated consonant, as shown by [검새카다]. Keep 검색하 in the spelling even when its pronunciation changes. The same relationship continues in 검색해요 and 검색합니다.
The tense endings follow the 하다 pattern: 검색해요 for the present and 검색했어요 for the past. Endings such as 면 leave 하 visible in 검색하면. In 검색할 거예요, ㄹ attaches to the stem 검색하 and 거예요 is separated by a space. The table lets you compare those forms without changing the base noun 검색.
The short negative 검색 안 해요 places 안 before 해요. This breaks the sound environment between 검색 and 하, so the continuous pronunciation of 검색해요 should not be copied mechanically across the inserted word. 검색하지 않아요 keeps the verb together and adds the longer negative expression afterward.
Where Will You Hear 검색하다?
Friends use 검색해요 or 검색했어요 while sharing restaurant suggestions, checking an address, or looking up an unfamiliar term. A polite instruction such as 검색하세요 asks the listener to search. A help page may use the more formal 검색합니다 while explaining a procedure.
Searching and finding are different outcomes. 맛집을 검색했어요 says that the person performed a search; it does not guarantee they chose a restaurant. 찾다 can describe either looking for something or finding it, depending on context. 확인하다 adds the next step of checking information that a search produced.
Search Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 검색어 | search term | The word or phrase submitted to a search system. |
| 검색창 | search box | The field where a term is entered. |
| 검색 결과 | search results | The information returned after searching. |
| 주소 | address | A useful target when finding a place or website. |
Use the computer and internet vocabulary lesson for the wider set of screen labels and actions.
Mini Drill: Build a Search Sentence
- Give the polite past of 검색하다.
- Complete “I search on Google”: 구글____ 검색해요.
- Give the conditional “if you search”.
- Make the short negative.
Show drill answers
- 검색했어요.
- 에서, giving 구글에서 검색해요.
- 검색하면.
- 검색 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word means the search box: 검색어 or 검색창?
- Does a completed search guarantee that you found what you wanted?
- Which verb fits looking around your bedroom for a lost phone?
Show answers
- 검색창. 검색어 is the search term.
- No. 검색했어요 reports the search action.
- 찾다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does the Romanization Have a K?
The final ㄱ of 색 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into one aspirated sound.
How Do I Say 'I Google It'?
Say 구글에서 검색해요, with 에서 marking the place.
Is 검색하다 the Same as 찾다?
No. 찾다 is the general word; 검색하다 is searching online.
What Is a Search Term?
It is 검색어.
Which Words Are Related to 검색하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Move on to 확인하다 and 입력하다, which you also need when you use a phone or computer. To test another form of 검색하다 ('to search'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 검색하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.