Key Facts
- Hangul: 기뻐하다 (gippeohada)
- Meaning: to be glad; to rejoice
- Level: B1
- Stem: 기뻐하
- Class: 하다 type
- Cause of joy: 에 or 을/를
- Honorific polite: 기뻐하세요
What Does 기뻐하다 Mean?
- to be glad; to rejoice. Used for showing joy, mostly about other people: 선물을 받고 기뻐하다 (to be glad to receive a present).
The cause of joy can take 에 or 을/를, or appear in a clause with -고, as in 소식을 듣고 기뻐하다 (to be glad to hear the news). It is more common in writing and when describing other people. The honorific polite form is 기뻐하세요.
How Do You Pronounce 기뻐하다?
기뻐하다 is romanized gippeohada. The ㅃ is a tense consonant, said with no puff of air. The stem is read as written, and only some endings change: the past 기뻐했어요 is read [기뻐해써요], the formal present 기뻐합니다 is read [기뻐함니다], and the future 기뻐할 거예요 is read [기뻐할꺼예요]. The table below gives every form.
How Do You Use 기뻐하다 in a Sentence?
아이가 선물을 받고 기뻐해요.
The child is glad to get a present.
The subject is 아이가 (the child), and -고 links receiving a present to the joy. This is the typical sentence: the speaker describes someone else's visible happiness.
친구가 소식을 듣고 기뻐했어요.
My friend was glad to hear the news.
친구가 (my friend) is the subject, and 소식을 듣고 (hearing the news) gives the cause. 기뻐했어요 is the polite past.
기뻐하는 얼굴을 보면 저도 좋아요.
When I see a happy face, I feel good too.
The present modifier 기뻐하는 describes the noun 얼굴, so 기뻐하는 얼굴 means 'a happy face'.
How Does Gippeohada Conjugation Work?
기뻐하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 기뻐해요 | ||
| Polite past | 기뻐했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 기뻐할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 기뻐하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 기뻐합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 기뻐했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 기뻐할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 기뻐해 | ||
| Casual past | 기뻐했어 | ||
| Casual future | 기뻐할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 기뻐하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 기뻐하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 기뻐해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 기뻐하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 기뻐하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 기뻐한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 기뻐할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 기뻐해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 기뻐하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 기뻐해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 기뻐했어요 | [기뻐해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 기뻐할 거예요 | [기뻐할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 기뻐하겠어요 | [기뻐하게써요] |
| Formal present | 기뻐합니다 | [기뻐함니다] |
| Formal past | 기뻐했습니다 | [기뻐핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 기뻐할 것입니다 | [기뻐할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 기뻐해 | as written |
| Casual past | 기뻐했어 | [기뻐해써] |
| Casual future | 기뻐할 거야 | [기뻐할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 기뻐하고 싶어요 | [기뻐하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 기뻐하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 기뻐해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 기뻐하면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 기뻐하는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 기뻐한 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 기뻐할 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 기뻐해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 기뻐하지 않아요 | [기뻐하지 아나요] |
Is 기뻐하다 Regular or Irregular?
기뻐하다 is regular. The stem 기뻐하 follows the 하다 pattern, so 하 becomes 해 before 아/어: 기뻐해요. The verb is built from the adjective 기쁘다, which drops its vowel ㅡ before 어 (기쁘 + 어 = 기뻐). That change is already part of the stem 기뻐하, so the endings of 기뻐하다 are completely regular.
Common Mistake with 기뻐하다
Wrong for a simple statement of your present feeling: ✗ 저는 기뻐해요
Correct: ✓ 저는 기뻐요
Why: 기뻐하다 presents joy as a reaction or behaviour. For a direct statement of how you feel now, the adjective 기쁘다 is more natural: 저는 기뻐요. First-person 기뻐하다 is possible when describing your behaviour or shared joy.
기뻐하다 Versus 기쁘다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 기쁘다 | 기쁘다 is the adjective for your own feeling; 기뻐하다 shows the joy as an action, usually seen from outside. |
| 좋아하다 | 좋아하다 is to like something or to be pleased by it; 기뻐하다 is stronger joy at a particular event. |
Sharing News of a New Job
Alex has been offered a job and tells Jisu how the family reacted. The conversation describes visible joy and predicts another person’s reaction.
Jisu
가족도 기뻐해요?
Gajokdo gippeohaeyo?
Is your family happy too?
Alex
네. 동생이 소식을 듣고 기뻐했어요.
Ne. Dongsaengi sosigeul deutgo gippeohaesseoyo.
Yes. My younger sibling was delighted to hear the news.
Jisu
부모님도 기뻐할 거예요.
Bumonimdo gippeohal geoyeyo.
Your parents will be happy too.
Alex
맞아요. 다 같이 기뻐해요.
Majayo. Da gachi gippeohaeyo.
That is right. Everyone is happy together.
기뻐해요 describes the family’s present reaction, 기뻐했어요 reports the sibling’s reaction to the news, and 기뻐할 거예요 predicts the parents’ response. The conversation is about an event that gives people joy. It does not describe an ongoing preference in the way 좋아하다 often does.
Phrases for Showing Joy
진심으로 기뻐하다 means to be sincerely happy about something. 진심으로 emphasizes that the response comes from the heart. It suits someone sharing a friend’s success, rather than simply saying congratulations out of politeness.
뛸 듯이 기뻐하다 means to be so happy that you could jump for joy. The literal image is of being about to jump; it does not report that the person actually jumped. You may meet it in descriptions of a child receiving a present or someone hearing welcome news.
함께 기뻐하다 means to share someone’s joy. 함께 means “together”, so the phrase draws attention to people celebrating the same event. It is useful for a friend’s graduation, a new baby or a successful application. The happiness can be shared even by someone who did not personally receive the good result.
Can 기뻐하다 Take an Object?
Yes. 기뻐하다 can take either 에 or 을/를 for the cause of joy. For example, 성공을 기뻐하다 means to rejoice at a success. The National Institute of Korean Language’s dictionary entry lists both sentence patterns. You can also give the event in a clause, as the existing example does with 선물을 받고.
The clause 소식을 듣고 기뻐하다 separates hearing the news from responding with joy. 소식을 is the object of 듣다, “hear”; it is not automatically the object of 기뻐하다 merely because both occur in one sentence. Reading each verb with its own phrase makes longer sentences easier to follow.
Where Will You Hear 기뻐하다?
Narration, news reports about achievements and conversations about other people’s reactions all use 기뻐하다. A report might describe someone’s response to a victory, while a parent might describe a child enjoying a gift. The verb presents joy as a reaction that can be observed or described.
For a direct statement of your own present feeling, 기뻐요 is the simple choice. 기뻐하다 can still include the speaker in descriptions of shared joy or of their own past behaviour. The useful beginner distinction is viewpoint, rather than a rule that first-person subjects are always forbidden.
기뻐하세요 respects the person experiencing joy. If you are politely reporting a respected person’s reaction, the honorific form serves a different purpose from merely ending a sentence with 요. In a direct command it can instead tell someone to rejoice, so context still matters.
Why Does 기뻐하다 Keep the Same Stem?
기쁘다 and 기뻐하다 do not share the same dictionary stem. The adjective has 기쁘, while this verb has 기뻐하. The ㅡ change that produced 기뻐 is already built into the verb. To conjugate 기뻐하다, keep 기뻐 and work with 하: 기뻐해요, 기뻐하면, 기뻐하는.
Write 기뻐하다 as one word. In 기뻐하고 싶어요, keep the space before 싶어요; in 안 기뻐해요, keep the space after 안. The negative says that someone does not rejoice. It does not by itself say they are sad: they might simply have no strong reaction to the news.
See 하다 to 해요 for the ending pattern, and emotion verbs with -아/어하다 for the change in viewpoint.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 기쁨 | joy | The noun for the feeling. |
| 기쁘다 | be glad | The adjective for a direct statement of joy. |
| 축하하다 | congratulate | Expressing good wishes, rather than describing a feeling. |
| 슬퍼하다 | grieve / feel sad | Describes sadness as a reaction or behaviour. |
Build the wider set with Korean emotion vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Describe the Reaction
- Give the polite past of 기뻐하다.
- Give its future prediction form.
- Choose the simple statement for your own feeling: 기뻐요 or 기뻐해요.
- Give the present modifier before 얼굴.
Show drill answers
- 기뻐했어요.
- 기뻐할 거예요.
- 기뻐요.
- 기뻐하는 얼굴: a face showing joy.
Quick Self-Test
- Must someone actually jump for 뛸 듯이 기뻐하다 to fit?
- Can the cause of joy take 을/를?
- Does 안 기뻐해요 necessarily mean the person is sad?
Show answers
- No. It is an image for great joy.
- Yes. Both 에 and 을/를 patterns are possible.
- No. It only denies the joyful reaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Say 저는 기뻐해요?
For a simple statement of your own feeling, 저는 기뻐요 is more natural. 기뻐하다 often describes visible reactions, including your own behaviour in a story or shared celebration.
Is 기뻐하다 Transitive?
It can take an object with 을/를 for the cause of joy. The cause can also take 에, or appear in a clause such as 선물을 받고 기뻐해요.
What Is the Honorific Polite Form?
It is 기뻐하세요, used when the person who is glad deserves respect.
How Is 기뻐하다 Different from 기쁘다?
기쁘다 is the adjective for your own feeling (저는 기뻐요). 기뻐하다 describes someone else's joy as you can see it (아이가 기뻐해요).
Which Words Are Related to 기뻐하다?
- 기쁘다
- 슬프다
- 무서워하다
- 부끄러워하다
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 기쁘다 and 슬프다 for first-person feelings, then 무서워하다 and 부끄러워하다. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the verb dictionary.