Key Facts
- Hangul: 구하다 (guhada, 3 syllables)
- Meaning: to seek (look for and obtain) or to save (rescue)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 구하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: Takes an object with 을/를: 일자리를 구해요.
What Does 구하다 Mean?
The first sense is looking for and obtaining something you need: 집을 구하다 is finding a home, 일자리를 구하다 is finding work, and 방을 구하다 is finding a room. The second sense is rescue, as in 생명을 구하다, saving a life.
구하다 is frequent in notices and ads (방 구해요 style), and it is also everyday speech for homes and jobs. Context decides between 'seek' and 'rescue', and the nouns above are the collocations to memorize. It is a transitive verb, so the object takes 을/를.
- to seek/save: Look for and obtain something needed: 집을 구하다, 일자리를 구하다.
- to save (rescue): Rescue someone from danger: 생명을 구하다.
How Do You Pronounce 구하다?
Three syllables, said as written. The past polite 구했어요 is [구해써요], and the formal 구합니다 is [구함니다]. Revised Romanization gives guhada.
How Do You Use 구하다 in a Sentence?
요즘 새 집을 구해요.
These days I am looking for a new home.
A current search, with 요즘 stretching the present into 'these days'.
겨우 일자리를 구했어요.
I finally found a job.
Past tense with 겨우 shows a search that finally succeeded.
방을 구하면 알려 줄게요.
I will tell you once I find a room.
A promise built on the -면 ending: the news comes once the room is found.
How Does Guhada Conjugation Work?
구하다 is a 하다 verb, but 구 is not a noun you can split off, so it behaves as one word. The stem 구하 plus 여 gives 구해: 구해요, 구했어요 and casual 구해. The short negative puts 안 in front: 안 구해요.
The pattern behind 구하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
구하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 구해요 | ||
| Polite past | 구했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 구할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 구하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 구합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 구했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 구할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 구해 | ||
| Casual past | 구했어 | ||
| Casual future | 구할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 구하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 구하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 구해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 구하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 구하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 구한 | ||
| Future modifier | 구할 | ||
| Short negative | 안 구해요 | ||
| Long negative | 구하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 구해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 구했어요 | [구해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 구할 거예요 | [구할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 구하겠어요 | [구하게써요] |
| Formal present | 구합니다 | [구함니다] |
| Formal past | 구했습니다 | [구핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 구할 것입니다 | [구할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 구해 | as written |
| Casual past | 구했어 | [구해써] |
| Casual future | 구할 거야 | [구할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 구하고 싶어요 | [구하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 구하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 구해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 구하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 구하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 구한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 구할 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 구해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 구하지 않아요 | [구하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 직업을 구 해요
Correct: ✓ 직업을 구해요.
Why: 구하다 is one word; write 구해요 without a space. Its first syllable is not a separate noun, so nothing can split it.
How Does 구하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 구하다 |
|---|---|
| 찾다 | The general word for finding or looking for anything. 구하다 is narrower: something you need, such as a home or job. |
| 사다 | To buy. 구하다 is to get or look for, which need not involve paying. |
Looking for a Room near School
Two classmates discuss housing. One is still searching; the other has already found a room.
Mina
학교 근처에 방을 구해요.
Hakgyo geuncheoe bangeul guhaeyo.
I’m looking for a room near school.
Alex
저는 지난주에 구했어요.
Jeoneun jinanjue guhaesseoyo.
I found one last week.
Mina
어떻게 구했어요?
Eotteoke guhaesseoyo?
How did you find it?
Alex
친구가 도와줬어요. 방을 구하면 알려 주세요.
Chinguga dowajwosseoyo. Bangeul guhamyeon allyeo juseyo.
A friend helped me. Let me know when you find a room.
방 disappears after the first line because both speakers know what they are discussing. The present 구해요 describes an active search, while 구했어요 reports success here. 구하면 sets the condition for the requested update. 학교 근처에 identifies the area where the room is wanted.
Which Nouns Help You Identify the Meaning?
도움을 구하다 means to seek help. 도움 is help, so this is a request for assistance, not a rescue performed by the speaker. 조언을 구하다 means to seek advice, and 양해를 구하다 means to ask for understanding or forbearance. The last phrase often appears when someone explains an inconvenience.
목숨을 구하다 means to save a life. 목숨 and 생명 both point to the rescue sense rather than finding something to rent or buy. In a story about danger, 구하다 describes bringing someone out of that danger; 돕다 simply says that someone helps.
답을 구하다 means to find or calculate an answer. This use appears in mathematics exercises. The object 답 makes the intended result clear, just as 방 points toward housing. English may need a different verb in each setting even though the Korean spelling stays 구하다.
Reading Notices with 구합니다
직원 구합니다 means that someone is looking for staff. A shop displaying it is recruiting, so 직원 is the person sought. 방 구합니다 means that the writer is seeking a room. In both, the object marker is often omitted to keep the notice short.
These signs use the formal present 구합니다, but the verb is not restricted to formal situations. Friends use 구해요 to discuss homes, jobs or hard-to-find tickets. In a notice, first identify what is being sought and who is posting it; the same ending can serve very different needs.
A housing search does not have to involve buying property. 집을 구하다 can concern renting or buying, and 방을 구하다 can concern a single room. The verb alone gives no information about a deposit, rent or ownership. Those details come from separate words and the conversation.
Search, Success and Spacing
구했어요 often reports that you have obtained what you needed. 일자리를 구했어요 therefore normally means that you found work, rather than merely spending time looking. If the search is unfinished, the present with 요즘, as in the existing example, describes that ongoing need more clearly.
Although 구하다 ends in 하다, 구 is not a separate activity noun in this verb. Keep 구해요 together. For the short negative, use 안 구해요; the 안 comes before the whole verb. This differs from noun-based compounds such as 구경하다, whose short negative can be 구경 안 해요.
The contraction is still the familiar 하 to 해: 구해요, 구했어요 and 구해서. In 구하면 the 하 remains. There is no special rescue conjugation and no separate house-hunting conjugation; the object and setting resolve the meaning.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 방 | room | The object in a room-search notice. |
| 일자리 | job / position | What a job seeker hopes to obtain. |
| 도움 | help | Seeking help differs from rescuing someone. |
| 보증금 | deposit | A separate housing detail that 구하다 does not specify. |
The housing and renting vocabulary lesson introduces the terms needed after you locate a room.
Mini Drill: Getting the Form Right
- Give the polite past of 구하다.
- Use the short negative for “I don't look for one”.
- Give the conditional “if I find one”.
- Give the formal present used in recruitment notices.
Show drill answers
- 구했어요.
- 안 구해요. Keep 구해요 as one word.
- 구하면.
- 구합니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Is 직원 구합니다 a rescue announcement or a recruitment notice?
- Does 집을 구하다 specify renting rather than buying?
- What does 도움을 구하다 mean?
Show answers
- A recruitment notice: staff wanted.
- No. Either can fit the phrase.
- To seek help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 구하다 Mean 'to Save' or 'to Look For'?
Both. With 집, 방 or 일자리 it means to look for and obtain; with 생명 it means to rescue.
What Is the Polite Present of 구하다?
It is 구해요, as in 일자리를 구해요.
Is 구하다 Spoken or Written?
Both. It is frequent in notices and ads, and people also use it in everyday talk about finding a home or a job.
Does 구하다 Take 을/를?
Yes. It is transitive, so 직업을 구해요 marks the job with 을.
Which Words Are Related to 구하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 찾다 and 사다 next, then 고르다 and 돕다 for the neighbouring ideas of picking and helping. To test another form of 구하다 ('to seek, to rescue'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 구하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.