Key Facts
- Hangul: 하얗다 (hayata)
- Pronunciation: [하야타]
- Meaning: to be white
- Level: A1
- Stem: 하얗
- Conjugation class: ㅎ-irregular
- Grammar: descriptive
What Does 하얗다 Mean?
하얗다 describes the white of snow and clothes: 하얀 눈 (white snow). The examples add a face that went white from shock and a white outfit. The colour as a noun is 흰색 or 하얀색.
The word 희다 is a close partner. It is used for hair, snow and skin (흰 눈), while 하얗다 is the brighter, purer white. 까맣다 is the opposite colour, black. Because it is descriptive, the subject takes 이/가: 눈이 하얘요.
Colour words come in two shapes. The noun (흰색 or 하얀색) names the colour itself, while 하얗다 describes a thing as white. As a sentence ending the verb becomes 하얘요, and in front of a noun the modifier 하얀 is used. Because of the ㅒ, listen carefully to the vowel at the end of the polite form.
How Do You Pronounce 하얗다?
하얗다 is read [하야타], with ㅎ and ㄷ merging into ㅌ. 하얬어요 is [하얘써요], 하얗습니다 is [하야씀니다] and 하얗지 않아요 is [하야치 아나요].
How Do You Use 하얗다 in a Sentence?
눈이 하얘요.
The snow is white.
하얘요 with 눈이: snow is white, in the plainest form.
놀라서 얼굴이 하얬어요.
My face went white from shock.
하얬어요 with 놀라서 얼굴이: a face went white with shock, a single moment.
하얀 옷을 입었어요.
I wore white clothes.
하얀 before 옷을 gives 'white clothes'; the sentence says they were worn.
How Does Hayata Conjugation Work?
The stem 하얗 has ㅑ, and ㅑ + 아 contracts into ㅒ, so you get 하얘요, 하얬어요, 하얘서. With 으 endings, only ㅎ drops: 하야면, 하야세요, 하얀. The future is 하얄 거예요. Consonant endings keep ㅎ: 하얗습니다, 하얗지 않아요.
하얗다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 하얘요 | ||
| Polite past | 하얬어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 하얄 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 하얗겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 하얗습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 하얬습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 하얄 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 하얘 | ||
| Casual past | 하얬어 | ||
| Casual future | 하얄 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 하야세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 하얘서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 하야면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 하얀 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 하얬던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 하얄 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 하얘요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 하얗지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 하얬어요 | [하얘써요] |
| Future plan | 하얄 거예요 | [하얄꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 하얗겠어요 | [하야케써요] |
| Formal now | 하얗습니다 | [하야씀니다] |
| Formal past | 하얬습니다 | [하얟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 하얄 것입니다 | [하얄꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 하얬어 | [하얘써] |
| Casual future | 하얄 거야 | [하얄꺼야] |
| Modifier past | 하얬던 | [하얟떤] |
| Long negative | 하얗지 않아요 | [하야치 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 하얗어요
Correct: ✓ 하얘요
Why: 하얗다 is a ㅎ irregular adjective: ㅎ drops and the stem vowel ㅑ becomes ㅒ, giving 하얘요 and 하얀, not 하얗어요. Among the basic colour words it is the one whose polite form carries ㅒ, which is why 하얘요 looks different from 파래요.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 하얗다 |
|---|---|
| 희다 | 희다 is also white, used for hair, snow and skin (흰 눈); 하얗다 is the brighter, purer white. |
| 까맣다 | 까맣다 is the opposite colour, black. |
Choosing a Shirt in a Shop
A customer is comparing two shirts under the shop lights. The assistant describes the colour now, and the customer recalls a shirt seen yesterday.
Customer
하얀 셔츠 있어요?
Hayan syeocheu isseoyo?
Do you have a white shirt?
Assistant
네. 이 셔츠가 하얘요.
Ne. I syeocheuga hayaeyo.
Yes. This shirt is white.
Customer
어제 본 셔츠도 하얬어요.
Eoje bon syeocheudo hayaesseoyo.
The shirt I saw yesterday was white too.
Assistant
네. 같은 제품이에요.
Ne. Gateun jepumieyo.
Yes. It is the same product.
하얀 identifies the item before the noun, while 하얘요 describes its colour in a complete sentence. The past 하얬어요 recalls the earlier sighting; the colour need not have changed. In the first question, the customer leaves out the object marker after 셔츠, which is natural in a short shopping question.
Which White Phrases Are Useful First?
하얀 셔츠 (a white shirt), 하얀 종이 (white paper), and 하얀 눈 (white snow) are literal combinations. Put 하얀 immediately before the thing you are describing. If a shop assistant asks about colour, 하얀색 names white as a colour, while 하얀 셔츠 names the garment you want. The final 색 means colour.
얼굴이 하얗다 can describe a pale face. The example about shock above uses the past 하얬어요 because it describes the person's appearance at that moment. English often says someone “went white”; Korean can describe the resulting white or pale appearance without adding a separate verb meaning “go”. The surrounding words explain whether the cause was fear, surprise, or something else.
하얀 거짓말 is a “white lie”, a lie told with a kind intention, such as trying not to hurt someone's feelings. The colour is figurative here. 거짓말 still means a lie: adding 하얀 does not turn the statement into a fact or promise that it causes no harm. This expression is useful in discussions of honesty and relationships.
Where Will You See or Hear 하얗다?
In clothing shops, 하얀 is useful for pointing out shirts, dresses, and shoes. Online product filters often name the colour with 흰색 or the loanword 화이트 instead. Those labels can refer to the same white item that a person describes with 하얘요. A product label needs a colour name; a conversation often needs a describing word.
In winter photos and song lyrics, 하얀 눈 evokes white snow. 눈 also means “eye”, so use the surrounding scene: snow on a street and falling snow point to the weather meaning. 하얀 alone does not tell you which meaning of 눈 the speaker intends.
A drama character describing someone's face may use 하얬어요 after a frightening event. That is a description of appearance, not a diagnosis. 하얗다 is neutral in register; 하얘 sounds casual, 하얘요 is polite conversation, and 하얗습니다 suits a formal description. The ordinary colour word itself does not become rude when the item belongs to an older person.
Colour Words to Learn Alongside 하얗다
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 흰색 | white | A colour noun suitable for a label or a colour choice. |
| 하얀색 | white | Built from the modifier 하얀 plus 색. |
| 검은색 | black | A colour noun to contrast with white. |
| 회색 | grey | Useful when something looks grey rather than fully white. |
The Korean colours lesson teaches the wider set and how colour names work with nouns.
What Makes the Spelling Easy to Mix Up?
The pair 하얘요 and 하얀 shares a meaning but uses different vowels. Learn each with its job: 하얘요 finishes a polite description; 하얀 waits for a noun. Copying the ㅒ of the sentence ending into the modifier produces the wrong spelling. The modifier keeps ㅑ and loses the final ㅎ.
The polite form is written with ㅒ even when everyday speech makes that vowel difficult to distinguish from ㅐ. Pronunciation alone may not tell you how to spell it. Compare the written pair 하얘요 and 파래요 in the existing table and colour links, then keep the dictionary form 하얗다 as your spelling cue.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Change 하얗다 to a polite present description.
- Fill “white paper”: ____ 종이.
- Give the polite past for a colour you saw yesterday.
- Make 하얘요 negative with 안.
Show drill answers
- 하얘요. The contracted vowel is ㅒ.
- 하얀 종이. Use the modifier before the noun.
- 하얬어요. The past includes ㅆ.
- 안 하얘요. Leave a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- Which is a colour noun: 하얀 or 하얀색?
- Does 얼굴이 하얬어요 always describe a naturally white complexion?
- What does 하얀 거짓말 mean?
Show answers
- 하얀색 names the colour; 하얀 modifies a following noun.
- No. It can describe a face looking pale after shock.
- A white lie, told with a kind intention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 하얗다?
It is 하얘요.
Why Is the Polite Form Spelled with ㅒ?
Because the stem vowel is ㅑ, the contraction with 아 gives ㅒ.
What Is the Difference between 하얗다 and 희다?
희다 is also white and is used for hair, snow and skin; 하얗다 is the brighter, purer white.
What Is the Opposite of 하얗다?
It is 까맣다, black.
Which Words Are Related to 하얗다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 까맣다 for black, 빨갛다, 노랗다 and 파랗다 for the rest of the colours, and 희다 for the other white.
The ㅎ-irregular lesson explains the pattern behind 하얘요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.