허락하다 (heorakada) Conjugation: Meaning, Forms & Examples

Heorakada conjugation follows the 하다 pattern, so 하 becomes 해 in the polite forms.

Key Facts

• Hangul: 허락하다 (heorakada)
• Meaning: to permit; to allow
• Part of speech: verb (동사)
• Level: B1
• Stem: 허락하
• Class: 하다 type
• Object marking: transitive

What Does 허락하다 Mean?

• to permit; to allow. Used for giving permission: 부모님이 외출을 허락하다.

허락하다 means to permit or allow, used for giving permission: 부모님이 외출을 허락하다. It takes an object with 을/를 for what is permitted. It is moderately common and a little formal. Two noun phrases are just as useful: 허락을 받다 (get permission) and 허락을 구하다 (ask for permission).

Grammar. Takes an object with 을/를 for what is permitted.

Usage note. Moderately common, a bit formal. 허락을 받다 (get permission) and 허락을 구하다 (ask permission) are frequent collocations.

How Do You Pronounce 허락하다?

The ㄱ at the end of 락 merges with the ㅎ of 하: the polite present 허락해요 is read [허라캐요], the past 허락했어요 is [허라캐써요], and the formal 허락합니다 is [허라캄니다].

How Do You Use 허락하다 in a Sentence?

The parents are the subject (부모님이), and 외출을 (going out) is what they allow.

No object is stated because it is clear from context.

The conditional 허락하면 sets the condition.

How Does Heorakada Conjugation Work?

As with every 하다 verb, only the 하 part changes: 허락하 plus 여 gives 허락해, so 허락해요, 허락했어요 and 허락해서. The negative puts 안 after the noun part: 허락 안 해요. The modifiers are 허락하는 and 허락한.

The pattern for this verb is explained in 하다 to 해요.

Common Mistake with 허락하다

Wrong: ✗ 부모님께 허락해요 (meaning "I ask my parents for permission")

Correct: ✓ 부모님께 허락을 받아요

Why: The one who gets permission uses 허락을 받다; 허락하다 is for the one who gives it.

Learners use the verb for the person asking. But 허락하다 means to give permission, so 부모님께 허락해요 sounds as if you were the one granting it. To say you get your parents' permission, use 부모님께 허락을 받아요.

허락하다 Versus Similar Verbs

Asking to Use a Meeting Room

A staff member asks the person responsible for a meeting room to allow its use. They mention a previous approval and agree on the next step.

Staff member

Room manager

Staff member

Room manager

사용 means “use,” so 회의실 사용을 names the activity being allowed. The staff member requests permission with 허락해 주세요. The manager asks about an earlier decision with 허락했어요, then gives the go-ahead with 사용하세요, “go ahead and use it.” The permission request and the report of approval use different endings of 허락하다.

Follow the Direction of Permission

허락하다 describes the giver's action. 허락을 받다 describes the receiver's action. 허락을 구하다 describes seeking permission before a decision. The noun 허락 stays the same, but the following verb changes the person's role.

Imagine parents allowing a child to go out. From the parents' side, the activity is the object: 외출을 허락하다, “allow going out.” From the child's side, the permission itself is the object: 허락을 받다, “receive permission.” This change is more useful than trying to translate every English “permission” sentence with 허락하다.

부모님께 허락을 받다 uses 께 for the respected people from whom permission comes. The same marker can point to different relationships with other verbs, so 께 alone does not tell you whether someone gives or receives permission. Read it together with 받다 or 허락하다.

Common Permission Phrases

허락 없이 often appears in warnings about using or sharing something. It identifies missing permission; it does not say whether permission would have been granted if someone had asked. 허락을 구하다 belongs earlier in the process, when the person is still asking.

The expression 허락해 주세요 is a direct request for approval. It suits a conversation where the proposed action is already clear. If the listener does not know what you want to do, name that action first, as the staff member does with 회의실 사용을.

Where Will You Hear 허락하다?

Family conversations use 허락하다 for outings, overnight stays, and other plans that require a parent's agreement. In dramas, the verb may concern a parent's approval of a relationship or marriage. The word signals permission in that scene; it does not automatically mean the speaker has legal authority over the decision.

At work, 허락 can concern using a room, sharing a document, or leaving early. More official procedures may use 승인, “approval,” or 허가, “permission / authorization.” The words overlap, but a personal yes and an administrative authorization can involve different procedures.

A simple everyday permission question often uses an ending meaning “may I?” rather than the explicit word 허락. The explicit verb is useful when you want to emphasize that someone granted, refused, or still needs to grant approval.

Sound Changes Do Not Change the Written Noun

허락해요 keeps the spelling 락 even though ㄱ and ㅎ combine in pronunciation. The noun 허락 also stays recognizable in 허락을 받다. Avoid respelling the word to match only the sound of the contracted verb.

허락하세요 honors the person giving permission. It does not change the direction of permission or turn the giver into the person asking. For a courteous request to allow something, 허락해 주세요 makes the requested action clearer than merely naming the honorific form.

The office vocabulary lesson adds language for discussing requests and workplace decisions.

Mini Drill: Who Gives Permission?

1. Choose 받다 or 허락하다 for the person receiving approval.
2. Give the polite past of 허락하다.
3. Complete “allow an outing”: 외출____ 허락하다.
4. Give the conditional “if someone allows it.”

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 허락을 구하다 mean permission has already been granted?
2. What does 허락 없이 mean?
3. Does 허락하세요 reverse who gives permission?

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Say "Get Permission" in Korean?

Use 허락을 받다, as in 부모님께 허락을 받아요 (I get permission from my parents).

How Do I Say "Ask for Permission"?

Use 허락을 구하다 (ask for permission). It is a little formal.

Why Is 부모님께 허락해요 Wrong for Asking Permission?

허락하다 is the action of the person who gives permission. The person who asks or receives it uses 허락을 받다 or 허락을 구하다.

How Is 허락해요 Pronounced?

It is read [허라캐요]: the final ㄱ of 락 and the ㅎ of 해 merge into the aspirated ㅋ.

What Is the Short Negative?

허락 안 해요 (does not allow). 안 goes between the noun 허락 and 해요.

Which Words Are Related to 허락하다?

• 부탁하다
• 약속하다
• 결정하다
• 취소하다

What Should You Learn Next?

Next, 부탁하다 and 약속하다 cover asking and promising. Once 허락하다 feels familiar, compare it with other entries in the verb dictionary or check a form in the conjugator.