Key Facts
- Hangul: 희망하다 (huimanghada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to hope or to wish for
- Level: B2
- Stem: 희망하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: The thing hoped for takes 을/를, as in 휴가를 희망하다.
What Does 희망하다 Mean?
희망하다 means to hope for or request something formally: 취업을 희망하다 on a job form, or 희망하는 날짜 for a preferred date. The thing wished for takes 을/를.
The noun 희망 ('hope') is far more common in daily speech. The verb is mostly written or formal, found in application forms, interviews and notices.
- to hope: Hope for or request something in a formal way, as in 취업을 희망하다.
- to wish for: State a preference in forms, as in 희망하는 날짜.
How Do You Pronounce 희망하다?
Four syllables, said [히망하다]: after a consonant, ㅢ is pronounced like ㅣ (Standard Pronunciation, Article 5). Expect [히망해써요] when you hear 희망했어요 and [히망함니다] for the formal 희망합니다. Revised Romanization still writes ui, so the word is huimanghada.
Use the audio above to compare the dictionary form with its polite, formal, and casual forms.
How Do You Use 희망하다 in a Sentence?
저는 이 부서에서 일하기를 희망해요.
I hope to work in this department.
A job-seeker's statement. 일하기를 shows the wish attaching to an action.
희망하는 날짜를 알려 주세요.
Please tell me the date you would like.
희망하는 places the wish before a noun, as a form would: the date you prefer.
많은 학생이 해외 연수를 희망했어요.
Many students wished for overseas training.
A past statement about a group, on the 했어요 pattern.
How Does Huimanghada Conjugation Work?
희망하다 is a regular 하다 verb. 희망하 plus 여 contracts to 해, so you get 희망해요, 희망했어요 and 희망해서. The short negative is 희망 안 해요, and the long form is 희망하지 않아요.
The pattern behind 희망하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
희망하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 희망해요 | ||
| Polite past | 희망했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 희망할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 희망하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 희망합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 희망했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 희망할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 희망해 | ||
| Casual past | 희망했어 | ||
| Casual future | 희망할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 희망하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 희망하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 희망해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 희망하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 희망하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 희망한 | ||
| Future modifier | 희망할 | ||
| Short negative | 희망 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 희망하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 희망해요 | [히망해요] |
| Polite past | 희망했어요 | [히망해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 희망할 거예요 | [히망할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 희망하겠어요 | [히망하게써요] |
| Formal present | 희망합니다 | [히망함니다] |
| Formal past | 희망했습니다 | [히망핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 희망할 것입니다 | [히망할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 희망해 | [히망해] |
| Casual past | 희망했어 | [히망해써] |
| Casual future | 희망할 거야 | [히망할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 희망하고 싶어요 | [히망하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 희망하세요 | [히망하세요] |
| Because / and then | 희망해서 | [히망해서] |
| If (conditional) | 희망하면 | [히망하면] |
| Present modifier | 희망하는 | [히망하는] |
| Past modifier | 희망한 | [히망한] |
| Future modifier | 희망할 | [히망할] |
| Short negative | 희망 안 해요 | [히망 안 해요] |
| Long negative | 희망하지 않아요 | [히망하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 친구에게 희망해요 (meant as 'I hope you are well')
Correct: ✓ 잘 지내기를 바라요
Why: 희망하다 is a formal request or wish for something, not the friendly everyday way to say I hope.
How Does 희망하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 희망하다 |
|---|---|
| 바라다 | The plain, everyday word for hoping. |
| 원하다 | To want. 희망하다 is a polite, formal way to state what you would like. |
Discussing a Job Application
An applicant and a recruiter discuss the department named on an application. The opening uses formal endings, followed by a polite follow-up question.
Recruiter
희망하는 부서는 어디입니까?
Huimanghaneun buseoneun eodiimnikka?
Which department would you prefer?
Applicant
영업부에서 일하기를 희망합니다.
Yeongeopbueseo ilhagireul huimanghamnida.
I hope to work in the sales department.
Recruiter
처음에도 영업부를 희망했어요?
Cheoeumedo yeongeopbureul huimanghaesseoyo?
Did you want the sales department originally too?
Applicant
네. 지원서에도 그렇게 썼습니다.
Ne. Jiwonseoedo geureoke sseotseumnida.
Yes. I wrote that on the application too.
희망하는 modifies 부서, so the question asks which department the applicant prefers. 희망합니다 states the present wish in a formal style. 희망했어요 asks about the earlier preference with a polite ending. The recruiter's switch to 요 makes the follow-up less formal while retaining politeness.
The applicant's answer uses 일하기를, “working”, as the object of the wish. The location of that work takes 에서. The department name is therefore part of the hoped-for action, rather than the person receiving the applicant's words.
How Do You State a Preference on a Form?
희망하다 is useful when an organization asks what you would like. A form can ask for a preferred department, date, or salary. The word expresses a desired option; entering it does not mean the organization has approved it. This difference matters when reading a reply about an application or schedule.
희망하는 날짜 is “the date you would like”. A booking clerk may ask for it before checking availability. 희망 연봉 means “desired annual salary”, and 희망 부서 means “preferred department”. In those two labels, the noun 희망 comes before another noun. There is no conjugated verb ending to look for.
취업을 희망하다 means to hope to find employment. 취업 names the desired outcome. 입학을 희망하다 means to hope to enter a school. These combinations describe goals, rather than predicting that a job offer or admission will happen.
Where Will You Encounter 희망하다?
In a job interview, 희망합니다 gives a clear statement of your desired role or work arrangement. In an application notice, 희망하는 can identify the people who want a particular opportunity. The subject may be applicants collectively, rather than a named individual describing a private feeling.
A casual chat about tonight's dinner usually calls for a more conversational wish expression. 희망하다 would give a small preference the tone of an application or official statement. The casual form 희망해 is grammatically possible, but changing the ending does not remove the word's formal association.
The noun 희망 also means hope in a broader emotional sense. 희망을 갖다 means to have hope, while 희망을 잃다 means to lose hope. These phrases concern a person's outlook. A form label such as 희망 연봉 uses the same noun to identify a concrete preference.
Noun Objects, Action Objects, and Spelling
A noun can attach directly with 을/를, as in 해외 연수를 희망했어요. To make an action the object, add 기 to the action verb and then 를: 일하기를 희망해요. Keep a space between the action phrase and 희망해요. The sentence now tells you what someone hopes to do.
희망하는 is the modifier for a current wish. 희망한 looks back at a wish held earlier. Neither ending guarantees that the wish came true: it describes the hoping, not the outcome. In the existing student example, 희망했어요 tells you what the students wanted, without saying they actually went abroad.
Keep 희 in writing even though its standard pronunciation begins with the sound 히. The sound rule does not change the spelling to 히망. Also keep the complete noun 희망 when 하다 changes to 해요; the vowel contraction happens in 하다, not inside 희망.
Words around Applications and Wishes
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 지원서 | application form | Where a preferred department or role may be recorded. |
| 부서 | department | The organizational unit an applicant may wish to join. |
| 연봉 | annual salary | The noun after 희망 in a desired-salary field. |
| 바라다 | to hope; wish | Useful for wishes directed toward someone's well-being. |
The job interview vocabulary lesson teaches the recruitment setting. 원하다 is another useful comparison: it states wanting more broadly, while 희망하다 often presents the desired option in an institutional setting.
Mini Drill: Read the Preference
- Give the formal present of 희망하다.
- Complete “preferred date”: 희망____ 날짜.
- Change 희망해요 to the polite past.
- In 일하기를 희망해요, is 일하기를 a person or an action?
Show drill answers
- 희망합니다.
- 희망하는 날짜.
- 희망했어요.
- An action: working is what the person hopes to do.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 희망 연봉 mean an agreed salary?
- What does 희망을 잃다 mean?
- Does 희망했어요 prove the desired outcome happened?
Show answers
- No. It is the applicant's desired annual salary.
- To lose hope.
- No. It reports a past wish, not its fulfillment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 희망하다 Used in Daily Speech?
Rarely. The noun 희망 is far more common; the verb is mostly written or formal.
How Do I Say I Hope Someone Is Well?
Use 바라다, as in 잘 지내기를 바라요.
What Is the Polite Present?
It is 희망해요.
What Does 희망하는 날짜 Mean?
It means the date you would like, using the present modifier 희망하는.
Which Words Are Related to 희망하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, learn 바라다 and 원하다 for everyday wishing, then 기대하다 and 꿈꾸다. To test another form of 희망하다 ('to hope'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 희망하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.