Key Facts
- Hangul: 확인하다 (hwaginhada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to check or to confirm
- Level: A2
- Stem: 확인하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: The thing checked takes 을/를.
What Does 확인하다 Mean?
확인하다 means to check that something is correct, as in 시간을 확인하다, and to confirm a fact or booking, as in 예약을 확인하다. The thing checked takes 을/를.
At work and in shops you hear it as 확인해 보겠습니다, 'let me check', which is formal and polite. The word suggests a verification step, not just a glance.
- to check: Make sure something is correct, as in 시간을 확인하다.
- to confirm: Verify a fact or booking, as in 예약을 확인하다.
How Do You Pronounce 확인하다?
The final ㄱ of 확 slides onto the vowel of 인, so the dictionary form sounds like [화긴하다]. Expect [화긴해써요] when you hear 확인했어요, and [화긴함니다] for the formal 확인합니다. Revised Romanization is hwaginhada.
Use the audio above to compare the dictionary form with its polite, formal, and casual forms.
How Do You Use 확인하다 in a Sentence?
출발하기 전에 시간을 확인해요.
I check the time before leaving.
A pre-departure habit: confirming the time.
이메일을 확인했어요.
I checked my email.
Past tense with an email as the thing checked.
예약을 다시 확인하면 안심이 돼요.
If you check the booking again, you feel reassured.
The -면 ending: checking again brings peace of mind.
How Does Hwaginhada Conjugation Work?
확인하다 is a regular 하다 verb: 확인하 plus 여 gives 해, so 확인해요, 확인했어요 and 확인해서. The honorific is 확인하세요. The short negative is 확인 안 해요. In a meeting, 확인합시다 proposes that everyone checks together.
The pattern behind 확인하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
확인하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 확인해요 | ||
| Polite past | 확인했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 확인할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 확인하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 확인합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 확인했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 확인할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 확인해 | ||
| Casual past | 확인했어 | ||
| Casual future | 확인할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 확인하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 확인하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 확인해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 확인하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 확인하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 확인한 | ||
| Future modifier | 확인할 | ||
| Short negative | 확인 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 확인하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 확인해요 | [화긴해요] |
| Polite past | 확인했어요 | [화긴해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 확인할 거예요 | [화긴할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 확인하겠어요 | [화긴하게써요] |
| Formal present | 확인합니다 | [화긴함니다] |
| Formal past | 확인했습니다 | [화긴핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 확인할 것입니다 | [화긴할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 확인해 | [화긴해] |
| Casual past | 확인했어 | [화긴해써] |
| Casual future | 확인할 거야 | [화긴할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 확인하고 싶어요 | [화긴하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 확인하세요 | [화긴하세요] |
| Because / and then | 확인해서 | [화긴해서] |
| If (conditional) | 확인하면 | [화긴하면] |
| Present modifier | 확인하는 | [화긴하는] |
| Past modifier | 확인한 | [화긴한] |
| Future modifier | 확인할 | [화긴할] |
| Short negative | 확인 안 해요 | [화긴 안 해요] |
| Long negative | 확인하지 않아요 | [화긴하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 약속을 확인했어요 (meant as 'I made an appointment')
Correct: ✓ 약속을 정했어요
Why: 확인하다 is to check; it is not to make or decide.
How Does 확인하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 확인하다 |
|---|---|
| 보다 | Simply looking at. 확인하다 means looking in order to make sure. |
| 알아보다 | Finding out. 확인하다 verifies something already known. |
Checking a Hotel Booking
A guest reaches the hotel reception desk. The booking already exists; the guest wants the receptionist to locate it and check its details.
Guest
예약을 확인하고 싶어요.
Yeyageul hwaginhago sipeoyo.
I’d like to check my reservation.
Receptionist
성함을 알려 주세요.
Seonghameul allyeo juseyo.
Please tell me your name.
Guest
김민수입니다. 이메일도 확인했어요.
Gim Minsuimnida. Imeildo hwaginhaesseoyo.
I’m Kim Minsu. I checked the email too.
Receptionist
네, 확인했습니다. 이틀 예약하셨네요.
Ne, hwaginhaetseumnida. Iteul yeyakhasyeonneyo.
Yes, I’ve checked it. You’ve booked two nights.
확인하고 싶어요 asks to check something, with the booking as the object. 확인했어요 reports the guest's earlier email check. 확인했습니다 reports the receptionist's completed check in a formal service style. The verb's object can be left out once both speakers know which booking is involved.
The receptionist asks for 성함, the respectful word for a person's name. That courtesy word fits a service encounter, while the verb 확인하다 remains the ordinary verb for checking. The formality of 확인했습니다 comes from the ending; it does not turn the check into a new reservation.
What Do People Commonly Check?
예약을 확인하다 means to check or confirm a reservation. It can involve matching a name, date, and room type against a booking. 시간을 확인하다 means to check the time; the surrounding task tells you whether that is the current time or the time of a planned event.
이메일을 확인하다 usually means to check email. It can mean opening the inbox and seeing what arrived. The verb does not promise that every statement in the message has been verified. If the conversation concerns a specific detail, name that detail so the listener knows what you checked.
본인 확인 means identity verification. 본인 refers to the person themselves, and 확인 names the verification process. You may see this noun phrase during account registration or a service request. It is a label for a check, rather than a conjugated instruction addressed to you.
확인 버튼 means a confirmation or OK button. 확인 is the noun on the interface; 버튼 names the control. Depending on the screen, pressing it may accept information or continue a process. The label alone does not tell you which action the application will perform.
Requests, Promises, and Completed Checks
In office messages, 확인해 주세요 asks someone to check. It leaves the checking as a task for the recipient. 확인했습니다 reports that the speaker has checked. A reply using the past tense can therefore acknowledge receipt or completion, without approving every proposal in the message.
The service phrase 확인해 보겠습니다 means “let me check” or “I will check”. The 보겠습니다 part presents checking as the next action. A receptionist saying it has not yet supplied the result. Listen for the following reply, which may confirm the details or identify a problem.
For an appointment, 확인하다 checks an arrangement. 정하다 establishes or decides it. In a calendar conversation, you might check an existing time before deciding a new one. Keep that sequence in mind when translating English “confirm”, which can cover several different stages of arranging plans.
What Makes 확인하다 Tricky?
The noun 확인 stays unchanged while 하다 becomes 해요, 했어요, or 합니다. In the short negative 확인 안 해요, 안 stands between the noun portion and 해요. The long negative 확인하지 않아요 keeps 확인하 together before 지. Both patterns describe not checking, rather than finding that the information was wrong.
The ㄱ in 확 links to the vowel in 인, which explains the pronunciation shown above. Continue to spell the verb 확인하다. A pronunciation aid such as 화긴 is not an alternative written word, and the sound change does not make the conjugation irregular.
Vocabulary for Checking Details
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 예약 | reservation | An arrangement you can check before arrival. |
| 성함 | name, respectfully | Often requested before staff locate a booking. |
| 날짜 | date | A detail that should match your reservation. |
| 입력하다 | to enter; input | Used before checking information on a form. |
See the hotel vocabulary lesson for booking and arrival words. When entering details online, 입력하다 describes supplying the information and 확인하다 describes checking it. They can occur in the same task without meaning the same action.
Mini Drill: Task or Result?
- Give the formal past of 확인하다.
- Change 확인해요 to the polite past.
- Write the short negative using 안.
- Does 확인해 보겠습니다 announce a next action or a completed check?
Show drill answers
- 확인했습니다.
- 확인했어요.
- 확인 안 해요, with spaces around 안.
- A next action: “let me check”.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb fits making an appointment: 확인하다 or 정하다?
- Does 이메일을 확인하다 always mean verifying every claim in an email?
- What does 본인 확인 refer to?
Show answers
- 정하다. 확인하다 checks an appointment or its details.
- No. It often simply means checking the inbox or message.
- Identity verification.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'Let Me Check'?
Say 확인해 보겠습니다 in formal settings.
Does It Mean 'to Confirm' Too?
Yes. 예약을 확인하다 is confirming a booking.
What Is the Formal Present?
It is 확인합니다, said [화긴함니다].
Can 확인하다 Mean 'Make an Appointment'?
No. A made appointment is 약속을 정했어요, not 확인하다.
Which Words Are Related to 확인하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go to 검색하다 and 입력하다 for tech vocabulary, and 보다 for the plain verb of looking. To test another form of 확인하다 ('to check'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 확인하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.