Key Facts
- Hangul: 화해하다 (hwahaehada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to reconcile
- Level: B2
- Stem: 화해하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: The other person takes 와/과 or 하고, as in 동생과 화해하다.
What Does 화해하다 Mean?
화해하다 means to reconcile, as in 친구와 화해하다. It is intransitive. The other person takes 와/과 or 하고, as in 동생과 화해하다.
It works for friends and family, and also for countries or groups. It often follows 싸우다 or 사과하다 in a story: a quarrel, then an apology, then 화해.
- to reconcile: Make peace after a quarrel, as in 친구와 화해하다.
How Do You Pronounce 화해하다?
The dictionary form has four syllables. The polite present 화해해요 has two 해 sounds in a row. Spoken, 화해했어요 comes out as [화해해써요] and 화해합니다 comes out as [화해함니다]. Revised Romanization is hwahaehada.
Use the audio above to compare the dictionary form with its polite, formal, and casual forms.
How Do You Use 화해하다 in a Sentence?
저는 친구와 화해했어요.
I made up with my friend.
A personal statement, with 와/과 on the friend.
싸운 뒤에는 빨리 화해해요.
After a fight, we make up quickly.
A habit: quarrels are patched up quickly.
먼저 사과하고 화해하면 마음이 편해요.
If you apologize first and make up, you feel at ease.
The -면 ending lists apology and making up as the way to feel at ease.
How Does Hwahaehada Conjugation Work?
화해하다 is a regular 하다 verb: 화해하 plus 여 gives 해, so 화해해요, 화해했어요 and 화해해서. The short negative is 화해 안 해요. Making up is often proposed directly: 화해하자 is the casual 'let's make up', and the more respectful suggestion is 화해하시죠.
The pattern behind 화해하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
화해하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 화해해요 | ||
| Polite past | 화해했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 화해할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 화해하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 화해합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 화해했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 화해할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 화해해 | ||
| Casual past | 화해했어 | ||
| Casual future | 화해할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 화해하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 화해하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 화해해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 화해하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 화해하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 화해한 | ||
| Future modifier | 화해할 | ||
| Short negative | 화해 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 화해하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 화해해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 화해했어요 | [화해해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 화해할 거예요 | [화해할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 화해하겠어요 | [화해하게써요] |
| Formal present | 화해합니다 | [화해함니다] |
| Formal past | 화해했습니다 | [화해핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 화해할 것입니다 | [화해할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 화해해 | as written |
| Casual past | 화해했어 | [화해해써] |
| Casual future | 화해할 거야 | [화해할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 화해하고 싶어요 | [화해하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 화해하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 화해해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 화해하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 화해하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 화해한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 화해할 | as written |
| Short negative | 화해 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 화해하지 않아요 | [화해하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 화해했어요
Correct: ✓ 친구와 화해했어요
Why: 화해하다 needs 와/과 for the other side, not 을/를.
How Does 화해하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 화해하다 |
|---|---|
| 용서하다 | To forgive someone. 화해하다 is for both sides to make peace. |
| 사과하다 | To apologize. 화해하다 is both sides making peace, which often follows an apology. |
Talking after an Argument
Two friends meet the day after an argument. They are close and use casual speech. One suggests making peace, and the other agrees.
Jisu
어제는 미안했어. 화해하고 싶어.
Eojeneun mianhaesseo. Hwahaehago sipeo.
I’m sorry about yesterday. I want to make up.
Mina
나도 미안해. 우리 화해하자.
Nado mianhae. Uri hwahaehaja.
I’m sorry too. Let’s make up.
Jisu
고마워. 이제 화해했어.
Gomawo. Ije hwahaehaesseo.
Thanks. We’ve made up now.
Mina
응. 다음에는 먼저 이야기하자.
Eung. Daeumeneun meonjeo iyagihaja.
Yes. Next time, let’s talk first.
화해하고 싶어 expresses a wish to repair the friendship. 화해하자 proposes doing that together. 화해했어 describes the result once both friends accept. The three forms move the scene from wanting reconciliation to agreeing and then recognizing that it has happened.
우리, “we”, makes the shared proposal explicit. The speakers do not need to keep naming each other with 와/과 because both participants are present. In a later report to someone else, naming the friend would make clear who the speaker reconciled with.
Making Peace, Apologizing, and Forgiving
화해하다 describes restoring friendly relations after a conflict. The sentence normally presents both sides as making peace, even if only one person is the grammatical subject. 친구와 화해했어요 names the friend with 와 and reports reconciliation between them and the speaker.
An apology can start that process without completing it. 사과하다 focuses on acknowledging a wrong or expressing regret to someone. 용서하다 focuses on forgiving someone. A person can apologize and still be waiting for a response; a person can forgive without resuming a close relationship. 화해하다 reports that the relationship itself has moved toward peace.
In drama subtitles, “make up” often translates 화해하다. English also uses “make up” for inventing a story, but Korean uses a different verb for that action. Here the surrounding argument or hurt feelings are central to the meaning.
Expressions That Go with 화해
화해를 청하다 means to ask for reconciliation. 청하다 is “to request”, so the phrase reports an attempt to make peace. It does not say that the other person accepted. 화해의 손길을 내밀다 literally evokes extending a hand of reconciliation. It means offering to make peace, including an offer made through words rather than a handshake. Both appear in the Basic Korean Dictionary entry for 화해.
극적으로 화해하다 means to reconcile dramatically, often after a difficult conflict. You may meet it in an entertainment headline or a summary of a story. 극적으로 adds the sense of a striking turn of events; 화해하다 still identifies the repaired relationship.
화해의 자리 is an occasion or meeting for reconciliation. 자리 can mean an occasion as well as a physical seat. A shared meal arranged after a disagreement could be described this way. The phrase concerns the purpose of the meeting, so it does not by itself guarantee a successful outcome.
Where Do You Hear 화해하다?
Among friends, 화해하자 can be a direct invitation to end a quarrel. Because it assumes a shared next step, it may be too abrupt when the other person still wants an explanation. 화해하고 싶어요 states the wish to reconcile and gives the other person room to respond.
In family stories, the verb may follow a long disagreement rather than a single fight. In news, groups or countries can also be the parties involved. The scale changes, but the central idea remains restoring relations after conflict. A temporary pause in an argument is not enough on its own to establish that reconciliation has happened.
Why Are There Two 해 Syllables in 화해해요?
The noun 화해 ends in 해. The following 하다 contracts to 해요, giving 화해해요. Both 해 syllables belong in the written form. The past 화해했어요 keeps the noun's 해 and adds 했어요. Compare the formal 화해합니다, where 하 remains visible because the ending is different.
The spelling 화해하다 is one word. The noun phrase 화해를 하다 is also possible and uses spaces around the noun and verb. In either pattern, the other participant is a partner marked with 와/과 or 하고, rather than a direct object marked 을/를.
Words around Repairing a Friendship
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 싸움 | fight; quarrel | The conflict that may come before reconciliation. |
| 오해 | misunderstanding | Something the speakers may need to clear up. |
| 사과 | apology | Can open the way to making peace. |
| 용서 | forgiveness | Focuses on forgiving rather than the restored relationship. |
The friendship vocabulary lesson teaches the wider relationship setting. The nouns 사과 and 용서 form the verbs 사과하다 and 용서하다, useful for identifying which stage of the conversation a speaker describes.
Mini Drill: Repair the Sentence
- Give the polite present of 화해하다.
- Complete “made up with a friend”: 친구____ 화해했어요.
- Give the polite wish form meaning “I want to reconcile”.
- Give the formal present.
Show drill answers
- 화해해요, with both 해 syllables.
- 친구와 화해했어요.
- 화해하고 싶어요.
- 화해합니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does an apology automatically mean reconciliation happened?
- What does 화해를 청하다 mean?
- Does 화해하다 only describe romantic couples?
Show answers
- No. 사과하다 reports the apology; 화해하다 reports making peace.
- To ask for reconciliation.
- No. Friends, relatives, groups, and countries can reconcile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Marks the Other Person?
Use 와/과 or 하고, as in 동생과 화해해요.
Is 화해하다 the Same as 용서하다?
No. 용서하다 is one person forgiving; 화해하다 is both sides making peace.
Can It Describe Countries?
Yes. It works for countries and groups as well as friends.
What Is the Polite Past?
It is 화해했어요.
Which Words Are Related to 화해하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Move on to 용서하다 and 사과하다, then 싸우다 for the quarrel that starts the story. To test another form of 화해하다 ('to reconcile'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 화해하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.