Key Facts
- Hangul: 이혼하다 (ihonhada, 4 syllables)
- Meaning: to divorce
- Level: B1
- Stem: 이혼하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- What it takes: The former spouse takes 와/과 or 하고, as in 아내와 이혼하다.
What Does 이혼하다 Mean?
이혼하다 means to divorce, as in 남편과 이혼하다. The former spouse takes 와/과 or 하고: 아내와 이혼하다.
이혼하다 states the divorce directly. In personal accounts, the past tense reports a completed event; news may describe events in progress. 이혼 is also the noun.
- to divorce: End a marriage, as in 남편과 이혼하다.
How Do You Pronounce 이혼하다?
Four syllables, said as written. Say [이혼해써요] for 이혼했어요, and [이혼함니다] for 이혼합니다. Revised Romanization is ihonhada.
How Do You Use 이혼하다 in a Sentence?
그 부부는 작년에 이혼했어요.
That couple divorced last year.
A past report about a couple, the typical shape for this verb.
이혼하는 사람이 점점 늘고 있어요.
The number of people getting divorced keeps growing.
The present modifier 이혼하는 describes people in the process of divorcing, a news-style sentence.
부모님이 이혼해서 혼자 살아요.
My parents divorced, so I live alone.
The reason form 이혼해서 gives a cause: the parents' divorce explains living alone.
How Does Ihonhada Conjugation Work?
이혼하다 is a regular 하다 verb: 이혼하 plus 여 contracts to 해, giving 이혼해요, 이혼했어요 and 이혼해서. The short negative is 이혼 안 해요. News reports and official statistics use the plain written style, so headlines say 이혼했다 or 이혼한다 rather than the polite forms. In conversation, the topic is usually raised by the person concerned, and the plain past 이혼했어요 is enough; no softening verb is needed.
The pattern behind 이혼하다 is taught step by step in 하다 to 해요.
이혼하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이혼해요 | ||
| Polite past | 이혼했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 이혼할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 이혼하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 이혼합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 이혼했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 이혼할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 이혼해 | ||
| Casual past | 이혼했어 | ||
| Casual future | 이혼할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 이혼하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 이혼하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 이혼해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 이혼하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 이혼하는 | ||
| Past modifier | 이혼한 | ||
| Future modifier | 이혼할 | ||
| Short negative | 이혼 안 해요 | ||
| Long negative | 이혼하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이혼해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 이혼했어요 | [이혼해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 이혼할 거예요 | [이혼할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 이혼하겠어요 | [이혼하게써요] |
| Formal present | 이혼합니다 | [이혼함니다] |
| Formal past | 이혼했습니다 | [이혼핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 이혼할 것입니다 | [이혼할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 이혼해 | as written |
| Casual past | 이혼했어 | [이혼해써] |
| Casual future | 이혼할 거야 | [이혼할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 이혼하고 싶어요 | [이혼하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 이혼하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 이혼해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 이혼하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 이혼하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 이혼한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 이혼할 | as written |
| Short negative | 이혼 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 이혼하지 않아요 | [이혼하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 남편을 이혼했어요
Correct: ✓ 남편과 이혼했어요
Why: The spouse is the partner of the action, so it takes 와/과, not 을/를.
How Does 이혼하다 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How to tell it from 이혼하다 |
|---|---|
| 헤어지다 | To part or break up, including unmarried couples. 이혼하다 is a legal divorce of a married pair. |
| 결혼하다 | To get married, the opposite step. |
A Friend Explains a Change at Home
Sora tells a friend about her parents’ divorce. The friend asks about living arrangements after Sora has raised the subject.
Sora
부모님이 작년에 이혼했어요.
Bumonimi jangnyeone ihonhaesseoyo.
My parents divorced last year.
Jisu
지금은 엄마와 살아요?
Jigeumeun eommawa sarayo?
Do you live with your mom now?
Sora
네. 부모님이 이혼해서 엄마와 살아요.
Ne. Bumonimi ihonhaeseo eommawa sarayo.
Yes. I live with my mom because my parents divorced.
이혼했어요 gives the completed event, while 이혼해서 connects it to the present living arrangement. The first line names the parents as the subject of the divorce. In 엄마와 살아요, the speaker is the person living with her mother. Korean can leave that subject unstated when the conversation makes it clear.
Which Divorce Expressions Are Useful to Recognize?
이혼한 부부 means a couple who have divorced. The past modifier 이혼한 describes the completed change in their relationship. 이혼하는 부부 describes a couple divorcing, so the action is presented as current or in progress. The endings help distinguish a past fact from an ongoing storyline.
이혼을 하다 is the noun 이혼 plus the object marker and 하다. It has the same basic meaning as 이혼하다. The compact verb is convenient for ordinary sentences; the noun can be useful when a longer phrase modifies divorce itself. The former spouse still takes 와/과 rather than the object marker.
이혼을 결심하다 means to decide to divorce. The literal structure is “make a decision about divorce”. It describes a decision, so it does not by itself say that a divorce has happened. 이혼을 요구하다 means to demand a divorce and likewise says nothing about a completed outcome.
이혼 후 means “after divorce”. 후 follows the noun and locates another event afterward. 이혼 전 means “before divorce”. These short phrases are common ways for articles and stories to organize a person’s life around that event, without repeating a complete sentence each time.
Where Will You Hear 이혼하다?
Family dramas, interviews and personal conversations use 이혼하다 to state a marital change. In a drama, 이혼하고 싶어요 expresses someone’s wish to divorce. 이혼할 거예요 presents an intention or expectation. Neither has the completed meaning of 이혼했어요, even if the speaker sounds very certain.
The word itself is neutral rather than insulting, but the information is personal. Adding 요 makes the sentence polite to the listener; it does not make a direct question about someone’s marriage less personal. In the dialogue, Sora volunteers the fact before Jisu asks a follow-up about her home.
별거, “living separately”, can occur in the same stories. Separate residences alone do not tell you that a marriage has ended. Similarly, 헤어지다 can describe a breakup without saying that the people were married. Use the relationship context to choose the English translation.
What Is Tricky about 이혼하다?
The spouse is a partner in the event, not the thing acted on. 남편과 이혼했어요 uses 과 because 남편 ends in a consonant; 아내와 이혼했어요 uses 와 after a vowel. 하고 works with either noun. All three choices can identify the other spouse without changing the tense.
이혼한 describes a person who divorced; 이혼하는 describes someone divorcing. Keep those modifiers separate from 이혼할, which looks ahead. The verb’s 하다 pattern is regular, but choosing the wrong modifier can accidentally turn a completed family event into a current process or a future possibility.
The short negative 이혼 안 해요 puts 안 between the noun and 해요. It is present tense. To report a past decision or outcome, the tense must also change; a present negative alone does not mean “did not divorce”. The long negative 이혼하지 않아요 keeps 이혼하다 together before the negative expression.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 부부 | married couple | Refers to the pair rather than one spouse. |
| 배우자 | spouse | A gender-neutral word common in formal contexts. |
| 별거 | living separately | Describes separate living arrangements. |
| 재혼 | remarriage | Names a later marriage. |
The family vocabulary lesson introduces the relationship words needed to follow who is speaking about whom.
Mini Drill: Describe the Relationship
- Complete the polite past: 이혼____.
- Choose the spouse marker: 아내와 or 아내를?
- Give the modifier for “a couple who divorced”: ____ 부부.
- Write the short present negative of 이혼하다.
Show drill answers
- 이혼했어요.
- 아내와: the spouse takes 와/과 or 하고.
- 이혼한 부부: 한 marks the completed event.
- 이혼 안 해요, with 안 separate from both surrounding words.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 이혼을 결심하다 say the divorce is already complete?
- What does 이혼 후 mean?
- Which verb fits an unmarried couple breaking up?
Show answers
- No. It states a decision to divorce.
- After divorce.
- 헤어지다. 이혼하다 specifically concerns marriage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Marks the Spouse?
Use 와/과 or 하고, as in 남편과 이혼했어요.
Is 이혼하다 Used for Unmarried Couples?
No. For breaking up, use 헤어지다.
Is 이혼 Also a Noun?
Yes. 이혼 is the noun for divorce.
What Is the Polite Past?
It is 이혼했어요.
Which Words Are Related to 이혼하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 헤어지다 and 결혼하다 next, then 싸우다 and 화해하다 for the quarrel vocabulary around relationships. To test another form of 이혼하다 ('to divorce'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary. Where 안 goes in the negative of 이혼하다 is covered in negating 하다 verbs.