Key Facts
- Hangul: 이용하다 (iyonghada)
- Meaning: to use; to make use of
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 이용하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: The thing used takes 을/를 (도서관을 이용하다).
- Honorific polite: 이용하세요
- Usage: Formal, common in signs and announcements: 이용 안내 (usage guide). Also means to take advantage of, as in 사람을 이용하다, which can sound negative.
What Does 이용하다 Mean?
- to use; to make use of: Used for using a service or facility, e.g. 지하철을 이용하다 (to use the subway).
이용하다 is to use a service, a facility or a system: 지하철을 이용하다 is to use the subway, and 도서관을 이용하다 is to use the library. What you use takes 을/를. The tone is formal, which is why you meet the noun on signs, as in 이용 안내.
It can also mean to take advantage of. 사람을 이용하다 is to use a person, and that sounds negative. For a hand tool, such as a pen, choose 사용하다 or 쓰다 instead.
Which Set Phrases Use 이용하다?
- 지하철을 이용하다: To use the subway.
- 이용 안내: A usage guide, as printed on signs.
- 도서관을 이용하다: To use the library.
How Do You Pronounce 이용하다?
이용하다 is read as spelled. The past 이용했어요 is [이용해써요] and the formal 이용합니다 is [이용함니다]. The future 이용할 거예요 is [이용할꺼예요].
How Do You Use 이용하다 in a Sentence?
저는 매일 지하철을 이용해요.
I use the subway every day.
지하철을 is the service used, and 매일 gives the habit. It is a normal statement for a commuter.
어제 도서관을 이용했어요.
I used the library yesterday.
도서관을 is a facility, which suits 이용하다 well. The past 이용했어요 takes the 하다 form 했.
이 앱을 이용하는 사람이 많아요.
Many people use this app.
이 앱을 is 'this app', and the modifier 이용하는 turns the verb into 'who use'. 사람이 많아요 completes the sentence.
How Does Iyonghada Conjugation Work?
이용하다 is a 하다 verb. 하 + 여 becomes 해, so the polite present is 이용해요 and the past is 이용했어요. Consonant endings keep 하: 이용하면, 이용합니다, and the modifier is 이용하는.
이용하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이용해요 | ||
| Polite past | 이용했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 이용할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 이용하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 이용합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 이용했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 이용할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 이용해 | ||
| Casual past | 이용했어 | ||
| Casual future | 이용할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 이용하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 이용하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 이용해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 이용하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 이용하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 이용한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 이용할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 이용 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 이용하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 이용했어요 | [이용해써요] |
| Polite future | 이용할 거예요 | [이용할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 이용하겠어요 | [이용하게써요] |
| Formal present | 이용합니다 | [이용함니다] |
| Formal past | 이용했습니다 | [이용핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 이용할 것입니다 | [이용할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 이용했어 | [이용해써] |
| Casual future | 이용할 거야 | [이용할꺼야] |
| Long negative | 이용하지 않아요 | [이용하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 이용하다
Wrong: ✗ 지하철에 이용해요
Correct: ✓ 지하철을 이용해요.
Why: 이용하다 is transitive, so the thing you use takes 을/를, not 에. The same goes for places: 도서관을 이용하다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 이용하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 이용하다 |
|---|---|
| 사용하다 | 사용하다 is to use a tool or object (펜을 사용하다); 이용하다 is to use a service, place or system. |
| 쓰다 | 쓰다 is the everyday word for using things, including money; 이용하다 is more formal and for facilities. |
Asking about a Library Computer
A visitor returns to a library and asks to use a computer. The conversation moves from a past visit to today's request and the librarian's instruction.
Visitor
어제 이 도서관을 이용했어요.
Eoje i doseogwaneul iyonghaesseoyo.
I used this library yesterday.
Librarian
오늘도 이용하세요?
Oneuldo iyonghaseyo?
Are you using it again today?
Visitor
네. 컴퓨터를 이용하고 싶어요.
Ne. Keompyuteoreul iyonghago sipeoyo.
Yes. I would like to use a computer.
Librarian
저쪽 컴퓨터를 이용하세요.
Jeojjok keompyuteoreul iyonghaseyo.
Please use the computer over there.
오늘도 이용하세요 has question intonation: the librarian asks about the visitor's use of the facility. The final 이용하세요 is an instruction, understood from the situation and the named computer. A question mark and context distinguish them even though the verb form is the same.
컴퓨터를 이용하다 fits here because the computer is part of the library's facilities. 사용하다 could also describe operating that computer. The usual contrast between services and objects is a useful guide, but these words overlap when an object provides access to a public service.
What Do 이용 Signs Tell You?
| Wording | Meaning | What to look for next |
|---|---|---|
| 이용 안내 | information about use | Instructions, conditions or a guide to the facility. |
| 이용 시간 | hours of use | When the service or space is available. |
| 이용 요금 | usage fee | The amount charged and any charging period. |
| 이용 방법 | how to use | Steps for accessing or operating the service. |
These are literal combinations built around the noun 이용. They are not idioms: knowing the second noun lets you work out what kind of information the sign contains. 안내 points to guidance, 시간 to time, 요금 to a fee, and 방법 to a method.
이용 시간 may describe the hours a particular service is available, rather than every activity in the building. A library's computer area and its reading rooms can have different arrangements. Read the named facility and the time together before assuming a sign applies to the entire site.
Where Does 이용하다 Sound Natural?
Public transport announcements, library instructions and website help pages often use 이용하다. The word treats a person as a user of a service. 지하철을 이용하다 therefore suits a travel survey or an explanation of a commute. 타다 focuses more directly on riding or boarding the vehicle.
In ordinary conversation, 이용해요 is still natural when the service matters. A person can explain which gym, library or booking app they use. The formal flavour comes from the vocabulary; changing 이용합니다 to 이용해요 makes the sentence conversational without changing the kind of thing being discussed.
The object matters for tone as well as grammar. A library benefits its users, so 도서관을 이용하다 is neutral. 사람을 이용하다 suggests exploiting someone for your own purpose. That negative sense comes from treating a person as a resource, not from a special negative ending.
Which Endings Help with Instructions?
이용하는 describes an ongoing user or something used habitually. In the existing app example, 이용하는 사람이 means “people who use”. 이용한 instead points to completed use. Both attach directly to the noun they describe, and the thing used still keeps its object marker earlier in the phrase.
For a negative statement, the table gives 이용 안 해요 with 안 separated from 해요. 이용하지 않아요 is the longer alternative. Keep the spaces in 이용 안 해요 and 이용하고 싶어요; neither expression is a single joined word. The noun 이용 on a sign also remains separate from a following noun, as in 이용 안내.
Service Vocabulary to Learn Alongside 이용하다
| Korean | Meaning | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 시설 | facility | Names a place or installation available to users. |
| 요금 | fee / fare | Identifies the charge for a service. |
| 안내 | information / guidance | Introduces instructions or directions. |
| 지하철 | subway | A frequent object of 이용하다 in travel contexts. |
The transportation vocabulary lesson gives you the travel set around 지하철 and fares, so you can follow the details after recognising 이용.
Mini Drill: Use a Service
- Complete “I use the library”: 도서관____ 이용해요.
- Give the polite past of 이용하다.
- Give the modifier for “people who use”: ____ 사람.
- Write the short negative shown in the table, keeping its spaces.
Show drill answers
- 도서관을 이용해요.
- 이용했어요.
- 이용하는 사람.
- 이용 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Which sign points to a fee: 이용 시간 or 이용 요금?
- Why can 사람을 이용하다 sound critical?
- Does 이용하세요 always give an instruction?
Show answers
- 이용 요금.
- It means taking advantage of a person.
- No. With question intonation it can ask whether someone uses a service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 이용하다?
이용해요.
When Do I Choose 이용하다 and Not 사용하다?
Use 이용하다 for services, places and systems, and 사용하다 for tools and objects.
Does 이용하다 Ever Sound Negative?
Yes. 사람을 이용하다 means to take advantage of a person.
Is 이용하다 the Same as 쓰다?
No. 쓰다 is the everyday word for using things, including money. 이용하다 is more formal and for facilities.
Which Words Are Related to 이용하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 사용하다 and 쓰다 as the nearby options, then 타다 and 운전하다 for transport. When you see 이용 on a sign, you can now read what comes after. For the rule behind these forms, read how 하다 words become 해요, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.