Key Facts
- Hangul: 저장하다 (jeojanghada)
- Meaning: to save
- Level: B1
- Stem: 저장하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Particles: What is saved takes 을/를, as in 사진을 저장하다.
What Does 저장하다 Mean?
저장하다 is a computer and phone word. The first sense is saving a file or data, as in 파일을 저장하다. The second is storing something in a place, such as numbers in a phone: 전화번호를 저장했어요. What is saved takes 을/를, as in 사진을 저장하다. You see 저장 on a save button, and 저장 버튼 is how a phone or an app labels it. When the idea is putting money aside in a bank, the choice is 저금하다.
How Do You Pronounce 저장하다?
The dictionary form has 4 syllables and is read as written. Only the endings shift. The formal 저장합니다 is spoken [저장함니다] because ㅂ before ㄴ becomes ㅁ, the past 저장했어요 is [저장해써요] with a tense ㅆ, and the future 저장할 거예요 is [저장할꺼예요]. The bracket joins 할 and 거 because the two are said as one unit, with a tense ㄲ after the ㄹ.
How Do You Use 저장하다 in a Sentence?
작업이 끝나면 파일을 저장해요.
I save the file when the work is done.
작업이 끝나면 gives the timing, and 파일을 저장해요 is the habit. The tense is polite present.
친구 전화번호를 저장했어요.
I saved my friend's phone number.
친구 전화번호를 names a friend's number as the thing saved. The past 저장했어요 reports it as done.
파일을 저장하지 않아요. 그냥 닫아요.
I do not save the file. I just close it.
저장하지 않아요 is the long negative. The next sentence, 그냥 닫아요, says the file is simply closed.
How Does Jeojanghada Conjugation Work?
저장하다 is a 하다 verb. 하 and 여 merge to 해, so 저장해요, 저장했어요 and 저장해서. Consonant endings leave 하: 저장하면, 저장하는. The long negative is 저장하지 않아요. Software prompts often use the honorific polite request 저장하세요, 'please save'. With a colleague, 저장합시다 proposes saving the work now, and notes or diaries use the plain past 저장했다.
저장하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 저장해요 | ||
| Polite past | 저장했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 저장할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 저장하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 저장합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 저장했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 저장할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 저장해 | ||
| Casual past | 저장했어 | ||
| Casual future | 저장할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 저장하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 저장하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 저장해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 저장하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 저장하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 저장한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 저장할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 저장 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 저장하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 저장했어요 | [저장해써요] |
| Plan future | 저장할 거예요 | [저장할꺼예요] |
| Guess future | 저장하겠어요 | [저장하게써요] |
| Formal present | 저장합니다 | [저장함니다] |
| Formal past | 저장했습니다 | [저장핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 저장할 것입니다 | [저장할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 저장했어 | [저장해써] |
| Casual future | 저장할 거야 | [저장할꺼야] |
| Want to | 저장하고 싶어요 | [저장하고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 저장하지 않아요 | [저장하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 돈을 저장해요 (meaning "I save money")
Correct: ✓ 돈을 모아요
Why: 돈을 저장해요 sounds as if you were storing money as data. For saving money, Korean uses 모으다 or 저금하다. Keep 저장하다 for data and files.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| 모으다 | 모으다 is to collect or save up things like money. 저장하다 is for data. |
| 다운로드하다 | 다운로드하다 is to bring a file from online. 저장하다 is to keep it once you have it. |
Saving a Shared Presentation
Two coworkers are finishing a presentation on one computer. A request, a confirmation, and a plan keep the file-saving sequence clear.
Mina
파일을 저장하세요.
Paireul jeojanghaseyo.
Please save the file.
Alex
네. 저장했어요.
Ne. Jeojanghaesseoyo.
Yes. I saved it.
Mina
저는 사진도 저장할 거예요.
Jeoneun sajindo jeojanghal geoyeyo.
I’m going to save the photos too.
The second line leaves out 파일을 because both coworkers already know which file they mean. 사진도 then introduces another thing to save. The past confirms a completed action; 저장할 거예요 describes what the speaker plans to do next.
Save, Download, or Store?
파일을 저장하다 means to save a file. 사진을 저장하다 means to save a photo, and 전화번호를 저장하다 means to save a phone number. These are literal combinations: something is kept so it can be used later. A number saved in a contact list is stored information, even though it is not a document you open like a presentation.
저장하다 also applies to storing physical supplies, such as food kept for later use. Digital storage is a useful starting point for learners, but it is not the verb’s only possible setting. In an ordinary conversation about keeping ingredients in a refrigerator, 보관하다 is also useful for “keep” or “store”.
Downloading and saving emphasize different parts of the process. 다운로드하다 describes receiving a file from an online source. 저장하다 describes keeping information in a storage location. A download can save a file automatically, but saving a document you created on your own computer does not require downloading anything.
What Will You See on a Korean Screen?
저장 is the short noun label “Save”. 저장 버튼 means “save button”, a phrase used when talking about the control; the button itself may simply say 저장. 다른 이름으로 저장 means “Save As”, and 자동 저장 means automatic saving. These labels describe actions or features, rather than full polite sentences.
A prompt with 저장하세요 asks the user to save. A coworker saying 저장했어요 confirms that they performed the action. The confirmation refers to saving, so it does not automatically mean the file has been emailed, uploaded, or shared with anyone else. Those are separate actions even when an app places the buttons close together.
Watch for the destination. 에 can name where information is stored, as in 컴퓨터에, “on the computer”, or 휴대폰에, “on the phone”. The object marker still belongs to what is saved. This distinction helps when asking someone to keep a file on a particular device rather than only viewing it online.
Spacing and the 하다 Forms
저장하다 is written as one word when it functions as the verb. 저장해요 and 저장했어요 keep the same unit. The noun 저장 can also stand on its own, as it does in a menu label, so seeing it without 하다 is normal on a screen.
The short negative 저장 안 해요 separates the noun from 안 해요. The long negative 저장하지 않아요 keeps 저장하지 together and puts a space before 않아요. Wrong: 저장 않아요. Correct: 저장하지 않아요. The long negative needs 지 before 않아요; it cannot attach directly to the noun.
Compare 저장하는 파일 and 저장한 파일. The first describes a file someone saves or is saving. The second describes a file someone has saved. This active wording differs from a status message focused on the file being saved; 저장되다 is the verb for that result. Keeping the actor and the result separate helps you read software instructions accurately.
Computer Words to Use with 저장하다
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 파일 | file | The object in 파일을 저장하다. |
| 폴더 | folder | A place used to organize saved files. |
| 삭제하다 | delete | Removes something rather than keeping it. |
| 저장되다 | be saved | Focuses on the stored result rather than the person saving. |
The computer and internet vocabulary lesson teaches this set. Use the object to identify what is being saved and a location phrase to say where it should remain.
Mini Drill
- Give the polite past of 저장하다.
- Make the polite request shown in the table.
- Write the short negative.
- Put 저장하다 before 파일 for a file already saved by someone.
Show drill answers
- 저장했어요.
- 저장하세요.
- 저장 안 해요.
- 저장한 파일.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 다른 이름으로 저장 mean on a menu?
- Does 저장했어요 necessarily mean “I sent it”?
- Which verb fits saving money: 저장하다 or 모으다?
Show answers
- Save As.
- No. It confirms saving, not sending.
- 모으다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use It for Saving Money?
No. Use 모으다 or 저금하다.
How Do I Say I Saved a Phone Number?
Say 전화번호를 저장했어요.
What Does the Save Button Say?
The button usually says 저장, meaning “Save”. 저장 버튼 means “save button” when you refer to the control in a sentence.
How Do I Say I Do Not Save It?
Say 저장하지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 저장하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Combine 저장하다 with 입력하다 and 다운로드하다 when you describe working on a computer. The pattern behind 저장하다 is covered in how 하다 verbs become 해요; to check any other form, open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.