Key Facts
- Hangul: 정확하다 (jeonghwakada)
- Meaning: accurate
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 정확하
- Class: 하다 type
- Dictionary-form sound: [정화카다]
What Does 정확하다 Mean?
정확하다 describes precision. 정확한 시간 is the exact time, and 이 시계는 정확해요 says that a watch keeps good time. The subject takes 이/가 or 은/는, as in 시계가 정확해요. It rates a thing by how well it matches facts or numbers, which is why you will hear it with clocks, measurements, answers and reports.
How Do You Pronounce 정확하다?
The dictionary form is said [정화카다]: the ㄱ of 확 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into an aspirated ㅋ. That is why the polite present 정확해요 is [정화캐요], and the formal 정확합니다 is [정화캄니다]. The past 정확했어요 is [정화캐써요]. Revised Romanization shows the aspiration, giving jeonghwakada.
How Do You Use 정확하다 in a Sentence?
이 시계는 정확해요.
This watch is accurate.
이 시계는 sets the watch as the topic, and 정확해요 rates it. The sentence is a simple compliment.
정확한 시간을 알려 주세요.
Please tell me the exact time.
The modifier 정확한 sits before 시간을, and 알려 주세요 asks politely for information. The two together make a clear request.
정확해서 믿을 수 있어요.
It is accurate, so it can be trusted.
The because-form 정확해서 links accuracy to trust: 믿을 수 있어요 means that it can be trusted.
Usage Notes for 정확하다
The word is a little formal and fits written Korean, work and school. 정확도 is the noun for the degree of accuracy, as in a test or a measurement. The adverbs 정확히 and 정확하게 are both fine before a verb. Compare it with 확실하다, which is about sureness, and 맞다, which is the verb for being right.
How Does Jeonghwakada Conjugation Work?
정확하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 정확해요 | ||
| Polite past | 정확했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 정확할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 정확하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 정확합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 정확했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 정확할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 정확해 | ||
| Casual past | 정확했어 | ||
| Casual future | 정확할 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 정확해서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 정확하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 정확한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 정확했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 정확할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 정확해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 정확하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 정확해요 | [정화캐요] |
| Polite past | 정확했어요 | [정화캐써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 정확할 거예요 | [정화칼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 정확하겠어요 | [정화카게써요] |
| Formal present | 정확합니다 | [정화캄니다] |
| Formal past | 정확했습니다 | [정화캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 정확할 것입니다 | [정화칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 정확해 | [정화캐] |
| Casual past | 정확했어 | [정화캐써] |
| Casual future | 정확할 거야 | [정화칼꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 정확해서 | [정화캐서] |
| Conditional (if) | 정확하면 | [정화카면] |
| Modifier, present | 정확한 | [정화칸] |
| Modifier, past | 정확했던 | [정화캗떤] |
| Modifier, future | 정확할 | [정화칼] |
| Short negative | 안 정확해요 | [안 정화캐요] |
| Long negative | 정확하지 않아요 | [정화카지 아나요] |
Is 정확하다 Regular or Irregular?
정확하다 is a regular 하다 adjective. The stem 정확하 uses 해 before 아 or 어 endings: 정확해요, 정확해서 and 정확했어요. Before consonants the 하 stays: 정확합니다, 정확하면 and 정확하지 않아요. The aspirated ㅋ in speech does not change the spelling. A full walkthrough of this contraction is in the 하다 to 해요 lesson.
Common Mistake with 정확하다
Wrong: ✗ 정확이 말해요
Correct: ✓ 정확하게 말해요 / 정확히 말해요
Why: 정확 is not used on its own. The adverb is 정확히 or 정확하게, so 정확이 is not a word.
정확하다 Versus 확실하다 and 맞다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 확실하다 | 확실하다 is sure or certain. 정확하다 is exact and matches facts or numbers. |
| 맞다 | 맞다 is a verb meaning "to be right". 정확하다 is an adjective for the precision of a thing. |
Checking a Train Departure Time
Jisu and Alex are comparing the station timetable with an old screenshot on Alex's phone. They need the current departure time before buying tickets.
Alex
이 시간표는 정확해요?
I siganpyoneun jeonghwakaeyo?
Is this timetable accurate?
Jisu
네. 정확한 시간은 여기 있어요.
Ne. Jeonghwakan siganeun yeogi isseoyo.
Yes. The exact time is here.
Alex
제 사진은 정확하지 않아요.
Je sajineun jeonghwakaji anayo.
My photo is not accurate.
정확해요 asks whether the information matches reality. 정확한 changes the adjective into a description before 시간. The final line uses the long negative to reject the outdated information without saying that the phone itself is broken.
Collocations for Information and Speech
정확한 정보 means “accurate information.” The emphasis is on whether details match the facts. A report can be clear and easy to understand yet still contain an incorrect date. 정확하다 evaluates that factual accuracy, rather than the quality of the writing alone.
정확한 발음 means “accurate pronunciation.” This is useful in a lesson when discussing particular sounds or words. It does not mean “a loud voice” or “fast speech.” In a request about pronunciation, the adjective tells the teacher that producing the sounds correctly is the goal.
정확히 말하면 means “to be precise” or “more precisely.” Literally it means “if one speaks accurately.” A speaker uses the expression before refining a detail, such as correcting “Friday” to “Friday morning.” It can introduce a small correction without rejecting the whole previous statement.
정확한 위치 means “the exact location.” You might hear it while arranging a meeting outside a large station. A broad place name may be correct but insufficiently precise; an exit number or a nearby shop makes the location more exact.
Where Will You See 정확하다?
Work emails, school feedback and instructions use 정확하다 when details matter. Travel conversations use it for times and locations. It also appears in ordinary conversation, so you do not need to reserve it for an official report. 정확해요 works naturally with a friend checking a watch.
정확합니다 is suitable for a formal explanation or presentation. 정확해요 is polite in an everyday exchange. Neither ending makes an uncertain claim more reliable: the speaker still needs the right information. An emphatic tone can sound corrective, especially when responding to someone else's account of an event.
When disagreeing, 정확하지 않아요 can mean “that is not accurate,” allowing for partly correct information. 틀리다 points more directly to something being wrong. Choose wording that matches the problem: an approximate location, a mistaken number and an entirely false statement are different situations.
What Makes This Adjective Tricky?
The spelling retains ㄱ and ㅎ even though the pronunciation combines them into an aspirated sound. Copy 정확해요 from the written form, rather than trying to spell the sound you hear. The same spelling principle applies to 정확한 and 정확하면.
Keep the adjective and adverb jobs separate. 정확해요 can finish a sentence about a clock. 정확한 belongs before a noun. 정확히 and 정확하게 describe how an action is done. Adding the subject marker 이 to 정확 does not create the adverb meaning “accurately.”
정확도 is a noun for the degree of accuracy. A percentage is one way to express it, but the word does not always refer to a numerical rate. It may describe the accuracy of a measuring device, a prediction or a method without providing a number.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 정보 | information | Often evaluated as accurate or inaccurate. |
| 시간 | time | 정확한 시간 asks for an exact time. |
| 발음 | pronunciation | The sounds being produced, rather than the spelling. |
| 확실하다 | to be certain | Concerns certainty; confidence alone does not establish accuracy. |
See work phrases for the surrounding language used to clarify details with colleagues.
Mini Drill: Adjective or Adverb?
- Complete “the exact time”: ____ 시간.
- State politely that the information was accurate: 정확하다 → past.
- Choose the spelling for “accurately”: 정확이 or 정확히?
- Give the long polite negative of 정확하다.
Show precision drill answers
- 정확한 시간.
- 정확했어요.
- 정확히. 정확하게 also works before an action verb.
- 정확하지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 정확하다 mean “certain” or “accurate”?
- Can 정확도 describe accuracy without a percentage?
- Does the aspirated sound in 정확하다 change its written ㄱㅎ sequence?
Reveal the self-test answers
- Accurate. 확실하다 is the closer word for certainty.
- Yes. It names a degree of accuracy, not only an accuracy rate.
- No. Keep the spelling 정확하다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say the Exact Time?
Say 정확한 시간, using the modifier 정확한.
How Do I Say Speak Precisely?
Say 정확하게 말해요 or 정확히 말해요.
What Does 정확도 Mean?
It is the noun for the degree of accuracy, sometimes expressed as a rate.
How Is the Polite Present Pronounced?
It is [정화캐요], because ㄱ meets ㅎ and becomes ㅋ.
Which Words Are Related to 정확하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 확실하다 for sureness and 분명하다 for clarity next, then 틀리다 for being wrong and 맞다 for being right. The 하다 entry shows the underlying contraction. Further stems are one step away in the Korean verb conjugator, and the Korean verb dictionary has a page for each.