Key Facts
- Hangul: 중요하다 (jungyohada)
- Meaning: important
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 중요하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: 이/가 marks the important thing, as in 건강이 가장 중요해요.
- Usage: Modifier 중요한; for importantly, use 중요하게. 가장 중요한 것 means the most important thing.
What Does 중요하다 Mean?
중요하다 says that something carries weight. 중요한 회의 is an important meeting and 건강이 가장 중요해요 says health matters most.
It names importance, not need and not rarity. Something needed is 필요하다, and something unusual is 특별하다.
How Do You Pronounce 중요하다?
Read as written: [중요하다]. The two syllables 중요 flow together, and the contraction keeps the same smooth pattern in 중요해요 and 중요했어요.
How Do You Use 중요하다 in a Sentence?
건강이 가장 중요해요.
Health is the most important.
건강이 is the subject, and 가장 makes it the superlative.
중요한 회의가 있어요.
I have an important meeting.
중요한 modifies 회의가, and 있어요 says the speaker has one.
시험이 중요해서 열심히 공부해요.
The exam is important, so I study hard.
중요해서 gives the reason, and 열심히 공부해요 states the effort.
The examples rank something (가장 중요해요), label a noun (중요한) and give a reason for effort (중요해서), the three jobs the word does most.
How Does Jungyohada Conjugation Work?
중요하다 is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 여 contracts to 해 for 중요해요 and 중요했어요. The modifier is 중요한. The adverb 중요하게 (importantly) is a separate form.
To say something is not important, put 안 in front for 안 중요해요 or use the long negative 중요하지 않아요. The because-form is 중요해서, the if-form 중요하면, and the modifiers are 중요한 (now), 중요했던 (earlier) and 중요할 (later); the honorific polite form is 중요하세요.
중요하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 중요해요 | ||
| Polite past | 중요했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 중요할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 중요하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 중요합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 중요했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 중요할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 중요해 | ||
| Casual past | 중요했어 | ||
| Casual future | 중요할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 중요하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 중요해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 중요하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 중요한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 중요했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 중요할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 중요해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 중요하지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 중요했어요 | [중요해써요] |
| Polite future | 중요할 거예요 | [중요할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 중요하겠어요 | [중요하게써요] |
| Formal present | 중요합니다 | [중요함니다] |
| Formal past | 중요했습니다 | [중요핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 중요할 것입니다 | [중요할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 중요했어 | [중요해써] |
| Casual future | 중요할 거야 | [중요할꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 중요했던 | [중요핻떤] |
| Long negative | 중요하지 않아요 | [중요하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 중요하어요
Correct: ✓ 중요해요
Why: The stem ends in 하, so learners add 어요. The only correct contraction is 해.
Important Versus Needed Versus Special
This word turns up in school, work and health talk: 가장 중요한 것 is a stock phrase. If the point is need rather than weight, use 필요하다. If it is rarity, use 특별하다. 건강이 가장 중요해요 and 시험이 중요해서 열심히 공부해요 show the two jobs the word does most: ranking one thing above the rest, and giving the reason behind an effort.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 중요하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 중요하다 |
|---|---|
| 필요하다 | 필요하다 means needed; 중요하다 means important. |
| 특별하다 | 특별하다 means special or unusual; 중요하다 says it matters. |
Checking What Matters before a Meeting
Two colleagues are preparing for a meeting. They identify the key document and explain why checking it comes first.
Mina
이 자료가 중요해요?
I jaryoga jungyohaeyo?
Is this material important?
Jun
네. 내일 중요한 회의가 있어요.
Ne. Naeil jungyohan hoeuiga isseoyo.
Yes. There’s an important meeting tomorrow.
Mina
중요해서 다시 확인하는 거예요?
Jungyohaeseo dasi hwaginhaneun geoyeyo?
Are you checking it again because it’s important?
Jun
네. 숫자를 확인하고 있어요.
Ne. Sutjareul hwaginhago isseoyo.
Yes. I’m checking the numbers.
중요해요 evaluates the material, 중요한 labels the meeting, and 중요해서 explains the repeated check. The final answer makes the practical consequence clear: the numbers need another look. The adjective can explain priorities without naming an emergency.
What Does “Important” Change in a Sentence?
중요한 일 means “an important matter” or “important work”. 일 is broad, so the phrase can concern a family responsibility, a work task or a personal event. 중요한 약속 is an important appointment or commitment. Neither phrase tells you how soon it must happen.
가장 중요한 것은 means “the most important thing is”. 가장 ranks one point above the alternatives. A speaker may use the phrase to introduce the central point in advice, a presentation or a discussion of choices. 중요한 것 gives importance without necessarily ranking it first.
별로 중요하지 않아요 means “It isn’t very important”. 별로 commonly works with a negative here, limiting the importance rather than making a positive claim. By contrast, 중요하지 않아요 simply says it is not important. The extra word can make a dismissal less absolute.
중요한 문제 can mean “an important issue”. 문제 is not always a fault or a broken object; it can be a subject that needs attention. The adjective tells you the issue matters, while the surrounding sentence explains what decision or action follows.
Important, Urgent, and Personally Precious
중요하다 and 급하다 answer different questions. An important decision can need careful thought over several weeks. An urgent message needs attention soon. Calling something important does not automatically ask the listener to drop everything and deal with it immediately.
소중하다 means precious or treasured. It suits a cherished memory or a valued relationship. 중요하다 focuses on significance, priority or consequences. Both can describe a person who matters to you, but 소중하다 gives the personal emotional value more directly.
필요하다 concerns necessity: something is needed for a purpose. A document can be both necessary and important, but the reason differs. The first says you need it; the second says it matters. This helps when choosing wording for a request at work.
Where Does 중요하다 Appear in Writing and Speech?
Teachers use 중요한 내용 for material that deserves attention. At work, 중요한 회의 and 중요한 자료 signal that preparation matters. In news discussion, 중요한 문제 points to a consequential issue. The adjective evaluates significance; it does not prove the speaker’s reasons by itself.
A notice may show 중요 by itself, meaning “Important”. That short label is useful for spotting priority in headings. In a complete polite sentence, use 중요해요 or 중요합니다. The noun 중요성 means “importance” and is common when a text explains the significance of something.
The adverb 중요하게 often appears with 생각하다, “to think” or “consider”. 중요하게 생각하다 means to consider something important. The person doing the considering takes the subject role, and the valued thing can take 을/를. With 중요하다 alone, the important thing itself takes 이/가. This change of structure is useful in statements of personal priorities.
Which Form Belongs before a Noun?
중요한 자료 describes important material now. 중요했던 자료 looks back at material that was important in an earlier situation. 중요할 자료 anticipates future importance. The ㄴ in 중요한 is the adjective’s noun modifier, so it does not itself make the description past tense.
중요하다 has no special respectful substitute. 중요합니다 makes a statement formally polite. A report about an important document does not need 중요하세요: the document is not a person being honored. When the subject is a respected person, the table’s honorific form has a different grammatical purpose.
Words for Priorities at Work
| Korean | Meaning | How it connects |
|---|---|---|
| 자료 | material; document | Something you can describe as important for a meeting. |
| 안건 | agenda item | One matter to discuss and rank by importance. |
| 마감 | deadline | Adds a time limit that 중요하다 alone does not express. |
| 결정 | decision | Names an outcome that may have important consequences. |
The meetings vocabulary lesson teaches these in the sequence of preparing, discussing and deciding.
Mini Drill: Give Importance a Form
- Give the polite present of 중요하다.
- Complete “an important meeting”: ____ 회의.
- Give the because-form, “because it is important”.
- Make the long negative, “It isn’t important”.
Show importance drill answers
- 중요해요.
- 중요한 회의.
- 중요해서.
- 중요하지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 중요한 약속 necessarily mean an urgent appointment?
- What does 가장 add to 중요한 것?
- Is 중요성 a conjugated sentence ending or a noun?
Show answers
- No. It says the commitment matters, without specifying urgency.
- It ranks it as the most important thing.
- A noun meaning “importance”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say the Most Important Thing?
가장 중요한 것.
What Is the Difference between 중요하다 and 필요하다?
중요하다 is important; 필요하다 is needed.
What Is the Polite Present?
중요해요.
What Is the Modifier?
중요한.
Which Words Are Related to 중요하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go on to 필요하다 and 특별하다 to sort need from rarity. The 하 to 해 change is the same one described in how 하다 becomes 해요. Put 필요하다 into the Korean verb conjugator to see that the two share every ending, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.