Key Facts
- Hangul: 키우다 (kiuda)
- Meaning: to raise (pet/child)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 키우
- Conjugation class: regular
- Polite present: 키워요
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 키우다 Mean?
키우다 takes an object marked with 을/를: 강아지를 키우다, 아이를 키우다, 식물을 키우다. It has two senses: looking after a child or an animal as it grows, and growing a plant. 아이를 키우다 is the natural everyday way to say "raise a child", and 강아지를 키우다 is how Koreans say they have a dog. The caretaker is always the subject, which sets 키우다 apart from 자라다, where the child or plant itself is the subject.
How Do You Pronounce 키우다?
키우다 is spelled as it sounds. The past 키웠어요 is read [키워써요], the formal 키웁니다 is [키움니다], and the plan form 키울 거예요 is [키울꺼예요].
How Do You Use 키우다 in a Sentence?
The examples cover a puppy at home, a cat from last year and plants that lift your mood.
집에서 강아지를 키워요.
I keep a puppy at home.
The object 강아지를 is marked with 를, and 집에서 gives the setting.
작년에 고양이를 키웠어요.
I had a cat last year.
The past 키웠어요 reports a pet from the past, with 작년에 giving the time.
식물을 키우면 기분이 좋아져요.
If you grow plants, you feel better.
The conditional 키우면 links growing 식물 to a better mood.
Useful Patterns with 키우다
Three collocations cover most needs: 강아지를 키우다 for a pet, 아이를 키우다 for a child and 식물을 키우다 for a plant. In each, the caretaker is the subject and the one raised is the object. Note the English: 강아지를 키워요 is often best translated "I have a dog" rather than "I raise a dog", and 고양이를 키웠어요 is "I had a cat".
How Does Kiuda Conjugation Work?
The stem 키우 ends in ㅜ, so 우 and 어 merge into 워: 키워요, 키웠어요, 키워서. The honorific is 키우세요, and the modifier before a noun is 키우는.
키우다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 키워요 | ||
| Polite past | 키웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 키울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 키우겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 키웁니다 | ||
| Formal past | 키웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 키울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 키워 | ||
| Casual past | 키웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 키울 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 키우고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 키우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 키워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 키우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 키우는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 키운 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 키울 | ||
| Short negative | 안 키워요 | ||
| Long negative | 키우지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 키웠어요 | [키워써요] |
| Polite future | 키울 거예요 | [키울꺼예요] |
| Polite guess | 키우겠어요 | [키우게써요] |
| Formal present | 키웁니다 | [키움니다] |
| Formal future | 키울 것입니다 | [키울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 키웠어 | [키워써] |
| Casual future | 키울 거야 | [키울꺼야] |
| Long negative | 키우지 않아요 | [키우지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 키우어요
Correct: ✓ 키워요
Why: 우 + 어 contracts to 워, so the polite form is 키워요. Learners who attach 어요 mechanically produce the uncontracted 키우어요, which looks right on paper but is not used in speech or everyday writing.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 키우다 |
|---|---|
| 기르다 | Very close; 기르다 is a little more formal and also used for hair or habits. |
| 자라다 | Intransitive: the child or plant grows up by itself. |
| 먹이다 | To feed; part of raising something. |
Talking about Pets with a New Neighbor
Two neighbors meet outside their apartments. A present question leads to a past experience and then a wish about keeping a pet again.
Mina
강아지를 키워요?
Gangajireul kiwoyo?
Do you have a dog?
Alex
지금은 안 키워요. 전에 고양이를 키웠어요.
Jigeumeun an kiwoyo. Jeone goyangireul kiwosseoyo.
Not now. I used to have a cat.
Mina
다시 키우고 싶어요?
Dasi kiugo sipeoyo?
Would you like to have a pet again?
Alex
네. 하지만 시간이 없어요.
Ne. Hajiman sigani eopseoyo.
Yes. But I don’t have time.
English often uses “have” here, but 키우다 highlights ongoing care. 지금은 contrasts the present with the earlier cat. The past 키웠어요 alone does not explain why the person no longer keeps that pet; it does not say that the animal died.
What Else Can You 키우다?
아이를 키우다 means to raise a child. The phrase covers the continuing work of care and upbringing, rather than one task such as feeding or dressing. 먹이다 names feeding, and 입히다 names dressing someone. These can be parts of raising a child without being synonyms for the whole process.
식물을 키우다 means to grow or keep plants. 꽃을 키우다 focuses on flowers, while 채소를 키우다 can describe growing vegetables. The person caring for them is the subject. A plant growing taller on its own takes 자라다, so the difference remains the same whether the living thing is a child, a pet or a plant.
꿈을 키우다 literally presents a dream as something nurtured. Its everyday meaning is to develop or nurture an ambition. A student can have a dream of a future job and build that dream over time. The phrase is about aspiration, rather than a dream becoming visually larger during sleep.
소리를 키우다 means to turn up the sound. The volume increases because someone changes it. This use shares the idea of making something bigger with raising a living thing, but there is no caretaking involved. The object 소리 makes the intended meaning clear.
Where Will You Hear 키우다?
In conversation about pets, a question with 키워요 asks whether someone keeps an animal. It does not ask whether they breed animals professionally. A single adult cat can be the object just as naturally as a puppy. The word is about keeping and caring for the animal, not only watching it grow from birth.
Parenting conversations use 아이를 키우다 for the long process of bringing up children. The expression does not tell you whether the caregiver is a mother, father or another person. Name the subject if that distinction matters. Korean can leave it out when the conversation has already established who is raising the child.
Profiles and interviews may use 꿈을 키우다 when describing a person’s ambitions. Device conversations use 소리를 키우다 when the volume is too low. The verb itself is neutral in register; a polite ending makes it suitable for ordinary conversation with a new neighbor or coworker.
How Do 키우다, 자라다 and 커지다 Fit Together?
키우다 follows the caretaker or person causing an increase. 자라다 follows a living thing’s growth or development. 커지다 follows an increase in size or degree. A person can raise a plant, the plant can grow, and its leaves can become bigger. Each verb chooses a different focus within the same scene.
The particle is a useful checkpoint. In 강아지를 키워요, the puppy is the object of care. Replacing 를 with 가 changes its grammatical role, so it can no longer simply stand for the pet being raised in this pattern. Decide who cares for whom before choosing the particle.
Keep 우 in 키우면, 키우는 and 키우세요. The contraction to 워 happens before 어-type endings, as in 키워요, 키웠어요 and 키워서. It does not change the stem everywhere. Write 키우고 싶어요 with a space before 싶어요, and 안 키워요 with a space after 안.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 반려동물 | companion animal / pet | A general noun for animals kept as companions. |
| 사료 | animal feed / pet food | Useful when discussing a pet’s daily care. |
| 먹이다 | to feed | A specific action within caring for someone. |
| 자라다 | to grow | The living thing, rather than its carer, is the subject. |
The pet vocabulary lesson gives the animal and care words for this conversation.
Mini Drill: Choose the Caretaker’s Form
- Give the polite present of 키우다.
- Change that form to the polite past.
- Complete the object: 강아지____ 키워요.
- Make the conditional “if you raise”.
Show drill answers
- 키워요.
- 키웠어요.
- 강아지를 키워요.
- 키우면. Keep 우 before this ending.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 고양이를 키워요 mean breeding cats professionally?
- What does 꿈을 키우다 mean?
- Who is the subject of 키우다: the carer or the plant being grown?
Show answers
- No. It ordinarily means keeping a cat as a pet.
- To nurture a dream or ambition.
- The carer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 키우다 the Same as 기르다?
Very close. 기르다 is a little more formal and is also used for growing hair or building habits.
Which Particle Marks the Pet or Child?
을/를, as in 강아지를 키워요. The person doing the raising is the subject.
How Is 키우다 Different from 자라다?
키우다 is what a caretaker does to a child, pet or plant. 자라다 is what the child or plant does by itself as it grows up.
Can I Use 키우다 for Houseplants?
Yes, as in 식물을 키우다. It is the everyday verb for growing plants at home.
Which Words Are Related to 키우다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, see 자라다 for the growing-up side and 먹이다 for feeding what you raise. The 우 + 어 → 워 contraction is covered in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.