Key Facts
- Hangul: 깎다 (kkakda)
- Meaning: to peel/shave/discount
- Level: B1
- Stem: 깎
- Conjugation class: regular
- Polite present: 깎아요
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 깎다 Mean?
깎다 takes the object with 을/를: 사과를 깎다, 연필을 깎다, 값을 깎다. The common thread is removing a thin layer or amount. 값을 깎다 describes reducing a price or bargaining it down. A seller can offer a reduction with 깎아 주다 or describe a discount with 할인하다.
깎다 ties together three scenes: a kitchen (fruit), a desk (a pencil) and a market (a price). The object word is your clue to which one is meant. The same verb also covers shaving, though for a face Korean usually uses the verb for shaving with a razor.
How Do You Pronounce 깎다?
The double consonant ㄲ at the end of the stem is said as a plain k sound before another consonant, and it makes that consonant tense: 깎다 is read [깍따] and 깎습니다 [깍씀니다]. Before a vowel the full tense ㄲ moves across: 깎아요 sounds like [까까요]. Before ㄴ it becomes ㅇ: 깎는 is [깡는].
How Do You Use 깎다 in a Sentence?
Each example shows one of the three meanings.
사과를 깎아요.
I peel an apple.
사과를 is the fruit being peeled; in Korean you peel an apple with a knife, which is why the cutting verb 깎다 is used.
연필을 깎았어요.
I sharpened a pencil.
연필을 shows the sharpening sense in the past tense.
값을 깎으면 더 싸게 살 수 있어요.
If you bargain the price down, you can buy cheaper.
값을 깎으면 describes bargaining, with 더 싸게 as the result.
Useful Patterns with 깎다
With a price, 값을 깎다 can describe bargaining for a lower price or reducing it. A seller can use 깎아 주다 for lowering the price for a customer, and 할인하다 for giving a discount.
How Does Kkakda Conjugation Work?
깎다 is regular. The stem 깎 ends in a consonant and its vowel is ㅏ, so the ending takes 아: 깎아요, 깎았어요. Endings with (으) keep the 으 because of that consonant: 깎으세요, 깎으면.
깎다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 깎아요 | ||
| Polite past | 깎았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 깎을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 깎겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 깎습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 깎았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 깎을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 깎아 | ||
| Casual past | 깎았어 | ||
| Casual future | 깎을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 깎고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 깎으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 깎아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 깎으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 깎는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 깎은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 깎을 | ||
| Short negative | 안 깎아요 | ||
| Long negative | 깎지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 깎아요 | [까까요] |
| Polite future | 깎을 거예요 | [까끌꺼예요] |
| Formal past | 깎았습니다 | [까깓씀니다] |
| Casual present | 깎아 | [까까] |
| Want to | 깎고 싶어요 | [깍꼬 시퍼요] |
| Because | 깎아서 | [까까서] |
| Past modifier | 깎은 | [까끈] |
| Long negative | 깎지 않아요 | [깍찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 깎어요
Correct: ✓ 깎아요
Why: 깎 has ㅏ as its last vowel, so the ending is 아 and the polite form is 깎아요. Learners who pick 어 by default miss this vowel-harmony rule: only stems whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ take 아.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 깎다 |
|---|---|
| 자르다 | To cut with scissors or a knife. |
| 썰다 | To slice food. |
| 할인하다 | To give a discount, including a listed promotion. |
Getting Apples Ready after Lunch
Two housemates are preparing fruit. A question about a completed task leads to an offer and a conditional preference. The same verb stays focused on removing the peel.
Mina
사과를 깎았어요?
Sagwareul kkakkasseoyo?
Have you peeled the apples?
Alex
아직 안 깎았어요. 지금 깎을 거예요.
Ajik an kkakkasseoyo. Jigeum kkakkeul geoyeyo.
Not yet. I’m going to peel them now.
Mina
얇게 깎으면 좋아요.
Yalpge kkakkeumyeon joayo.
It’s good if you peel them thinly.
Alex
네. 껍질만 깎을 거예요.
Ne. Kkeopjilman kkakkeul geoyeyo.
Yes. I’ll take off just the peel.
깎았어요 asks whether the peeling is finished. 깎을 거예요 gives the plan, and 깎으면 sets a condition about how to do it. 얇게 means “thinly”; 껍질만 narrows the removed part to just the skin.
What Do Common Objects Tell You?
사과를 깎다 means to peel an apple, often with a knife. 연필을 깎다 means to sharpen a pencil by removing the outer material. English chooses different verbs for these tasks; Korean keeps the shared idea of removing material to prepare or shape something.
손톱을 깎다 means to trim your fingernails. 발톱을 깎다 concerns toenails. These are everyday grooming phrases, not descriptions of peeling off a nail. 머리를 깎다 means to have or give a haircut, depending on the scene. The subject can be the person getting the haircut, so the phrase alone does not say they cut their own hair.
잔디를 깎다 means to mow the lawn. Here the material is shortened rather than a skin being removed. The meaning connects with trimming hair and nails. Choose the English verb from the object instead of translating every occurrence as “peel”.
These senses and the price-reduction use appear in the National Institute of Korean Language’s entry for 깎다. They explain why a cutting verb can belong in a bathroom, a garden or a market conversation as naturally as in a kitchen.
How Does 깎다 Work When Bargaining?
값을 깎다 means to reduce or bargain down a price. A buyer can describe getting the price lowered. A seller can also use 깎다, especially 깎아 주다, meaning to lower it for the buyer. The verb is not restricted to the buyer’s role.
좀 깎아 주세요 is a request for a reduction: “please lower the price a little”. The literal object is often omitted because both people know which price is being discussed. 좀 softens the request; it does not name an exact discount. If an amount matters, it needs to be stated separately.
할인하다 is useful for discounts and promotions. 깎다 puts the emphasis on taking an amount off, which fits bargaining. Recognizing the phrase does not mean every shop negotiates prices. At a checkout with fixed prices, a question about a listed discount is more appropriate than assuming a reduction is available.
Where Will You Hear 깎다?
At home, the object often tells you which chore is happening: apples, nails or a pencil. At a hair salon, 머리를 깎다 concerns a haircut. Korean can describe receiving a service with the same phrase, so watch who holds the scissors before deciding who actually performs it.
In shopping talk, 값을 깎다 describes the price negotiation or reduction. In news, a budget can also be reduced with 예산을 깎다. The connection is an amount being taken away, rather than a physical surface. The noun supplies the bridge between these senses.
Why Do the Sounds Change While the Spelling Stays?
깎다 is regular even though its sound changes before different endings. Before a vowel, the final ㄲ links forward, as the pronunciation table shows for 깎아요. Before ㄴ, the final sound becomes nasal in 깎는. Neither process changes the written stem 깎.
The stem’s ㅏ selects 아-type endings, giving 깎아요 and 깎았어요. Because the stem ends in a consonant, keep 으 in 깎으면 and 깎으세요. This differs from an ㄹ-ending verb such as 끌다, whose conditional does not add 으. The spelling helps you choose the ending even when the spoken consonant changes.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 껍질 | peel / skin / shell | Names the outer layer being removed. |
| 손톱 | fingernail | A common object in personal-care talk. |
| 연필 | pencil | 깎다 describes sharpening it. |
| 할인 | discount | A noun used for price reductions and promotions. |
See personal-care vocabulary for grooming words and traditional-market vocabulary for the shopping setting.
Mini Drill: Keep the Written ㄲ
- Give the polite present of 깎다.
- Put it in the polite past.
- Give the conditional “if”.
- Give the present modifier before a noun.
Show drill answers
- 깎아요.
- 깎았어요.
- 깎으면.
- 깎는. The pronunciation changes, but the spelling keeps ㄲ.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 손톱을 깎다 mean?
- Can a seller use 깎아 주다?
- Is 깎다 irregular because 깎는 has a nasal sound?
Show answers
- To trim your fingernails.
- Yes. It means lowering the price for the buyer.
- No. That is a regular sound change.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is 깎다 Different from 자르다?
자르다 is to cut something into pieces with scissors or a knife. 깎다 is to take a thin layer off, such as apple peel or pencil wood.
How Is 깎다 Different from 썰다?
썰다 is to slice food into pieces, such as vegetables. 깎다 is for peeling the skin off.
Who Uses 값을 깎다?
A buyer can use it for bargaining a price down: 값을 깎으면 더 싸게 살 수 있어요. A seller can also use 깎다 for reducing a price.
What Does the Seller Say?
A seller can use 할인하다 for giving a discount or 깎아 주다 for lowering the price for a customer.
Which Words Are Related to 깎다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 자르다 and 썰다 next to complete the set of cutting verbs. The 아/어 choice is explained 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.