Key Facts
- Hangul: 만지다 (manjida)
- Meaning: to touch
- Level: B1
- Stem: 만지
- Conjugation class: regular
- Polite present: 만져요
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 만지다 Mean?
만지다 takes the touched object with 을/를, as in 강아지를 만지다. It focuses on contact made with the hand. It works for animals, faces and objects alike: petting a dog, a baby touching your face, or a warning not to touch an exhibit.
Its core idea is simple: contact made by your hand. Compare it with 잡다, which grips and holds on, and 누르다, which presses. To describe things coming into contact, rather than someone handling something, use 닿다.
How Do You Pronounce 만지다?
After ㄴ, the ㅈ is plain and soft, closer to an English j. After ㅈ, the vowel ㅕ is said as ㅓ: 만져요 sounds like [만저요] and 만졌어요 like [만저써요]. In the formal 만집니다 the ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ: [만짐니다].
How Do You Use 만지다 in a Sentence?
The examples show gentle petting, a baby's touch and a rule about a button.
강아지를 부드럽게 만져요.
I gently touch the puppy.
The adverb 부드럽게 softens the touch of 강아지를.
아기가 제 얼굴을 만졌어요.
The baby touched my face.
The past 만졌어요 shows 아기가 as the subject and 얼굴을 as the object.
그 버튼을 만지면 안 돼요.
You must not touch that button.
The pattern 만지면 안 돼요 states a rule: you must not touch the 버튼.
Useful Patterns with 만지다
The negative command 만지지 마세요 (Please do not touch) is worth memorizing, because it is printed on museum labels, shop shelves and signs near animals. It is built from 만지지 plus 마세요. Said to a person, 만지면 안 돼요 (you must not touch it) states the same thing as a rule. For actually pressing a button to make it work, 누르다 is the better word; 만지다 is only contact.
How Does Manjida Conjugation Work?
만지다 is regular. Its stem ends in 지, and 지 + 어 fuses into 져: 만져요, 만졌어요, 만져서. Endings that start with a consonant leave the stem alone: the honorific is 만지세요, the modifier 만지는, and the negative 안 만져요 or 만지지 않아요.
만지다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 만져요 | ||
| Polite past | 만졌어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 만질 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 만지겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 만집니다 | ||
| Formal past | 만졌습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 만질 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 만져 | ||
| Casual past | 만졌어 | ||
| Casual future | 만질 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 만지고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 만지세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 만져서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 만지면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 만지는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 만진 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 만질 | ||
| Short negative | 안 만져요 | ||
| Long negative | 만지지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 만져요 | [만저요] |
| Polite past | 만졌어요 | [만저써요] |
| Polite guess | 만지겠어요 | [만지게써요] |
| Formal past | 만졌습니다 | [만젇씀니다] |
| Casual present | 만져 | [만저] |
| Casual future | 만질 거야 | [만질꺼야] |
| Because | 만져서 | [만저서] |
| Long negative | 만지지 않아요 | [만지지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 만지어요
Correct: ✓ 만져요
Why: 지 + 어 contracts to 져, so the polite form is 만져요. The uncontracted 만지어요 is possible, but 만져요 is the usual everyday form.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 만지다 |
|---|---|
| 잡다 | To grab or hold on to. |
| 누르다 | To press something such as a button. |
| 닿다 | To come into contact; the verb does not by itself specify intent. |
Checking the Rules at a Hands-on Exhibition
A visitor has used an interactive model and wants to know whether a nearby object follows the same rule. The guide distinguishes the two displays.
Visitor
이것도 만지면 안 돼요?
Igeotdo manjimyeon an dwaeyo?
Are we not allowed to touch this either?
Guide
네. 그건 만지지 마세요.
Ne. Geugeon manjiji maseyo.
That’s right. Please don’t touch that.
Visitor
알겠어요. 아까는 저 모형을 만졌어요.
Algesseoyo. Akkaneun jeo mohyeongeul manjyeosseoyo.
I understand. Earlier I touched that model.
Guide
저 모형은 괜찮아요.
Jeo mohyeongeun gwaenchanayo.
That model is fine to touch.
The guide’s 네 confirms the negative question: yes, touching this object is prohibited. It does not grant permission. The visitor then uses 만졌어요 to report an earlier action. 저 모형 identifies the other model, so the guide can explain which object the permission covers.
Which Phrases Describe the Touch?
손으로 만지다 means to touch with the hand. 손으로 names the means of touching, while the object still takes 을/를. It can be useful when instructions distinguish touching an object from looking at it or using a tool.
살짝 만지다 means to touch lightly, and 부드럽게 만지다 describes a gentle touch. The first stresses a small amount of contact; the second describes how it feels or is done. Neither phrase by itself says you have permission. Around an unfamiliar animal, ask the owner before reaching toward it.
손대지 마세요 is another common “do not touch” warning. 손대다 literally combines “hand” with bringing something into contact, and it can also mean interfering with or tampering with something. On a display, it usually prohibits handling. In an argument, the wider meaning depends on what someone is being told to leave alone.
Where Will You Meet 만지다 outside a Vocabulary List?
Museums use 만지지 마세요 near objects that should not be handled. Shops may use the same wording around fragile goods. At a hands-on display, the reverse invitation 만지세요 tells visitors to touch. Look for the negative 지 마세요: missing that part reverses the instruction.
In everyday talk, 만지다 can describe a child exploring a toy, someone feeling a fabric, or a person checking an object with their fingers. English may choose “handle”, “feel” or “touch”. The Korean verb names the action; it does not specify whether the surface is soft, rough, hot or cold.
For a dog, 만지다 can mean touching or petting, but 쓰다듬다 is more specific about stroking. For a phone screen, 누르다 is the useful choice when the goal is to press a control. 만지다 merely tells the listener that a hand is on or handling the phone.
What Makes the Forms Easy to Mix Up?
The contracted 져 belongs to forms built with 어: 만져요 and 만져서. In 만지는 and 만지면, keep 지. The written distinction lets you see which ending was added even though the spoken 만져요 sounds like [만저요]. Write the spelling 져, not the pronunciation 저.
The two negatives do different work. 만지지 않아요 reports that someone does not touch something. 만지지 마세요 tells someone not to touch it. Both start with 만지지, but the following word changes a statement into a prohibition. 안 만져요 is another statement, not the usual wording for a sign.
| Related word | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 손 | hand | Names the body part doing the touching. |
| 손가락 | finger | Identifies a more precise point of contact. |
| 피부 | skin | The surface of the body being touched. |
| 쓰다듬다 | to stroke | More specific than 만지다 for stroking an animal. |
The body vocabulary lesson teaches the hand and other body parts, useful when describing exactly where someone touched you.
Mini Drill: Keep the Contraction in Its Place
- Give the polite past of 만지다.
- Complete the present modifier: ____ 사람.
- Give the conditional form meaning “if someone touches”.
- Choose the command for a museum sign: 만지지 않아요 or 만지지 마세요.
Show drill answers
- 만졌어요.
- 만지는 사람.
- 만지면.
- 만지지 마세요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does a light touch automatically mean permission was given?
- Which verb specifically means pressing a button?
- In the dialogue, does 네 allow the visitor to touch the object?
Show answers
- No. 살짝 describes the amount of contact.
- 누르다.
- No. It confirms the negative question about the rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is 만지다 Different from 잡다?
잡다 focuses on grabbing or holding on to something. 만지다 focuses on touching or handling it with your hand, without necessarily gripping it.
How Is 만지다 Different from 누르다?
누르다 is to press something, such as a button, so that it works. 만지다 is simple contact.
Does 닿다 Mean the Same as 만지다?
No. 닿다 describes coming into contact; 만지다 describes touching or handling with a hand. 닿다 does not by itself tell you whether the contact was intentional.
How Do Signs Say "Do Not Touch"?
만지지 마세요. It is the negative command of 만지다 and appears in museums, shops and zoos.
Which Words Are Related to 만지다?
What Should You Learn Next?
See 잡다 and 누르다 for the neighbours, then 밀다 for pushing. The 지 + 어 → 져 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.