Key Facts
- Hangul: 만나다 (mannada)
- Meaning: to meet
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 만나
- Class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 만나다 Mean?
- to meet. Come together with someone, as in 친구를 만나다.
만나다 is the everyday word for coming together with someone, as in 친구를 만나다, and one of the most frequent verbs in Korean. The person met takes 을/를 or 와/과, so both 친구를 만나요 and 친구와 만나요 are correct; 와/과 stresses that both people meet each other.
For register, the honorific is 만나세요. When you are the one meeting a respected person, 뵙다 replaces 만나다, as in the set phrase 뵙겠습니다 (I will see you). That makes 뵙다 a humble verb, not an honorific one: it lowers you, not them.
How Do You Pronounce 만나다?
만나다 is read as written; the ㄴ at the end of 만 runs straight into the ㄴ of 나, giving a long n. The past is read [만나써요], the future plan [만날꺼예요], and the formal present [만남니다], where the ㅂ of the ending is heard as ㅁ because ㄴ follows it.
How Do You Use 만나다 in a Sentence?
저는 친구를 만나요.
I'm meeting my friend.
The simplest pattern. 저는 sets up a topic, 친구를 marks the person met, and 만나요 can state a habit or a near-future plan, which is why English uses "I'm meeting".
어제 선생님을 만났어요.
I met the teacher yesterday.
A teacher as the person met, with 어제 (yesterday) and the past form 만났어요. The object particle is still 을, with no 에게.
내일 오후에 가족을 만날 거예요.
I will meet my family tomorrow afternoon.
The future plan 만날 거예요 with 내일 오후에 (tomorrow afternoon) and 가족을 (family). Pronounced [만날꺼예요].
How Does Mannada Conjugation Work?
The stem 만나 ends in a vowel, so nothing special happens: the polite present is 만나요, the past 만났어요, and the conjugation class is plain regular. The formal present 만납니다, the conditional 만나면 and the modifiers 만나는 and 만난 all attach straight to the stem.
만나다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 만나요 | ||
| Polite past | 만났어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 만날 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 만나겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 만납니다 | ||
| Formal past | 만났습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 만날 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 만나 | ||
| Casual past | 만났어 | ||
| Casual future | 만날 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 만나고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 만나세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 만나서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 만나면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 만나는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 만난 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 만날 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 만나요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 만나지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 만나요 | as written |
| Polite past | 만났어요 | [만나써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 만날 거예요 | [만날꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 만나겠어요 | [만나게써요] |
| Formal present | 만납니다 | [만남니다] |
| Formal past | 만났습니다 | [만낟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 만날 것입니다 | [만날꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 만나 | as written |
| Casual past | 만났어 | [만나써] |
| Casual future | 만날 거야 | [만날꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 만나고 싶어요 | [만나고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 만나세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 만나서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 만나면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 만나는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 만난 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 만날 | as written |
| Negative, short | 안 만나요 | as written |
| Negative, long | 만나지 않아요 | [만나지 아나요] |
The rule behind to meet (regular) is taught in polite present recipe.
Common Mistake with 만나다
Wrong: ✗ 친구에게 만나요
Correct: ✓ 친구를 만나요
Why: The person you meet takes 을/를 (or 와/과), never 에게, even where English says 'meet with someone'.
English speakers think of meeting as something done 'with' or 'to' a person, so they reach for 에게. In Korean the person is the object and takes 을/를, or 와/과 when you stress that you met each other.
만나다 Versus Similar Verbs
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 보다 | 만나다 is to meet someone; 보다 is to see or look at. |
| 뵙다 | 뵙다 is the humble form for meeting a senior; 만나다 is for equals or juniors. |
보다 is to see or look at. Use 만나다 when two people come together, and 보다 when you simply set eyes on something.
뵙다 is the humble form when the person you meet is senior. 만나다 is for equals or juniors.
Arranging to Meet outside a Station
Two language-exchange partners are arranging their next meeting. The same verb handles a plan, a place, and a reference to their last meeting.
Mina
내일 어디에서 만나요?
Naeil eodieseo mannayo?
Where shall we meet tomorrow?
Alex
역 앞에서 만나요.
Yeok apeseo mannayo.
Let’s meet in front of the station.
Mina
지난번에 만난 곳이요?
Jinanbeone mannan gosiyo?
The place where we met last time?
Alex
네. 거기에서 만날 거예요.
Ne. Geogieseo mannal geoyeyo.
Yes. We will meet there.
만나요 can make a suggestion when two people are arranging a meeting. 만난 describes the completed meeting before the noun 곳, “place”. 만날 거예요 states a future plan. 역 앞에서 supplies the location of the meeting; it does not identify the person being met.
Familiar Meeting Phrases
만나서 반가워요 means “nice to meet you”. The literal structure is “because I meet you, I am glad”. It belongs to an introduction, when the meeting is new. In a more formal introduction you may hear 만나서 반갑습니다. The greeting expresses pleasure in meeting the person, rather than simply reporting an appointment.
다음에 또 만나요 means “let’s meet again next time”. It can be a friendly farewell without committing to a date. Compare that with 내일 만나요, “see you tomorrow”, where a specific time makes the arrangement much clearer. A farewell alone does not settle where or when you will meet.
우연히 만나다 means “to meet by chance”. 오랜만에 만나다 means “to meet after a long time”. These phrases explain the circumstances of a meeting: one is unplanned, and the other follows a long gap. Either can describe meeting someone you already know.
Where Will You Hear 만나다?
In messages between friends, 만나요 often appears with a time and a landmark. The present ending can refer to an agreed future meeting, so tomorrow does not always require an explicit future form. A reply such as 역 앞에서 만나요 can confirm the arrangement just as naturally as it can suggest it.
In relationship conversations, 만나다 can mean dating someone. The context usually includes an ongoing relationship rather than one appointment. Meeting someone once, having a meeting tomorrow, and dating someone all use the same basic verb; the time expressions and surrounding conversation tell you which is intended.
In a formal introduction to a respected person, a form of 뵙다 may replace 만나다. Polite 만나요 addresses the listener politely, but it does not by itself add respect to the person being met. That is why the separate humble verb remains useful even after you know the polite endings.
What Makes 만나다 Tricky?
The stem is 만나, ending in ㅏ. Adding the present 아요 does not create another full syllable: 만나요 is the everyday form. The past inserts the past marker into the final syllable, producing 만났어요. For the future, attach ㄹ to the vowel stem: 만날 거예요, with a space before 거예요.
The person and the meeting place use different markers. 친구를 identifies the person you meet; 역에서 identifies where the meeting happens. If you omit the person because both speakers already know who is coming, the location still takes 에서. English “meet at” is therefore useful to separate from “meet someone”.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 약속 | arrangement / appointment / promise | Often names the plan to meet. |
| 장소 | place / location | Useful when choosing a meeting point. |
| 연락하다 | to contact | Contact someone to confirm or change plans. |
| 헤어지다 | to part / break up | Can describe leaving after a meeting or ending a relationship. |
Practise the social setting in the introductions lesson, then use a time and place to arrange a second meeting.
Mini Drill: Arrange the Next Meeting
- Add the person marker: 친구___ 만나요.
- Add the location marker: 역___ 만나요.
- Put 만나다 in the polite past.
- Complete the future plan: ___ 거예요.
Show meeting drill answers
- 친구를 만나요. 친구와 만나요 is also possible.
- 역에서 만나요.
- 만났어요.
- 만날 거예요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 만나다 only mean meeting someone for the first time?
- Does 다음에 또 만나요 give a definite appointment time?
- What does 우연히 add to 만나다?
Show answers
- No. It also describes seeing someone again, and can mean dating in relationship contexts.
- No. It can be a friendly, open-ended farewell.
- The meeting happened by chance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 만나다 Take 에게?
No. The person met takes 을/를 or 와/과, so 친구에게 만나요 is wrong and 친구를 만나요 is correct.
How Do I Meet an Older Person Politely?
Switch to the humble verb 뵙다. A common example is 뵙겠습니다, said when you will see a senior later.
What Is the Future Plan Form of 만나다?
It is 만날 거예요, read [만날꺼예요].
Can I Say 친구와 만나요?
Yes. 와/과 is an alternative to 을/를 for the person met, and it suggests a meeting between equals.
What Is the Difference between 만나다 and 보다?
만나다 is to meet someone; 보다 is to see or look at.
Which Words Are Related to 만나다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 뵙다 for the humble counterpart, then 약속하다 for making the appointment. When to meet feels familiar, compare it with other entries in the verb dictionary or check a form in the conjugator.