Key Facts
- Hangul: 맞다 (matda)
- Meaning: to be right; to fit
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 맞
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The thing that is right or fits takes 이/가; what it fits takes 에 (발에 맞다).
- Honorific polite: 맞으세요
- Usage: Very common as a short reply: 맞아요 (right!). The homograph 맞다 (to be hit, or to receive e.g. 비를 맞다) is a different word with the same forms.
What Does It Mean to Be Right in Korean?
- to be right; to be correct: Used to confirm an answer or statement, e.g. 맞아요 (that is right).
- to fit; to suit: Used when clothes, size or taste fits, e.g. 옷이 몸에 맞다 (the clothes fit).
맞다 in this entry means to be right and to fit. To confirm an answer or statement, say 맞아요, and 네, 그 답이 맞아요 is 'yes, that answer is correct'. For clothes, shoes or tastes that suit you, the verb is 맞다 too: 옷이 몸에 맞다 means the clothes fit. What it fits takes 에, as in 발에 맞다.
It is intransitive, so the thing that is right or fits takes 이/가. There is another, unrelated 맞다 (to be hit, or to receive rain, as in 비를 맞다) with the same spelling and identical forms; context makes it clear.
Which Set Phrases Use 맞다?
- 맞아요: That's right; a short reply.
- 발에 맞다: To fit the foot; the part it fits takes 에.
- 옷이 몸에 맞다: The clothes fit.
How Do You Pronounce 맞다?
The dictionary form 맞다 is read [맏따], with the ㅈ sound closing as a ㄷ and the next ㄷ tensed. Before a vowel the final consonant moves across: 맞아요 is [마자요] and 맞았어요 is [마자써요]. The formal 맞습니다 is [맏씀니다].
How Do You Use 맞다 in a Sentence?
네, 그 답이 맞아요.
Yes, that answer is correct.
네 is 'yes', and 그 답이 is 'that answer'. 맞아요 confirms it in the right-answer sense.
이 신발은 발에 잘 맞아서 편해요.
These shoes fit my feet well, so they are comfortable.
This shoe sentence uses the fitting sense: 발에 names what fits, and the reason form 맞아서 gives a cause for being comfortable.
제 생각이 맞았어요.
My guess was right.
제 생각이 is 'my guess', and the past 맞았어요 says it turned out to be correct. Past tense is natural after the fact.
How Does Matda Conjugation Work?
맞다 is regular. The stem 맞 has a final ㅈ and a ㅏ vowel, so the ending takes 아: 맞아요, 맞았어요, 맞아서. Before 으 endings the stem takes 으: 맞으면, 맞으세요, and the modifier is 맞는.
맞다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 맞아요 | ||
| Polite past | 맞았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 맞을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 맞겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 맞습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 맞았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 맞을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 맞아 | ||
| Casual past | 맞았어 | ||
| Casual future | 맞을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 맞으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 맞아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 맞으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 맞는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 맞은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 맞을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 맞아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 맞지 않아요 |
No want-to cell is given for 맞다: being right or fitting is not something you choose, so -고 싶다 is not normally used.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 맞아요 | [마자요] |
| Polite past | 맞았어요 | [마자써요] |
| Polite future | 맞을 거예요 | [마즐꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 맞겠어요 | [맏께써요] |
| Formal present | 맞습니다 | [맏씀니다] |
| Formal past | 맞았습니다 | [마잗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 맞을 것입니다 | [마즐꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 맞았어 | [마자써] |
| Casual future | 맞을 거야 | [마즐꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 맞은 | [마즌] |
| Long negative | 맞지 않아요 | [맏찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 맞다
Wrong: ✗ 맞어요
Correct: ✓ 맞아요
Why: The stem 맞 has the vowel ㅏ, so it takes 아요: 맞아요. 맞어요 is a common spelling slip from casual speech, where the ending is often said closer to 어. The same rule gives 맞았어요 and 맞아서.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 맞다?
| Word | How to tell it from 맞다 |
|---|---|
| 틀리다 | 틀리다 is the opposite: to be wrong. 맞다 is right, 틀리다 is incorrect. |
| 다르다 | 다르다 means different, not wrong. Do not use 틀리다 for different. |
Trying on a Pair of Shoes
A shop assistant checks whether a customer's new shoes fit. The customer compares them with a smaller pair.
Assistant
이 신발은 발에 잘 맞아요?
I sinbareun bare jal majayo?
Do these shoes fit your feet well?
Customer
네, 잘 맞아요.
Ne, jal majayo.
Yes, they fit well.
Assistant
작은 신발은 안 맞았어요?
Jageun sinbareun an majasseoyo?
Did the smaller shoes not fit?
Customer
네. 발에 맞는 신발을 찾았어요.
Ne. Bare manneun sinbareul chajasseoyo.
That’s right. I found shoes that fit my feet.
맞아요 describes present fit, 맞았어요 an earlier fitting, and 맞는 modifies 신발. In the final reply, 네 agrees that the smaller shoes did not fit. “That’s right” makes the agreement clear in English.
Which Set Phrases Use the Fitting Sense?
| Phrase | Literal idea | Meaning in conversation |
|---|---|---|
| 발에 맞다 | To fit the foot | Shoes are the right size or shape. |
| 입맛에 맞다 | To fit one's taste | Food suits a person's preferences. |
| 마음이 맞다 | Minds match | People have compatible wishes or ways of thinking. |
| 손발이 맞다 | Hands and feet match | People work together smoothly. |
입맛에 맞다 lets you praise a dish as suited to you without claiming that everyone will like it. The 에 phrase names the standard being matched: feet for shoes, taste for food. This pattern explains why the entry's shoe example uses 발에 rather than an object marker.
손발이 맞다 is figurative when it describes a team. The people coordinate well; nobody is checking the size of their actual hands and feet. You may hear it in workplace talk or commentary about people cooperating on a task.
Where Will You Hear 맞아요 and 맞습니다?
맞아요 is an ordinary reply when someone checks a date, name, answer or other detail. 맞습니다 gives the same confirmation in a formal style and suits an interview, presentation or service exchange. 맞아 is casual and fits close relationships where casual speech is already appropriate.
In a shop, 잘 맞아요 confirms a good fit. It does not necessarily mean the customer likes the design. A jacket can fit correctly while its colour is unappealing.
At a restaurant, 입맛에 맞아요 concerns taste. Look for an 에 phrase to recognize what the food or shoes suit.
Why Is the Modifier 맞는 Rather than 맞은?
맞다 in this entry is a verb. For an answer that is correct or shoes that fit now, the present modifier is 맞는: 맞는 답, 맞는 신발. 맞은 appears in the table as a past modifier; it is not the default form for a current correct answer.
맞는 is pronounced [만는]. The final ㅈ becomes a nasal sound before ㄴ, following the standard nasalization rule. Keep writing 맞는: the pronunciation change does not replace the stem's ㅈ with ㄴ in spelling.
The ordinary polite form is 맞아요 because the stem vowel is ㅏ. A learner who remembers the sound but writes 맞어요 has changed the ending incorrectly. In 안 맞아요, leave a space after 안; in 맞지 않아요, the longer negative keeps 지 attached to the stem.
Right, Different or a Good Fit?
틀리다 is the opposite when an answer is incorrect. For shoes that do not fit, 안 맞아요 is the useful negative; 틀려요 would suggest something is wrong or mistaken, rather than directly describe the fit.
다르다 means different. Two answers can be different without either being wrong, such as two valid ways of expressing the same idea. Use 맞다 and 틀리다 when you are judging correctness against a standard, and 다르다 when you are simply comparing.
Words for Checking Answers and Fit
| Korean | Meaning | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 답 | answer | 맞는 답 is an answer that is correct. |
| 정답 | correct answer | Often appears in exercises and answer keys. |
| 크기 | size | Useful for discussing the dimensions of an object. |
| 신발 | shoes; footwear | The subject in a fitting question. |
The clothing vocabulary lesson adds garment names for using the fitting sense with more than shoes.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Confirm a statement using the polite present of 맞다.
- Fill the gap: 발에 ____ 신발, “shoes that fit the feet”.
- Give the formal present for a formal confirmation.
- Say “does not fit” with the short negative.
Show drill answers
- 맞아요.
- 발에 맞는 신발. Use the present verb modifier 는.
- 맞습니다.
- 안 맞아요. Leave a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 에 identify in 발에 맞다?
- Does 손발이 맞다 describe shoe size when used about a team?
- Which word means “different” without necessarily meaning “wrong”?
Show answers
- What the shoes fit: the feet.
- No. It means the people coordinate well.
- 다르다. 틀리다 judges something incorrect.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'That's Right'?
맞아요.
What Is the Polite Present of 맞다?
맞아요, read [마자요].
What Is the Opposite of 맞다?
틀리다, meaning to be wrong.
Can 맞다 Mean 'Fit'?
Yes. 옷이 몸에 맞다 means the clothes fit.
Which Words Are Related to 맞다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 틀리다 as its opposite and 같다 for 'the same'. Then add 다르다 for 'different', which is a separate idea from wrong. For the rule behind these forms, read how 아 and 어 are chosen, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.