Key Facts
- Hangul: 무서워하다 (museowohada)
- Meaning: to fear
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 무서워하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 무서워하세요
What Does 무서워하다 Mean?
무서워하다 turns the feeling word 무섭다 (scary) into an action. The person who feels fear is the subject, and the feared thing takes 을/를, so 개를 무서워하다 means to be afraid of dogs. It is most natural when you report someone else's fear, such as a child's or a pet's. For your own fear Korean prefers the adjective, as in 개가 무서워요, where the dog is the subject.
How Do You Pronounce 무서워하다?
The dictionary form is read as spelled. Sound changes appear in the longer endings: the formal present 무서워합니다 is said [무서워함니다], the past 무서워했어요 is said [무서워해써요], and the plan form 무서워할 거예요 is said [무서워할꺼예요]. Because 워 ends in a vowel, the ㅎ of 하 has nothing to merge with and is simply pronounced, though it is often softened in fast speech.
How Do You Use 무서워하다 in a Sentence?
아이는 천둥을 무서워해요.
The child is afraid of thunder.
The child is the subject and 천둥을 (thunder) is the object, which is why the polite present 무서워해요 sits with 을. It reports an observed fear.
저는 어릴 때 개를 무서워했어요.
I was afraid of dogs when I was little.
저는 sets the speaker as the one who feared, and 어릴 때 (when little) gives the time. 개를 is the object and 무서워했어요 is the polite past.
너무 무서워하면 잠을 못 자요.
If you are too scared, you cannot sleep.
The condition 너무 무서워하면 (if you are too scared) leads to a result about sleep. 못 자요 means "cannot sleep", so the sentence links fear to a practical result.
How Does Museowohada Conjugation Work?
무서워하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 무서워해요 | ||
| Polite past | 무서워했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 무서워할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 무서워하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 무서워합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 무서워했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 무서워할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 무서워해 | ||
| Casual past | 무서워했어 | ||
| Casual future | 무서워할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 무서워하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 무서워하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 무서워해서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 무서워하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 무서워하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 무서워한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 무서워할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 무서워해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 무서워하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 무서워해요 | — |
| Polite past | 무서워했어요 | [무서워해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 무서워할 거예요 | [무서워할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 무서워하겠어요 | [무서워하게써요] |
| Formal present | 무서워합니다 | [무서워함니다] |
| Formal past | 무서워했습니다 | [무서워핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 무서워할 것입니다 | [무서워할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 무서워해 | — |
| Casual past | 무서워했어 | [무서워해써] |
| Casual future | 무서워할 거야 | [무서워할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 무서워하고 싶어요 | [무서워하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 무서워하세요 | — |
| Because / and then | 무서워해서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 무서워하면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 무서워하는 | — |
| Modifier, past | 무서워한 | — |
| Modifier, future | 무서워할 | — |
| Short negative | 안 무서워해요 | — |
| Long negative | 무서워하지 않아요 | [무서워하지 아나요] |
Is 무서워하다 Regular or Irregular?
무서워하다 is a 하다-type verb: 하 is added to the base 무서워, and the 하 changes to 해 before 아/어 endings. That gives 무서워해요 and 무서워했어요. The base 무서워 itself comes from the adjective 무섭다, whose ㅂ became 워, but you never need to repeat that step: from 무서워하다 onward, every form follows the ordinary 하다 pattern. Because 무서워 is not a noun, the short negative puts 안 before the whole verb, 안 무서워해요, rather than splitting it; see negating 하다 verbs for the contrast. The lesson on 하다 to 해요 explains the full pattern.
Common Mistake with 무서워하다
Wrong: ✗ 저는 개가 무서워해요
Correct: ✓ 저는 개를 무서워해요 / 개가 무서워요
Why: Learners keep the adjective's grammar and put the feared thing in the subject slot, but 무서워하다 is a verb with an object. Either use the verb with 을/를, or switch back to the adjective with 이/가.
무서워하다 Versus 무섭다 and 걱정하다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 무섭다 | 무섭다 describes the scary thing or your own fear (개가 무서워요); 무서워하다 is being afraid of it as an action, usually about another person. |
| 걱정하다 | 걱정하다 is to worry about something; 무서워하다 is to be afraid of it. |
A Child Meeting a Dog
A parent and a dog owner talk before the dog comes closer. They compare the child’s past fear with the reaction now.
Dog owner
아이가 개를 무서워해요?
Aiga gaereul museowohaeyo?
Is your child afraid of dogs?
Parent
전에는 많이 무서워했어요.
Jeoneneun mani museowohaesseoyo.
They used to be very afraid.
Dog owner
지금도 무서워하면 가까이 안 갈게요.
Jigeumdo museowohamyeon gakkai an galgeyo.
If they’re still afraid, I won’t come close.
무서워해요 asks about the child's fear, 무서워했어요 places it in the past, and 무서워하면 makes the owner's next action depend on the child's reaction. The dog is the object in the first question. Later lines can leave it out because both adults know what the child might fear.
What Do People 무서워하다?
개를 무서워하다 means to be afraid of dogs. The phrase does not claim that every dog is dangerous. It reports the person's response. This is useful when explaining why someone keeps their distance or does not want an animal to approach.
천둥을 무서워하다 means to fear thunder. The existing child example describes a reaction to the sound. 번개 means lightning, so the two weather words identify different possible triggers. If the child reacts to the noise, 천둥 is more precise than simply saying they fear bad weather.
어둠을 무서워하다 means to be afraid of the dark. 어둠 is a noun, so it can take 을 as the feared thing. This phrase often fits bedtime talk. It describes a recurring fear without saying that a frightening event actually happened that evening.
낯선 사람을 무서워하다 means to be afraid of unfamiliar people. 낯선 사람 identifies someone the person does not know. It can help explain a child's hesitation around a visitor. The phrase reports fear rather than giving a general judgement about the visitor's character.
Where Will You Hear 무서워하다?
Parents and caregivers use 무서워하다 when explaining reactions to animals, darkness or loud sounds. The verb explains what upsets the child. An object such as 개를 or 천둥을 makes the explanation more useful than a statement that the child simply seems unhappy.
In conversations about films, someone may describe a friend who fears ghosts or reacts strongly to frightening scenes. A person can enjoy a horror film despite feeling scared. 무서워하다 describes the fear, while 싫어하다 describes dislike; one feeling does not automatically establish the other.
In stories and dramas, the verb can explain avoidance. A character might hesitate to enter a dark room or approach a strict adult. The surrounding action shows how fear affects the character, without measuring its severity or duration.
The polite 무서워해요 reports a reaction conversationally. 무서워합니다 sounds more formal, and 무서워해 is casual. The feared thing still takes 을/를 across these endings. Politeness changes the sentence ending, while the roles of the frightened person and the feared thing stay the same.
Can You Describe Your Own past Fear?
Yes. The existing example 저는 어릴 때 개를 무서워했어요 describes the speaker's childhood fear from a later viewpoint. The advice to use 무서워요 for “I'm scared” is a useful starting point for an immediate feeling; it is not a ban on first-person subjects with 무서워하다.
The grammar makes the viewpoint visible. 개가 무서워요 describes the dog as scary to the speaker. 개를 무서워해요 describes someone's fear of dogs, with 개 as an object. Changing from the adjective to the verb means checking the particle as well as adding 하다.
Write 무서워하다 as one word. In 안 무서워해요, 안 comes before the whole verb. In 무서워하지 않아요, 않아요 is separate. Keeping the base together helps you recognise 무서워하는 before a noun and 무서워하면 in a condition.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 겁 | fear / fright | A noun for the feeling rather than a verb. |
| 어둠 | darkness | A common object in 어둠을 무서워하다. |
| 천둥 | thunder | Names the frightening sound in the first example. |
| 놀라다 | to be startled / surprised | Describes a sudden reaction, which need not be lasting fear. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson expands the words for describing fear and other reactions.
Mini Drill: Who Fears What?
- Choose the object: 개가 or 개를 무서워해요?
- Change 무서워해요 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional form from the table.
- Make a short negative: ____ 무서워해요.
Show drill answers
- 개를 무서워해요.
- 무서워했어요.
- 무서워하면.
- 안 무서워해요, with 안 before the whole verb.
Quick Self-Test
- Is thunder 천둥 or 번개?
- Does being afraid of a film necessarily mean disliking it?
- Can 무서워했어요 describe your own childhood fear?
Show answers
- 천둥; 번개 is lightning.
- No. Fear and dislike are different reactions.
- Yes, as in the existing childhood example.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Goes with 무서워하다?
The feared thing takes 을/를, as in 어둠을 무서워하다. The adjective 무섭다 takes 이/가 instead.
How Do I Say I Am Scared Myself?
Use the adjective: 무서워요. 무서워하다 is more natural for describing someone else's fear.
Does 무서워하다 Follow the Ordinary 하다 Pattern?
Yes. After the base 무서워, the 하다 part turns into 해요 in the polite present and 했어요 in the past.
Is 무서워하다 the Same as 걱정하다?
No. 걱정하다 means to worry, while 무서워하다 means to be afraid of something.
Which Words Are Related to 무서워하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 무서워하다 with 무섭다 until the particle difference is automatic, then try 놀라다 (be surprised) and 부끄러워하다 (feel shy), which is built the same way. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.