Key Facts
- Hangul: 필요하다 (piryohada)
- Pronunciation: [피료하다]
- Meaning: necessary; to need
- Level: A2
- Stem: 필요하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: none (descriptive word)
- Honorific polite: 필요하세요
What Does 필요하다 Mean?
필요하다 covers two closely related ideas. The first is necessary: to be needed, as in 도움이 필요하다 (help is needed). The second is to need, in which the person lacks something and requires it, as in 시간이 필요하다 (time is needed). In both senses the needed thing is the subject and takes 이/가.
Meanings:
- necessary. Be needed or necessary, as in 도움이 필요하다.
- to need. Lack and require something; the thing needed is the subject, as in 시간이 필요하다.
Typical pairs are 도움이 필요하다 and 시간이 필요하다. The negative is usually 필요 없다 rather than a conjugated negative. The person who needs is marked with 은/는 or 에게, which is why 저는 새 컴퓨터가 필요해요 has two marked nouns: the topic 저는 for the person and the subject 컴퓨터가 for the needed thing.
How Do You Pronounce 필요하다?
The ㄹ of 필 moves across to the next syllable, so 필요 is read [피료], roughly pi-ryo. The polite past 필요했어요 is read [피료해써요], and the formal present 필요합니다 is read [피료함니다]. The plan form 필요할 거예요 is read [피료할꺼예요].
How the forms sound:
- 필요해요 [피료해요]
- 필요했어요 [피료해써요]
- 필요할 거예요 [피료할꺼예요]
- 필요하겠어요 [피료하게써요]
- 필요합니다 [피료함니다]
- 필요했습니다 [피료핻씀니다]
- 필요할 것입니다 [피료할꺼심니다]
- 필요해 [피료해]
- 필요했어 [피료해써]
- 필요할 거야 [피료할꺼야]
- 필요하세요 [피료하세요]
- 필요해서 [피료해서]
- 필요하면 [피료하면]
- 필요한 [피료한]
- 필요했던 [피료핻떤]
- 필요할 [피료할]
- 안 필요해요 [안 피료해요]
- 필요하지 않아요 [피료하지 아나요]
How Do You Use 필요하다 in a Sentence?
저는 새 컴퓨터가 필요해요.
I need a new computer.
저는 marks the person, 새 컴퓨터가 marks the thing needed, and 필요해요 closes the sentence. The English subject I and the Korean subject 컴퓨터가 are different. (필요해요)
어제는 도움이 필요했어요.
I needed help yesterday.
The past 필요했어요 describes a need that existed yesterday. The needed thing 도움이 is the subject again, not an object. (필요했어요)
비자가 필요하면 말해 주세요.
If you need a visa, please tell me.
필요하면 is the conditional, if you need. It ends the first clause, and 말해 주세요 asks the listener to speak up. (필요하면)
How Does Piryohada Conjugation Work?
필요하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 필요해요 | ||
| Polite past | 필요했어요 | ||
| Polite future | 필요할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 필요하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 필요합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 필요했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 필요할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 필요해 | ||
| Casual past | 필요했어 | ||
| Casual future | 필요할 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 필요하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 필요해서 | ||
| Conditional | 필요하면 | ||
| Present modifier | 필요한 | ||
| Past modifier | 필요했던 | ||
| Future modifier | 필요할 | ||
| Short negative | 안 필요해요 | ||
| Long negative | 필요하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 필요해요 | [피료해요] |
| Polite past | 필요했어요 | [피료해써요] |
| Polite future | 필요할 거예요 | [피료할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 필요하겠어요 | [피료하게써요] |
| Formal present | 필요합니다 | [피료함니다] |
| Formal past | 필요했습니다 | [피료핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 필요할 것입니다 | [피료할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 필요해 | [피료해] |
| Casual past | 필요했어 | [피료해써] |
| Casual future | 필요할 거야 | [피료할꺼야] |
| Honorific polite | 필요하세요 | [피료하세요] |
| Because / and then | 필요해서 | [피료해서] |
| Conditional | 필요하면 | [피료하면] |
| Present modifier | 필요한 | [피료한] |
| Past modifier | 필요했던 | [피료핻떤] |
| Future modifier | 필요할 | [피료할] |
| Short negative | 안 필요해요 | [안 피료해요] |
| Long negative | 필요하지 않아요 | [피료하지 아나요] |
No want-to form: -고 싶다 attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words like this one.
Is 필요하다 Regular or Irregular?
필요하다 is a 하다 word: 필요 is a noun, and 하다 joins it. The 하 plus the ending 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-: 필요해요, 필요해서, 필요했어요. The pattern is explained on the 하다 to 해요 page. Because it is a descriptive word, the table has no want-to form.
Which Mistake Do Learners Make with 필요하다, to Need?
Wrong: ✗ 돈을 필요해요
Correct: ✓ 돈이 필요해요
Why: 필요하다 describes the needed thing, so it takes 이/가, not 을/를.
English need is a transitive verb, so learners write the thing needed with 을/를: 돈을 필요해요. Korean describes the thing as needed, so it takes 이/가: 돈이 필요해요. If you want to name the person, add 저는 in front.
How Does 필요하다, to Need, Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 원하다 | 원하다 is about wanting, while 필요하다 is about need. You can want something you do not need, and need something you do not want. Note the particles too: 원하다 takes 을/를, 필요하다 takes 이/가. |
| 중요하다 | 중요하다 means important. Something important is not always something you lack, so use 필요하다 when something is lacking. |
Checking What You Need at a Hotel Desk
A guest checks the documents needed at check-in. The receptionist confirms one requirement, then offers help if the guest needs it.
Guest
여권이 필요해요?
Yeogwoni piryohaeyo?
Do you need my passport?
Receptionist
네. 여권이 필요해요.
Ne. Yeogwoni piryohaeyo.
Yes. We need your passport.
Guest
예약 번호도 필요해요?
Yeyak beonhodo piryohaeyo?
Do you need the reservation number too?
Receptionist
아니요. 도움이 필요하면 말씀해 주세요.
Aniyo. Doumi piryohamyeon malsseumhae juseyo.
No. If you need help, please let me know.
필요해요 checks a present requirement, and 필요하면 makes the offer conditional: “if you need”. Neither speaker uses an object marker for the passport. The final line shifts from the hotel’s requirement to the guest’s possible need for help; the situation identifies who needs each thing.
Common Combinations with 필요하다
도움이 필요하다 means to need help. 시간이 필요하다 means to need time. These are useful ways to explain a difficulty without turning the sentence into a demand. The person listening can then offer help or allow more time.
준비가 필요하다 means that preparation is needed. In a workplace or travel discussion, it describes a requirement before something can happen. It does not mean that the preparation has already been completed.
필요한 서류 means “required documents”. 필요한 is the form that describes a noun directly. You will see it above lists of application or registration documents. Read the noun after 필요한 to find out what is required, rather than looking for a person who performs an action.
Where Will You Hear or See 필요하다?
Service staff ask about bags, receipts and assistance with 필요하세요? The respectful form concerns the customer's need; it is a question, not a command to need something. When you describe your own need, use 필요해요.
Forms and notices often use 필요합니다 to state a requirement. This formal ending suits a written instruction. In conversation, 필요해요 is the ordinary polite choice. Both describe necessity; changing the ending does not change the document or item being required.
| Related word | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 여권 | passport | The document discussed at the hotel desk. |
| 비자 | visa | Something a traveler may need before entering a country. |
| 신분증 | identification / ID | Names proof of identity more broadly than 여권. |
| 서류 | documents | Often follows 필요한 in application instructions. |
The travel vocabulary lesson teaches these document words alongside reservations and other trip essentials.
An Adjective Ending and a Negative with a Space
필요한 is an adjective modifier, so it does not take the action-verb ending 는. Compare 필요한 서류, “required documents”, with the need expressed as a full sentence using 필요해요. Both keep the idea of necessity, but one describes a noun and the other completes a statement.
필요 없다 is written with a space. It combines the noun 필요 with 없다, “not exist”, and is a common way to say something is unnecessary. The polite expression 필요 없어요 can decline an offer, though a brief thank-you often makes that refusal warmer.
필요해서 gives a reason: something happens because a need exists. 필요하면 instead introduces a condition that may or may not apply. The difference matters in an offer of assistance, where you want to leave room for the other person to decide.
Mini Drill: State the Requirement
- Choose the marker: 시간____ 필요해요.
- Change 필요해요 to the polite past.
- Complete “required documents”: ____ 서류.
- Give the conditional meaning “if needed”.
Show drill answers
- 시간이 필요해요. 시간 ends in a consonant, so use 이.
- 필요했어요.
- 필요한 서류.
- 필요하면.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 필요하다 describe wanting something or requiring it?
- Which form describes your own need: 필요해요 or 필요하세요?
- Is 필요 없다 written as one word here?
Show answers
- Requiring it. 원하다 describes wanting.
- 필요해요.
- No. Leave a space between 필요 and 없다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does 필요하다 Take 이/가 and Not 을/를?
Because 필요하다 describes the needed thing, which is the subject of the sentence: 돈이 필요해요 (I need money), not 돈을 필요해요.
How Do I Say I Do Not Need It?
Usually with 필요 없다, literally 'there is no need'. The long negative 필요하지 않아요 also exists but sounds more formal.
Is There a Want-to Form?
No. -고 싶다 attaches to verbs, not to descriptive words like this one.
How Do I Say 'If You Need'?
Use the conditional 필요하면, as in 비자가 필요하면 말해 주세요 (If you need a visa, please tell me).
Which Words Are Related to 필요하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 원하다 for the difference between needing and wanting, then 중요하다. 부탁하다 and 괜찮다 often appear in the same requests. The Korean verb conjugator checks any form of 필요하다; the whole Korean verb dictionary lists the other entries, and the class rule is on the 하다 to 해요 page.