Key Facts
- Hangul: 생기다 (saenggida)
- Meaning: to be formed; to happen; to look (a way)
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 생기
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The new thing takes 이/가 (친구가 생기다); the person who gets it is marked with 에게 or 은/는.
- Honorific polite: 생기세요
- Usage: Very common for gaining something: 남자 친구가 생기다 and 시간이 생기다. 생긴 is the modifier in 잘생긴 사람 (a good-looking person).
What Does 생기다 Mean?
- to be formed; to appear: Used when something new comes into being, e.g. 문제가 생기다 (a problem arises).
- to happen; to come about: Used for something happening to someone, e.g. 일이 생기다 (something comes up).
- to look (a certain way): Used with an adverb to describe appearance, e.g. 잘생기다, 못생기다 (handsome, ugly).
생기다 is for things that come into being without the subject making them. The new thing is the subject and takes 이/가: 새 친구가 생기다 is to make a new friend, 문제가 생기다 means a problem arises, and 시간이 생기다 means you find some free time. The person who gets it can be marked with 에게 or 은/는.
It also covers things that happen: 일이 생기다 says something has come up. The third sense is appearance. With an adverb it describes how someone looks, which gives 잘생기다 and 못생기다 (handsome and ugly). The modifier 생긴 appears in 잘생긴 사람, a good-looking person.
Which Set Phrases Use 생기다?
- 친구가 생기다: To make a friend; the friend is the subject.
- 시간이 생기다: To get some free time.
- 잘생긴 사람: A good-looking person, with the modifier 생긴.
How Do You Pronounce 생기다?
생기다 is read as spelled. The past 생겼어요 is [생겨써요] and the formal 생깁니다 is [생김니다]. The future 생길 거예요 is [생길꺼예요].
How Do You Use 생기다 in a Sentence?
새 친구가 생겨요.
I'm making a new friend.
새 친구가 uses 이/가 for the thing that appears. English says 'I make a friend', but Korean says 'a friend comes into being'.
갑자기 일이 생겼어요.
Something suddenly came up.
갑자기 (suddenly) adds surprise, and 일이 생겼어요 is the standard way to say something came up, for example when cancelling plans.
문제가 생기면 말해 주세요.
If a problem arises, please tell me.
문제가 생기면 is a condition: if a problem arises. 말해 주세요 is the request that follows.
How Does Saenggida Conjugation Work?
생기다 is regular. The stem 생기 ends in ㅣ, and ㅣ + 어 contracts to ㅕ, so the polite present is 생겨요 and the past is 생겼어요. Consonant endings keep the stem: 생기면, 생깁니다.
생기다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 생겨요 | ||
| Polite past | 생겼어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 생길 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 생기겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 생깁니다 | ||
| Formal past | 생겼습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 생길 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 생겨 | ||
| Casual past | 생겼어 | ||
| Casual future | 생길 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 생기세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 생겨서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 생기면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 생기는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 생긴 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 생길 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 생겨요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 생기지 않아요 |
No want-to cell is given for 생기다: the subject does not control what comes into being, so -고 싶다 is not normally used.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 생겼어요 | [생겨써요] |
| Polite future | 생길 거예요 | [생길꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 생기겠어요 | [생기게써요] |
| Formal present | 생깁니다 | [생김니다] |
| Formal past | 생겼습니다 | [생겯씀니다] |
| Formal future | 생길 것입니다 | [생길꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 생겼어 | [생겨써] |
| Casual future | 생길 거야 | [생길꺼야] |
| Long negative | 생기지 않아요 | [생기지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 생기다
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 생겼어요.
Correct: ✓ 친구가 생겼어요.
Why: 생기다 is intransitive. The thing that comes into being is the subject and takes 이/가, not an object marker.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 생기다?
| Word | How to tell it from 생기다 |
|---|---|
| 만들다 | 만들다 is to make something deliberately (transitive); 생기다 is for something that comes into being by itself. |
| 일어나다 | 일어나다 is for events and accidents occurring (사고가 일어나다); 생기다 is for gaining or developing something new. |
A Printer Problem before a Meeting
Two coworkers need to print their meeting notes. One reports a new problem, and the other explains what to do if it returns.
Jisu
프린터에 문제가 생겼어요.
Peurinteoe munjega saenggyeosseoyo.
A problem has developed with the printer.
Minho
자주 생겨요?
Jaju saenggyeoyo?
Does it happen often?
Jisu
아니요. 오늘 처음이에요.
Aniyo. Oneul cheoeumieyo.
No. Today is the first time.
Minho
또 생기면 말해 주세요.
Tto saenggimyeon malhae juseyo.
If it happens again, please tell me.
생겼어요 reports the problem that has appeared. 생겨요 asks about a recurring pattern, and 생기면 introduces a possible future event. 프린터에 locates the trouble, while 문제가 remains the subject. English “the printer has a problem” organizes the same information differently.
Problems, Opportunities and Changes of Plan
일이 생기다 literally means that some business or matter has arisen. In everyday conversation it often explains why a person needs to change plans. 일이 생겼어요 can be deliberately unspecific: the speaker says something came up without explaining whether it concerns work, family or another obligation.
시간이 생기다 means that time becomes available. 시간이 있다 describes having time; 시간이 생기다 highlights a change, such as an appointment being cancelled. That difference helps when explaining why you can suddenly join an activity you previously expected to miss.
관심이 생기다 means to develop an interest, and 기회가 생기다 means that an opportunity arises. These are useful extensions of the same subject pattern. Interest and opportunity are the new things, so they take 이/가 just as 친구 and 문제 do.
Where Will You Hear 생기다?
You will hear 생기다 when people discuss unexpected interruptions, new relationships, available time or emerging problems. It is useful in workplace messages because it names a change without claiming who caused it. A problem may arise after someone’s action, but the grammar itself does not assign responsibility.
In a report about a neighbourhood, 생기다 can describe a new shop appearing. The focus is the change in what exists there. 만들다 would instead draw attention to a person or organization making something. Both can concern deliberate human activity; 생기다 simply leaves the maker outside its subject pattern.
For appearance, 잘생기다 and 못생기다 are written as single words. 잘생긴 사람 describes someone’s looks now, even though 생긴 has the same shape as the past modifier in the table. An appearance description does not mean the person used to be handsome and no longer is.
Why 생겼어요 Can Describe the Present Situation
A past ending can report the event that created a current state. 새 친구가 생겼어요 means a new friendship has formed, with the friend normally still part of your life. 문제가 생겼어요 can introduce trouble that still needs attention. Neither sentence says the result has disappeared.
Before a noun, 생기는 presents something that occurs or develops, while 생긴 points to something that has appeared. First identify whether you mean the process or its result. The ㅣ-to-ㅕ contraction only applies before 어-family endings; the stem stays 생기 in 생기는 and 생기면.
| Related word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 문제 | problem | 문제가 생기다 reports trouble developing. |
| 기회 | opportunity | 기회가 생기다 presents a new chance. |
| 관심 | interest | 관심이 생기다 describes interest beginning. |
| 시간 | time | 시간이 생기다 highlights newly available time. |
For the people described by appearance compounds, see personality and appearance vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Identify What Appears
- Choose the marker: 문제가 / 문제를 생겼어요.
- Contract 생기 + 어요.
- Complete “if it happens”: 생기다 → ____.
- Give the modifier for something that has appeared.
Show drill answers
- 문제가 생겼어요. 문제 is the subject.
- 생겨요.
- 생기면. No ㅕ contraction is needed here.
- 생긴.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 시간이 생기다 emphasize existing time or newly available time?
- Does 일이 생겼어요 always mean an issue at work?
- In 잘생긴 사람, does 생긴 necessarily describe only past appearance?
Show answers
- Newly available time.
- No. 일이 can refer to a matter outside work too.
- No. The phrase normally describes current looks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'I Made a New Friend'?
새 친구가 생겼어요.
What Is the Polite Present of 생기다?
생겨요.
What Is the Difference between 생기다 and 만들다?
만들다 is to make something deliberately. 생기다 is for something that comes into being by itself.
How Is 생기다 Different from 일어나다?
일어나다 is for events and accidents occurring. 생기다 is for gaining or developing something new.
Which Words Are Related to 생기다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 잘생기다 and 못생기다 as appearance words, then 일어나다 and 만들다 for the verbs it is often confused with. For the rule behind these forms, read how ㅣ stems become ㅕ, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.