Key Facts
- Hangul: 퇴근하다 (toegeunhada)
- Meaning: to leave work
- Level: A2
- Stem: 퇴근하
- Class: 하다 type
- Polite present / past: 퇴근해요 / 퇴근했어요
- Honorific polite: 퇴근하세요
What Does 퇴근하다 Mean?
Sense:
- to leave work. Finish the workday and leave: 여섯 시에 퇴근하다.
It takes no object, and a clock time takes 에, as in 여섯 시에 퇴근해요. It is a very common everyday word for anyone with a job. Two nouns are built on it: 퇴근 시간 (the time work ends) and 퇴근길 (the way home from work).
How Do You Pronounce 퇴근하다?
In Revised Romanization, 퇴근하다 is written toegeunhada. The dictionary form is read as spelled.
10 conjugated forms of 퇴근하다 sound different from the spelling:
- 퇴근했어요 [퇴근해써요]
- 퇴근할 거예요 [퇴근할꺼예요]
- 퇴근하겠어요 [퇴근하게써요]
- 퇴근합니다 [퇴근함니다]
- 퇴근했습니다 [퇴근핻씀니다]
- 퇴근할 것입니다 [퇴근할꺼심니다]
- 퇴근했어 [퇴근해써]
- 퇴근할 거야 [퇴근할꺼야]
- 퇴근하고 싶어요 [퇴근하고 시퍼요]
- 퇴근하지 않아요 [퇴근하지 아나요]
How Do You Use 퇴근하다 in a Sentence?
보통 여섯 시에 퇴근해요.
I usually leave work at six.
보통 means usually, and the clock time takes 에. (퇴근해요)
어제 늦게 퇴근했어요.
I left work late yesterday.
늦게 means late. (퇴근했어요)
오늘은 일찍 퇴근할 거예요.
I will leave work early today.
일찍 means early, and 퇴근할 거예요 is a plan. (퇴근할 거예요)
How Does Toegeunhada Conjugation Work? (19 forms)
퇴근하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 퇴근해요 | ||
| Polite past | 퇴근했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 퇴근할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 퇴근하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 퇴근합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 퇴근했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 퇴근할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 퇴근해 | ||
| Casual past | 퇴근했어 | ||
| Casual future | 퇴근할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 퇴근하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 퇴근하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 퇴근해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 퇴근하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 퇴근하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 퇴근한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 퇴근할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 퇴근 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 퇴근하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 퇴근해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 퇴근했어요 | [퇴근해써요] |
| Polite future | 퇴근할 거예요 | [퇴근할꺼예요] |
| Formal present | 퇴근합니다 | [퇴근함니다] |
| Casual present | 퇴근해 | as written |
| Honorific | 퇴근하세요 | as written |
| Because | 퇴근해서 | as written |
| If | 퇴근하면 | as written |
| Modifier now | 퇴근하는 | as written |
| Long negative | 퇴근하지 않아요 | [퇴근하지 아나요] |
Is 퇴근하다 Regular or Irregular?
퇴근하다 changes only its last part: 퇴근하 + 여 becomes 퇴근해, so the polite present is 퇴근해요 and the past is 퇴근했어요. See 하다 to 해요 for the pattern shared by all 하다 verbs.
Which Mistake Do Learners Make with 퇴근하다?
Wrong: ✗ 회사를 퇴근해요. (sometimes heard, but avoid it)
Correct: ✓ 퇴근해요.
Why: 퇴근하다 needs no workplace object. If you must name the place you leave, mark it with 에서 (from), not with an object particle.
English "leave the office" has an object, so learners add one. In Korean the 근 (work) part already says where you are leaving, so the plain verb is enough.
퇴근하다 Versus 출근하다 and 집에 가다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 출근하다 | 출근하다 is going to work; 퇴근하다 is leaving work. |
| 집에 가다 | 집에 가다 is just going home; 퇴근하다 specifically means finishing the workday. |
At the Office: Leaving before a Coworker
Two coworkers are packing up. Jisu asks about today, Alex contrasts it with yesterday, and Jisu explains her own plan.
Jisu
오늘 몇 시에 퇴근해요?
Oneul myeot sie toegeunhaeyo?
What time are you leaving work today?
Alex
여섯 시에 퇴근해요. 어제는 늦게 퇴근했어요.
Yeoseot sie toegeunhaeyo. Eojeneun neutge toegeunhaesseoyo.
I’m leaving at six. Yesterday I left late.
Jisu
저는 오늘 일찍 퇴근할 거예요.
Jeoneun oneul iljjik toegeunhal geoyeyo.
I’m going to leave work early today.
Alex
그럼 내일 봐요.
Geureom naeil bwayo.
Then see you tomorrow.
The present 퇴근해요 can describe today's schedule because 오늘 supplies the time. 어제는 contrasts yesterday with today, while 퇴근할 거예요 makes Jisu's intention explicit. None of these lines says that the speaker has already reached home.
Which Phrases Describe the End of the Workday?
정시 퇴근 means leaving work on time, at the scheduled end of the working day. The phrase concerns your finishing time; it does not mean arriving home at a fixed hour. 칼퇴근 is an informal expression for leaving promptly when work ends. You may hear the shorter 칼퇴 in conversation or messages between coworkers. Save that shorthand for familiar company, rather than a formal request to a manager.
퇴근 후 means “after work” and appears in plans for dinner, exercise, or lessons. 퇴근길 names the journey from work, so 퇴근길에 adds “on the way home from work”. A stop at a supermarket can happen on that journey. 집에 가다 simply describes going home and does not identify what you were doing beforehand.
These expressions also distinguish an employee's day from a business's opening hours. 퇴근 시간 is when a person finishes work. A shop may still be serving customers after one employee leaves, so the employee's 퇴근 시간 does not automatically tell you when the shop closes.
Where Will You Hear 퇴근하다?
In office conversation, asking about someone's leaving time often helps arrange dinner or a shared commute. A message asking whether someone has left work yet can use 퇴근했어요? The past form checks whether the departure has happened; it does not ask how long the journey took.
In a workplace drama, 퇴근하세요 can be an invitation or instruction to finish for the day. With a question mark and questioning intonation, the same form can ask whether someone is leaving. The ending shows respect toward the person leaving. If you are announcing your own departure, use 퇴근해요 or 퇴근하겠습니다 according to the situation, without adding the honorific 시 to yourself.
퇴근하다 describes finishing a workday, while 퇴사하다 means leaving a job or company. Someone who 퇴근해요 today can return to the same job tomorrow. The shared first syllable does not make the two departures equivalent.
What Needs Care in the Spelling?
Write 퇴근하다 as one verb, but 퇴근 시간 as two words. The noun 퇴근 can also stand before a separate expression, as in 퇴근 후. Keeping these patterns distinct helps you recognize a timetable label even when no verb ending appears.
The short negative in the table is 퇴근 안 해요, with spaces around 안. That means someone does not leave work; it does not mean they never had a job. For “not yet”, 아직 supplies the missing time meaning: 아직 퇴근 안 해요 can explain that someone is still working. A sentence about yesterday instead needs the past form.
Words for a Working Day
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 출근 | going to work | The beginning-of-day partner of 퇴근. |
| 야근 | working late / night work | Names extra or nighttime work, rather than the commute. |
| 회식 | a work gathering over a meal | Can be an after-work plan with colleagues. |
| 퇴근길 | the way home from work | A journey, rather than a clock time. |
The office vocabulary lesson builds out this workplace set.
Mini Drill: Finishing Work
- Put 퇴근하다 into the polite past.
- Add the time marker: 여섯 시____ 퇴근해요.
- Give the short negative from the table, with spaces.
- Choose the verb for going to work: 퇴근하다 or 출근하다?
Show drill answers
- 퇴근했어요.
- 에: 여섯 시에 퇴근해요.
- 퇴근 안 해요.
- 출근하다. 퇴근하다 describes leaving when work is finished.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 퇴근했어요 mean the speaker is already home?
- What does 정시 퇴근 tell you about someone's departure?
- Which phrase fits “after work”: 퇴근 후 or 퇴근길?
Show answers
- No. It says they have left work; their current location is unspecified.
- They leave at the scheduled finishing time.
- 퇴근 후. 퇴근길 is the journey from work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 퇴근하다 a Regular or Irregular Verb?
퇴근하다 follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-.
How Do I Say "I Leave Work" Politely?
퇴근해요, as in 보통 여섯 시에 퇴근해요 (I usually leave work at six). The past is 퇴근했어요 and the plan future is 퇴근할 거예요.
Does 퇴근하다 Take an Object?
No. The workplace is built into the word. A clock time takes 에: 여섯 시에 퇴근해요.
Which Nouns Are Built on 퇴근?
퇴근 시간 (the time work ends) and 퇴근길 (the way home from work).
Is 퇴근하다 Formal or Casual?
Neither. It is a neutral, very common everyday word for leaving work.
Which Words Are Related to 퇴근하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 퇴근하다 together with its partner 출근하다, then 일하다 and 취직하다 for the rest of the working day. The Korean verb conjugator gives any form of 퇴근하다, and the verb dictionary lists every other entry.