Key Facts
- Hangul: 연락하다 (yeollakada)
- Meaning: to contact
- Level: A2
- Stem: 연락하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: intransitive
- Honorific polite: 연락하세요
What Does 연락하다 Mean?
연락하다 means to get in touch with someone by phone, message or email: 친구에게 연락하다. The method is left open.
It is intransitive: the person takes 에게/한테, as in 친구에게 연락해요 and 저한테 연락해요.
Two related nouns are worth knowing: 연락처 means contact details, and 연락이 오다 means someone contacts you. The verb is common in daily life and in business.
How Do You Pronounce 연락하다?
The dictionary form is read [열라카다]. Two rules apply: the ㄴ of 연 becomes [ㄹ] before the ㄹ of 락, so ㄴ+ㄹ → [ㄹㄹ] (liquidization), and the ㄱ of 락 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into ㅋ. Revised Romanization writes yeollakada, which already shows the double l. Forms with 하 attached carry the same [열라] start and ㅋ sound, such as 연락해요 [열라캐요] and 연락합니다 [열라캄니다]. See the bracketed column below.
How Do You Use 연락하다 in a Sentence?
도착하면 저한테 연락해요.
Contact me when you arrive.
도착하면 means when you arrive. 저한테 marks the person with 한테, the spoken counterpart of 에게.
어제 친구에게 연락했어요.
I contacted a friend yesterday.
The past 연락했어요 with 친구에게: the friend is the receiver and takes 에게.
내일 다시 연락할 거예요.
I will contact you again tomorrow.
내일 다시 gives the time and the repetition. The future 연락할 거예요 states a plan.
How Does Yeollakada Conjugation Work?
Regular 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 = 해. Look for the ㅋ sound in the pronunciation column, which appears in every form. To ask someone to get in touch, the honorific polite form is 연락하세요; the negative short form is 연락 안 해요, with 안 after the noun, and the long form is 연락하지 않아요. The modifiers 연락하는, 연락한 and 연락할 sit before a noun.
연락하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 연락해요 | ||
| Polite past | 연락했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 연락할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 연락하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 연락합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 연락했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 연락할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 연락해 | ||
| Casual past | 연락했어 | ||
| Casual future | 연락할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 연락하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 연락하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 연락해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 연락하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 연락하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 연락한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 연락할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 연락 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 연락하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 연락해요 | [열라캐요] |
| Polite past | 연락했어요 | [열라캐써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 연락할 거예요 | [열라칼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 연락하겠어요 | [열라카게써요] |
| Formal present | 연락합니다 | [열라캄니다] |
| Formal past | 연락했습니다 | [열라캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 연락할 것입니다 | [열라칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 연락해 | [열라캐] |
| Casual past | 연락했어 | [열라캐써] |
| Casual future | 연락할 거야 | [열라칼꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 연락하고 싶어요 | [열라카고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 연락하세요 | [열라카세요] |
| Because / and then | 연락해서 | [열라캐서] |
| If (conditional) | 연락하면 | [열라카면] |
| Present modifier | 연락하는 | [열라카는] |
| Past modifier | 연락한 | [열라칸] |
| Future modifier | 연락할 | [열라칼] |
| Negative (short) | 연락 안 해요 | [열라간 해요] |
| Negative (long) | 연락하지 않아요 | [열라카지 아나요] |
Is 연락하다 Regular or Irregular?
연락하다 is a 하다-type verb. 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-. The stem is 연락하.
Common Mistake with 연락하다
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 연락해요.
Correct: ✓ 친구에게 연락해요.
Why: 연락하다 takes 에게/한테 for the person, not 을/를. English "contact someone" has a direct object, but in Korean the person is the receiver of the message, like the receiver with 보내다.
연락하다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 전화하다 | 전화하다 is specifically by phone; 연락하다 can be any method. |
| 만나다 | 만나다 is meeting in person; 연락하다 is only getting in touch. |
Meeting a Friend at the Station
Two friends arrange how to find each other after a train journey. Their polite exchange uses a request, the past, and a future plan.
Jisu
도착하면 저한테 연락하세요.
Dochakamyeon jeohante yeollakaseyo.
Please contact me when you arrive.
Alex
네. 어제 민수 씨에게도 연락했어요.
Ne. Eoje Minsu ssiegedo yeollakaesseoyo.
Okay. I contacted Minsu yesterday too.
Jisu
좋아요. 저는 역 앞에서 기다릴게요.
Joayo. Jeoneun yeok apeseo gidarilgeyo.
Good. I’ll wait in front of the station.
Alex
내일 도착하면 바로 연락할 거예요.
Naeil dochakamyeon baro yeollakal geoyeyo.
I’ll contact you as soon as I arrive tomorrow.
저한테 identifies Jisu as the receiver. 민수 씨에게도 adds another person who has been contacted; 도 means “too”. 연락할 거예요 makes Alex's plan explicit. Nothing in the exchange specifies a call rather than a message, so the friends can use whichever method suits them.
Which Phrases Describe Staying in Touch?
연락을 주고받다 means to exchange messages or stay in contact with each other. Literally, 주고받다 is “give and receive”; the phrase emphasizes communication in both directions. 연락이 오다 means that contact comes in, as when a friend sends a message. 연락하다 instead presents someone as taking the action of getting in touch.
연락이 끊기다 means to lose contact or have communication cut off. It may describe people drifting apart or a connection being interrupted; the surrounding situation supplies the cause. 연락이 닿다 means to reach someone successfully. In these noun-based phrases, 연락 takes 이 because it is the subject, rather than being part of the single verb 연락하다.
비상 연락처 means an emergency contact or emergency contact details. A form may request another person's number here. 연락처 alone can ask for your own contact information, so read the words around the label before deciding whose details belong in the field.
Where Will You See 연락하다?
In a personal message, 연락해요 can suggest keeping in touch or ask someone to get in touch. 연락하세요 makes a more explicit polite request. In a formal email, 연락드리겠습니다 means “I will contact you”, using 드리다 to show respect toward the recipient. The formal register fits contacting a customer or someone senior.
Customer-service pages may give a phone number or email address beside a request to contact the organization. The contact verb itself leaves the channel open. 문자로 specifies a text message, 전화로 a phone call, and 이메일로 email. The marker 로 names the method, while 에게 or 한테 identifies a person receiving the contact.
A friend asking for 연락처 wants contact details, rather than a report of the last conversation. Depending on the situation, those details might be a number or an email address. The noun does not require one particular technology.
What Makes the Grammar and Spelling Tricky?
English puts the person directly after “contact”. Korean normally uses a receiver marker: 친구에게 연락해요. If you add the communication method, keep its role separate. 이메일로 친구에게 연락해요 means contacting a friend by email; 로 and 에게 answer different questions.
The sound changes in 연락하다 leave its spelling intact. Write 연 and 락 even though the beginning sounds like the bracketed pronunciation above. The 하다 contraction then gives 연락해요 and 연락했어요. In the short negative 연락 안 해요, the noun and 안 are separate words; the 하다 part supplies the final verb ending.
For a respectful request, 연락하세요 refers to the other person's action. 연락드리겠습니다 describes your own action toward a respected recipient. These expressions solve different politeness needs, so choose according to who is contacting whom.
Useful Communication Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 연락처 | contact details | Information used to reach someone. |
| 문자 | text message | 문자로 identifies the method of contact. |
| 답장 | reply | The response to a message or letter. |
| 부재중 전화 | missed call | A sign that someone tried to reach you. |
The smartphone and apps vocabulary lesson covers contact details, texts, and missed calls. The phone conversation lesson shows how to speak when a call connects.
Mini Drill: Person, Method, and Tense
- Choose the receiver marker: 친구____ 연락해요.
- Make 연락하다 polite past.
- Write the short negative with spaces.
- Complete “by email”: 이메일____ 연락해요.
Show drill answers
- 에게 or 한테: 친구에게 연락해요 / 친구한테 연락해요.
- 연락했어요.
- 연락 안 해요.
- 로: 이메일로 연락해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 연락했어요 tell you whether someone called or sent a message?
- What does 연락을 주고받다 emphasize?
- Whose action is described by 연락드리겠습니다?
Show answers
- No. It reports contact without naming the method.
- Communication going both ways.
- The speaker's own action toward a recipient they wish to treat respectfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Form of 연락하다?
The polite present is 연락해요 and the polite past is 연락했어요. The formal present is 연락합니다.
Which Particle Marks the Person?
에게 or 한테, not 를: 친구에게 연락해요.
How Is 연락하다 Pronounced?
It is read [열라카다]: the ㄴ of 연 becomes [ㄹ] before ㄹ, and ㄱ plus ㅎ becomes ㅋ.
What Does 연락처 Mean?
Contact details, such as a phone number or email address.
Is 연락하다 Only for Phone Calls?
No. 연락하다 covers any method, including texts and email. 전화하다 is the phone-specific verb.
Which Words Are Related to 연락하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 전화하다 to see the phone-specific verb, then 만나다 and 초대하다. To check other forms, use the Korean verb conjugator. Browse every entry in the Korean verb dictionary.