Yongseohada Conjugation: 용서하다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 용서하다 (yongseohada)
• Meaning: to forgive
• Part of speech: verb (동사)
• Level: B1
• Stem: 용서하
• Class: 하다 type
• Objects: transitive

What Does 용서하다 Mean?

용서하다 is what the hurt person does: they let a wrong go. The person or fault forgiven takes 을/를, as in 친구를 용서하다 or 실수를 용서하다. The word is slightly formal. In an apology people say 용서해 주세요 (please forgive me), but it carries real weight, which is why it does not work as a casual 'excuse me'. It is a B1 word.

Senses:

• to forgive. Pardon a person or their fault, as in 친구를 용서하다.

How Do You Pronounce 용서하다?

Four syllables: yong-seo-ha-da. The ㅇ at the end of 용 is the 'ng' sound, as in 'song'. The polite past 용서했어요 is said [용서해써요], the formal present 용서합니다 is said [용서함니다], and the plan form 용서할 거예요 is said [용서할꺼예요].

How Do You Use 용서하다 in a Sentence?

부모님은 제 실수를 용서했어요 puts 부모님은 as the topic, 제 실수를 as the object and 용서했어요 as the past. The parents are the ones who forgave.

저는 그 사람을 용서하지 않아요 is a plain refusal. The long negative 용서하지 않아요 is a firm, clear way to say 'I do not forgive'.

용서하면 마음이 편해져요 is a general statement: 용서하면 gives the condition, and 마음이 편해져요 gives what changes.

How Does Yongseohada Conjugation Work?

용서하다 follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 gives 해, so you get 용서해요, 용서했어요 and 용서해서. The other endings keep 하: 용서하면, 용서하는, 용서한 and 용서합니다. The short negative is 용서 안 해요 and the long negative is 용서하지 않아요, the one used in the example above.

Sound Changes

Is 용서하다 Regular or Irregular?

용서하다 is a regular 하다-type verb. Everything on the table follows the rule in 하다 verbs in the polite present. The negatives follow the pattern in negating 하다 verbs.

Common Mistake with 용서하다

Wrong: ✗ 용서하세요 for excuse me when passing someone

Correct: ✓ 실례합니다 / 죄송합니다

Why: 용서하세요 tells someone to forgive, so it is not an apology at all, and even 용서해 주세요 (please forgive me) is far too heavy for passing someone in a corridor. For minor excuses use 실례합니다 or 죄송합니다. Save 용서해 주세요 for real apologies.

용서하다 Compared with 화해하다 and 사과하다

Three verbs describe the stages after a quarrel, and each belongs to a different person.

After Breaking a Promise

Alex

Jisu

Alex

Jisu

Alex apologizes, and Jisu is the person who forgives. 용서해요 presents the forgiveness now; 용서했어요 looks back at it as settled. 이번에는 means “this time”, so Jisu also sets a limit. The final request concerns keeping the next promise rather than withdrawing the forgiveness.

Phrases for Asking, Giving and Receiving Forgiveness

용서를 빌다 means “to beg forgiveness”. Literally, someone asks for forgiveness as a favor. It is stronger than a routine apology and fits a serious admission of wrongdoing. The noun 용서 takes 를 here because it is the thing being sought.

용서를 구하다 means “to seek forgiveness”. It can appear in written accounts of apologies or statements about taking responsibility. The phrase describes the wrongdoer's request, so it does not tell you whether the hurt person has accepted it.

용서를 받다 means “to receive forgiveness”. The subject is now the person being forgiven. Compare that with 용서하다, where the subject gives forgiveness. English translations may use “be forgiven”, but the Korean phrase literally speaks of receiving forgiveness.

용서해 주세요 asks “please forgive me”. The helper 주세요 makes the request polite, and the space separates it from 용서해. 용서해 줘서 고마워요 thanks someone for forgiving the speaker. The added 줘서 presents the forgiveness as something done for that person's benefit. These two phrases belong on opposite sides of the response.

Where Will You Hear 용서하다?

Dramas, family arguments, personal apologies and discussions of reconciliation use 용서하다. The word also appears in religious discussions of forgiveness. A person can use it in ordinary conversation, but it brings more emotional weight than apologizing for a small inconvenience.

The formal 용서합니다 can sound solemn when addressed directly to someone. 용서해요 is polite and less ceremonial, while 용서해 is intimate or casual. A character's choice between them can reveal distance or seriousness as well as politeness. The situation still matters: the same plain words can be tender, reluctant or firm.

Forgiveness does not automatically mean renewed friendship. Someone may forgive a past action without resuming the old relationship. 화해하다 specifically concerns making peace with the other person, so a story can discuss 용서 before it reaches 화해, or never reach reconciliation at all.

Tricky Points: Who Acts and What Is Forgiven?

In 친구를 용서하다, 친구 is the person forgiven. In 실수를 용서하다, 실수 is the mistake forgiven. Both take the object marker, but they focus on different things. A sentence about forgiving a mistake can keep the specific action in view rather than judging the person's whole character.

The subject of 사과하다 is the person apologizing. The subject of 용서하다 is the person granting forgiveness. If you switch these verbs while keeping the same subject, you change that person's role in the situation. Before translating “sorry” or “forgive”, decide who did the harm and who is responding.

Keep the spaces in 용서 안 해요 and 용서하지 않아요. The first separates the noun part from 안 해요, while the second attaches 지 to the complete verb stem. Both can express withholding forgiveness. 용서하고 싶어요 expresses a wish to forgive; it does not claim that forgiveness has already happened.

The honorific form 용서하세요 concerns the person doing the forgiving. It does not turn a passing “excuse me” into the right expression. For a minor interruption, the existing mistake example gives the everyday phrases 실례합니다 and 죄송합니다.

Words around an Apology

The emotions vocabulary lesson adds words for the feelings in these exchanges.

Mini Drill: Choose the Speaker's Role

1. Give the polite past of 용서하다.
2. Say “I want to forgive” with the verb alone.
3. Give the long negative.
4. Choose the verb for the wrongdoer saying sorry: 사과하다 or 용서하다.

Quick Self-Test

1. Who receives forgiveness in 용서를 받다?
2. Does asking for forgiveness prove it was granted?
3. Does 용서하다 necessarily mean the two people have reconciled?

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Does the Forgiving in 용서하다?

The hurt person. The wrongdoer apologizes with 사과하다.

How Do I Say 'Please Forgive Me'?

Say 용서해 주세요.

Can I Use 용서하세요 to Get past Someone?

No. 용서하세요 tells someone to forgive, and even 용서해 주세요 is far too heavy for that. Use 실례합니다 or 죄송합니다.

How Do I Say 'I Do Not Forgive That Person'?

Say 저는 그 사람을 용서하지 않아요.

Which Words Are Related to 용서하다?

• 화해하다
• 사과하다
• 미안해하다
• 싸우다

What Should You Learn Next?

Read about the full cycle of a quarrel: 싸우다 (fight), 사과하다 (apologize) and 화해하다 (make peace). The Korean verb conjugator can check any other form, and the Korean verb dictionary has the rest.