Key Facts
- Hangul: 요리하다 (yorihada)
- Meaning: to cook
- Level: A2
- Stem: 요리하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 요리하세요
What Does 요리하다 Mean?
요리하다 is used for preparing food: 저녁을 요리하다. Because 요리 is a noun, you can also split it as 요리를 하다. It can take an object (what is cooked) or stand alone, as in 저는 주말에 요리해요.
In speech, people often replace it with 음식을 만들다 or 밥을 하다, so it sounds a little more deliberate than everyday talk. It pairs naturally with 직접, meaning by oneself.
How Do You Pronounce 요리하다?
The dictionary form is read as written, and its Revised Romanization is yorihada. The polite present 요리해요 is also read as written. In the past, the ㅆ moves into the next syllable, so 요리했어요 is read [요리해써요]. In the formal present 요리합니다 [요리함니다], the ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced [ㅁ], and the formal past 요리했습니다 is read [요리핻씀니다].
How Do You Use 요리하다 in a Sentence?
저는 주말에 요리해요.
I cook on weekends.
This describes a habit. 주말에 (on weekends) says when, and there is no object, so 요리하다 stands alone.
어제 아빠가 요리했어요.
Dad cooked yesterday.
The past 요리했어요 has the subject 아빠가 (Dad). The verb needs no object here either.
오늘은 직접 요리하고 싶어요.
I want to cook myself today.
직접 means by oneself, and 요리하고 싶어요 turns the verb into a wish. Together they say you want to do the cooking yourself.
How Does Yorihada Conjugation Work?
요리하다 follows the 하다 pattern: before any ending that starts with 아 or 어, 하 becomes 해. Pronunciations in brackets show where the sound differs from the spelling.
요리하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 요리해요 | ||
| Polite past | 요리했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 요리할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 요리하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 요리합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 요리했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 요리할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 요리해 | ||
| Casual past | 요리했어 | ||
| Casual future | 요리할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 요리하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 요리하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 요리해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 요리하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 요리하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 요리한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 요리할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 요리 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 요리하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 요리해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 요리했어요 | [요리해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 요리할 거예요 | [요리할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 요리하겠어요 | [요리하게써요] |
| Formal present | 요리합니다 | [요리함니다] |
| Formal past | 요리했습니다 | [요리핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 요리할 것입니다 | [요리할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 요리해 | as written |
| Casual past | 요리했어 | [요리해써] |
| Casual future | 요리할 거야 | [요리할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 요리하고 싶어요 | [요리하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 요리하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 요리해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 요리하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 요리하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 요리한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 요리할 | as written |
| Negative (short) | 요리 안 해요 | as written |
| Negative (long) | 요리하지 않아요 | [요리하지 아나요] |
Is 요리하다 Regular or Irregular?
요리하다 is regular, a 하다-type verb. 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-. The stem here is 요리하.
Common Mistake with 요리하다
Wrong: ✗ 음식을 요리를 해요
Correct: ✓ 음식을 요리해요 / 요리를 해요
Why: Choose one pattern: either the single verb 요리하다 or the split 요리를 하다. Putting 을/를 on both the food and 요리 gives the sentence two objects, which is wrong.
요리하다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 만들다 | 만들다 is to make; with food it is very common, while 요리하다 stresses cooking skill or process. |
| 끓이다 | 끓이다 is to boil or simmer one dish, such as soup; 요리하다 covers all cooking. |
Deciding Who Will Cook Dinner
Two housemates are planning dinner. One cooked yesterday, and the other volunteers to take a turn today.
Mina
어제도 요리했어요?
Eojedo yorihaesseoyo?
Did you cook yesterday too?
Alex
네. 오늘은 요리 안 해요.
Ne. Oneureun yori an haeyo.
Yes. I’m not cooking today.
Mina
그럼 제가 요리할 거예요.
Geureom jega yorihal geoyeyo.
Then I’m going to cook.
Alex
좋아요. 저는 설거지를 할 거예요.
Joayo. Jeoneun seolgeojireul hal geoyeyo.
Great. I’ll do the dishes.
요리했어요 puts yesterday’s cooking in the past. 요리 안 해요 rules out cooking today, and 요리할 거예요 announces a plan. 제가 identifies the person taking the cooking job. The last line offers a different household task, so the speakers are dividing the work rather than both offering to cook.
Cooking, Making a Dish and Preparing a Meal
요리하다 describes preparing food as an activity. It is useful when saying who cooks, whether you enjoy cooking or what you do on weekends.
With a named dish, 만들다 is often a natural choice. 김밥을 만들다 means to make gimbap; the result is a specific food. 요리하다 gives a broader view of food preparation. Knowing both lets you talk about cooking as a hobby and about the particular dish on the table.
밥을 하다 can mean cooking rice or preparing a meal, depending on the situation.
The noun 요리 also names food, as in 한국 요리, “Korean cuisine”, or 중국 요리, “Chinese cuisine”. Those menu headings classify dishes. They are not instructions to cook. Look at whether 요리 follows a country name or carries a verb ending to identify its role.
Collocations around Cooking as a Skill
직접 요리하다 means to cook personally. 직접 emphasizes doing the preparation yourself, perhaps instead of ordering delivery or asking someone else to cook. It does not imply that you grew the ingredients or worked without any equipment. Its focus is who performs the cooking.
요리를 배우다 means to learn to cook. 요리 수업 is a cooking class, and 요리 실력 is cooking ability. These phrases shift attention from one meal to a skill. The word 실력 concerns ability; it does not name a particular recipe or kitchen tool.
집에서 요리하다 means to cook at home. 에서 marks where the preparation happens. Compare that with 주말에 in the original example, where 에 marks the time. The location and time can both accompany 요리하다, but they answer different questions about the activity.
Where Will You Hear or See 요리하다?
In a conversation about hobbies, 요리하다 can describe something someone enjoys doing. In a cooking video, a presenter may use it to introduce the overall activity, then switch to precise method verbs for each step.
끓이다 means to boil or simmer something. 굽다 covers baking, roasting or grilling, and 볶다 means to stir-fry.
요리하다 is neutral, rather than a special formal kitchen term. 요리해요 fits polite everyday conversation. 요리합니다 fits a more formal explanation or presentation.
What Makes the Grammar Tricky?
Choose between the single verb 요리하다 and the noun construction 요리를 하다. Both can describe cooking. If you name the food with an object marker, the single verb is the clearest beginner pattern: 음식을 요리해요. Adding another object marker to 요리 creates the double-marking problem shown above.
For the short negative, the noun and 해요 separate: 요리 안 해요. In 요리하지 않아요, the longer negative attaches 지 to the verb before the separate 않아요.
There is no special honorific replacement for 요리하다 like the eating pair 먹다 and 드시다. 요리하세요 uses the usual honorific ending. For your own cooking, use 요리해요. The 하다 to 해요 lesson explains the shared ending pattern.
Kitchen Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 재료 | ingredients | The food items used to prepare a dish. |
| 조리법 | cooking method / recipe | Explains how the food is prepared. |
| 주방 | kitchen | The room or workspace for cooking. |
| 설거지 | washing dishes | The cleanup task after preparation and eating. |
Use the cooking vocabulary lesson to connect these nouns with equipment and preparation words.
Mini Drill: Choose the Cooking Form
- Change 요리해요 to polite past.
- Write the short negative with spaces.
- Fix the double marking. Wrong: 음식을 요리를 해요.
- Choose the verb for boiling soup: 끓이다 or 굽다.
Show drill answers
- 요리했어요.
- 요리 안 해요.
- Correct: 음식을 요리해요.
- 끓이다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 직접 요리하다 mean doing the cooking yourself?
- Is 요리 in 한국 요리 a verb or a noun?
- Does 설거지 name food preparation or cleanup?
Show answers
- Yes. 직접 identifies personal involvement.
- A noun: Korean cuisine or Korean food.
- Cleanup: washing dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Form of 요리하다?
The polite present is 요리해요 and the polite past is 요리했어요. In formal speech, the present is 요리합니다.
Can I Say 요리를 해요?
Yes. 요리 is a noun, so both 요리를 해요 and 요리해요 are correct. Just don't add a second 을/를 phrase in front, as in 음식을 요리를 해요.
Is 요리하다 the Same as 만들다?
Not quite. 만들다 means to make and is very common with food, while 요리하다 puts the focus on cooking as a process or skill.
What Does 직접 Add?
직접 means 'yourself' or 'in person'. 오늘은 직접 요리하고 싶어요 means 'Today I want to cook it myself'.
How Do I Make 요리하다 Negative?
Put 안 between the noun and 하다: 요리 안 해요 (I don't cook). The long form is 요리하지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 요리하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Move on to 만들다 and 끓이다, or look at 굽다 (to grill; to roast) and 볶다 (to stir-fry), which name single cooking methods. You can test other 하다 verbs in the Korean verb conjugator. Browse every entry in the Korean verb dictionary.