하다 (Korean)
Where does "하다" come from?
The Korean verb 하다 (hada) is a foundational term of native origin, tracing back to the Old Korean root *HO(Y)- and the Middle Korean form ᄒᆞ다. Over centuries, it has evolved into a versatile 'light verb' that serves as the backbone of the language, allowing countless nouns and modifiers to function as active verbs. Its unique history is still visible today in the irregular infinitive form 하여, which reflects the word's ancient, underlying stem structure.
Full etymology tree
- 하다 (Korean), 'to do; used to vaguely refer to almost any action, in particular'
- inherited ᄒᆞ다〮 (Middle Korean)
- inherited 爲 (Old Korean), 'to do'
- derived *ᄒᆡ- (Proto-Korean)
- inherited ᄒᆞ다〮 (Middle Korean)
Ancestors
- 하다 (Middle Korean)
- 爲 (Old Korean)
Cognates and doublets
- ᄒᆞ다 (Jeju)
Updated July 2026
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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris