A-아/어하다

appears to be, seems

Explanation

-아/어하다 is added to the end of some adjectives to change them into verbs to express the speaker's feeling or observation about some action or outward appearance.

It corresponds to 'appears (to be)' or 'seems' in English.

If the stem ends in the vowel ㅏ or ㅗ, then -아하다 is used.

Otherwise -어하다 is used.

As for verbs ending in 하다, the form changes to -해하다.

Details

When adding -지 마세요 to the adjective stem, the pattern becomes -아/어하지 마세요.

무섭지 마세요. ✕
→무서워하지 마세요. ✓
Don't be afraid.
어렵지 마세요. ✕
→어려워하지 마세요. ✓
Please don't take it so hard.

When -아/어하다 is added to 예쁘다 and 귀엽다 to form 예뻐하다 and 귀여워하다, the meaning becomes 'to hold dear or 'to treat with love and affection.'

할아버자는 나를 귀여워하세요.
My grandfather treats me with much affection.
동생이 강아지를 예뻐해요.
My little brother/sister adores our dog.

Kimchi Reader

Added to descriptive verbs to change turn them into action verbs and convey an emotion or sensation.

Details

Usage

Base form Meaning Extended form Meaning
좋다 to be good 좋아하다 to like
맵다 to be spicy 매워하다 to find spicy
무섭다 to be scary 무서워하다 to fear
예쁘다 to be pretty 예뻐하다 to treat with love/affection
Examples
동생은 한국어 공부를 <span class='focus'>재미있어해요</span>.
My younger sibling seems to enjoy studying Korean.
눈치가 없는 사람을 <span class='focus'>싫어해요</span>.
I dislike people who are insensitive.
아이들이 <span class='focus'>배고파해요</span>.
The children are hungry.

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