How do you say "speak" in Korean?

말하다

malhada

Verb Hangul

In Korean, "speak" is 말하다 (malhada).

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Pronunciation

Malhada is three syllables, mal-ha-da, with mal ending softly before ha opens with a light breath.

Writing and usage

말하다 is written using hangul. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

그녀는 세 가지 언어를 할 수 있어요.

geunyeoneun se gaji eoneoreul hal su isseoyo.

She can speak three languages.

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How to remember 말하다

Mal sounds like 'mall', imagine chatting away, speaking freely, while wandering through a busy mall.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 말하다

How do you pronounce 말하다?

Malhada is three syllables, mal-ha-da, with mal ending softly before ha opens with a light breath.

Is 말하다 formal or casual?

말하다 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 말하다 written in Korean?

말하다 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as malhada.

Where can I practice Korean words for free?

You can play free Korean minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Korean glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Speak" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Korean language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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