目錄
Korean 「-게 하다」 is used to express making or having someone perform an action, and it can also describe something causing a change in emotion or state. For example, 「아이에게 채소를 먹게 했어요」 means making a child eat vegetables, while 「그 말이 저를 울게 했어요」 means that those words made the speaker cry. Both sentences use 「-게 하다」, but in the first, someone arranges for an action to be carried out, whereas the second describes a naturally produced result. What learners often find difficult is not how the form attaches, but how to choose between 「에게」 and 「을／를」, and how 「-게 하다」 differs in nuance from 「시키다」.
When is Korean 「-게 하다」 used? Start by understanding the causative relationship
「-게 하다」 after a verb is a common Korean causative construction. It is used to express someone making another person perform an action, or something causing a certain reaction. 「-게 하다」 can also appear after adjectives, as in 「깨끗하게 하다」. In this case, 「-게」 turns the adjective into an adverbial form, which then combines with 「하다」 to express a change of state.
In everyday life, there are many situations where you need to express causative relationships such as “make a child eat” or “have a friend wait for a moment.” In these cases, you can use a verb followed by 「-게 하다」. By contrast, “make the room clean” is expressed as 「방을 깨끗하게 하다」. Here, 「깨끗하게」 is the adverbial form of the adjective 「깨끗하다」 and indicates changing the room into a clean state.
Attachment rules for Korean 「-게 하다」 and particles marking the causee
The attachment of 「-게」 is not affected by whether the stem ends in a batchim. When 「-게 하다」 follows a verb stem, it usually forms a causative expression, as in 「먹게 하다」 and 「기다리게 하다」. When 「-게」 follows an adjective stem, it forms an adverbial expression, which can then combine with 「하다」 to indicate a change in state, as in 「깨끗하게 하다」 and 「편안하게 하다」.
| Part of speech before it | Base form | Structure | English meaning | Structural explanation |
| Verb | 먹다 | 먹게 하다 | make/have someone eat | Verb causative |
| Verb | 기다리다 | 기다리게 하다 | make/have someone wait | Verb causative |
| Adjective | 깨끗하다 | 깨끗하게 하다 | make something clean | Adverbial adjective form + 하다 |
| Adjective | 편안하다 | 편안하게 하다 | make someone/something feel relaxed | Adverbial adjective form + 하다 |
A common 「-게 하다」 structure can be written as 「A가 B에게／B를 V-게 하다」. Whether the causee takes 「에게／한테」 or 「을／를」 generally depends on the nature of the preceding verb. If the preceding verb is a transitive verb that requires an object, and the sentence already contains the object of the action, the causee often takes 「에게／한테」, as in 「아이에게 채소를 먹게 하다」. If the preceding verb is intransitive, the causee often takes 「을／를」, as in 「아이를 자게 하다」. Actual usage can also be affected by sentence focus and context, so the choice cannot be made simply based on whether the causee is a person.
Usage ① of 「-게 하다」｜Making someone perform an action
This is the most typical causative use. The subject does not personally perform the action, but instead arranges, asks, or guides someone else to do it. The tone can describe a neutral arrangement, but it can also carry a top-down sense of instruction, depending on the situation and relationship.
- Example: 선생님이 학생들에게 발표하게 했어요.
Romanization: seon-saeng-ni-mi hak-saeng-deu-re-ge bal-pyo-ha-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: The teacher had the students give a presentation.
「발표하게 했어요」 indicates that the teacher arranged for the students to perform the action of presenting. - Example: 엄마가 아이에게 채소를 먹게 했어요.
Romanization: eom-ma-ga a-i-e-ge chae-so-reul meok-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: The mother made the child eat vegetables.
This sentence means that the mother caused the child to eat; it does not mean that the mother herself ate. - Example: 팀장이 직원들을 먼저 퇴근하게 했어요.
Romanization: tim-jang-i jik-won-deu-reul meon-jeo toe-geun-ha-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: The team leader let the employees leave work first.
「퇴근하게 하다」 can mean allowing or arranging for someone to leave work and does not necessarily imply force.
Usage ② of 「-게 하다」｜Causing someone to experience an emotion or reaction
「-게 하다」 can also indicate that something causes an emotional reaction. In this use, the subject is often a statement, news, an attitude, a situation, or something similar, followed by reaction verbs such as 「웃다」「울다」「놀라다」「걱정하다」.
- Example: 그 말이 저를 울게 했어요.
Romanization: geu ma-ri jeo-reul ul-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: Those words made me cry.
「울게 했어요」 indicates that the words caused the result of crying. - Example: 친구의 농담이 모두를 웃게 했어요.
Romanization: chin-gu-ui nong-da-mi mo-du-reul ut-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: My friend’s joke made everyone laugh.
The subject is the joke; no person directly ordered everyone to laugh. - Example: 갑작스러운 소식이 가족들을 놀라게 했어요.
Romanization: gap-jak-seu-reo-un so-si-gi ga-jok-deu-reul nol-la-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: The sudden news startled the family.
「놀라게 하다」 is commonly used when news, sounds, or events cause a reaction.
Usage ③ of 「-게 하다」｜Changing a state into a certain condition
When an adjective comes before it, 「-게 하다」 often means making an object or state become a certain way. This use is common in contexts involving cleaning, organizing, design, explanation, and adjusting an environment.
- Example: 방을 깨끗하게 했어요.
Romanization: bang-eul kkae-kkeut-ha-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: I made the room clean.
「깨끗하게 하다」 means making the room become clean. - Example: 음악이 분위기를 편하게 했어요.
Romanization: eu-ma-gi bun-wi-gi-reul pyeon-ha-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: The gentle music made the atmosphere feel more relaxed.
The adjective 「편하다」 becomes 「편하게」 to describe the resulting state. - Example: 설명을 더 쉽게 했어요.
Romanization: seol-myeong-eul deo swip-ge hae-sseo-yo
Translation: I made the explanation easier to understand.
「쉽게 하다」 means adjusting the explanation so that it becomes easier to understand.
Why does the causee of 「-게 하다」 sometimes take 「에게」 and sometimes 「을／를」?
In a 「-게 하다」 sentence, the person who actually performs the action is called the causee. Whether the causee takes 「에게／한테」 or 「을／를」 generally depends on whether the preceding verb requires a separate object.
✅ 엄마가 아이에게 채소를 먹게 했어요.
Translation: The mother made the child eat vegetables.
「먹다」 itself requires an object, and 「채소를」 is the thing being eaten in this sentence. Therefore, the actual performer of the action, 「아이」, often takes 「에게」. The sentence can be understood by breaking it down as “mother + makes child + eat vegetables.”
✅ 엄마가 아이를 일찍 자게 했어요.
Translation: The mother made the child go to bed early.
「자다」 is an intransitive verb that does not require an object, so the causee 「아이」 often takes 「를」. Here, 「아이를」 is not the object of “sleep,” but the person affected by the mother’s arrangement and the one who actually performs the action of sleeping.
As an initial guideline, when the preceding verb is a transitive verb that requires a separate object, the causee often takes 「에게／한테」. When the preceding verb is intransitive, the causee often takes 「을／를」. This is a common tendency, not a fixed formula that applies to every sentence. The actual form still depends on the nature of the verb, the sentence focus, and the context of use.
What is the difference between 「-게 하다」 and 「시키다」? Comparing the nuances of arrangement, command, and assignment
| Expression | Core nuance | Common usage | Example |
| 「-게 하다」 | Causes an action, reaction, or result to occur | Arrangement, permission, guidance, causing a result | 발표하게 하다 |
| 「시키다」 | Has someone else carry out a task or action | Assignment, request, sending someone to do something | 청소를 시키다 |
▌「-게 하다」 can express arrangement, permission, or causing a result
✅ 아이를 일찍 자게 했어요.
Translation: I made the child go to bed early.
Depending on the context, this could mean taking care of the child, arranging an earlier bedtime, or enforcing a rule. The precise nuance depends on the situation.
▌「시키다」 is commonly used when assigning a task or requiring someone to carry it out
✅ 동생에게 심부름을 시켰어요.
Translation: I sent my younger sibling on an errand.
「시키다」 is more commonly used when directly assigning a task or requiring someone to carry out an action. It frequently appears in situations with clearly defined roles, such as between managers and employees or parents and children. When used toward someone of equal status or someone you are not close to, it can sound relatively direct or forceful.
Everyday examples of Korean 「-게 하다」: class, workplace, and emotional expressions
「-게 하다」 often appears in classrooms, workplaces, homes, service settings, and descriptions of emotions. It can express a direct arrangement or describe a result that something naturally caused.
▌Situation ①｜A teacher arranging a classroom activity
A：오늘은 학생들에게 내용을 직접 설명하게 할 거예요.
o-neu-reun hak-saeng-deu-re-ge nae-yong-eul jik-jeop seol-myeong-ha-ge hal geo-ye-yo
Today, I’m going to have the students explain the content themselves.
B：발표 연습도 같이 하나요?
bal-pyo yeon-seup-do ga-chi ha-na-yo
Will we practice presenting as well?
📌 Grammar Point: 「학생들에게 내용을 설명하게 하다」 means that the teacher arranges for the students to perform the action of explaining. 「내용을」 is the object of 「설명하다」, so the causee 「학생들」 takes 「에게」.
▌Situation ②｜A friend’s words causing an emotion
A：그 말 듣고 기분이 어땠어요?
geu mal deut-go gi-bu-ni eo-ttae-sseo-yo
How did you feel after hearing that?
B：솔직히 그 말이 저를 좀 슬프게 했어요.
sol-jik-hi geu ma-ri jeo-reul jom seul-peu-ge hae-sseo-yo
Honestly, those words made me feel a little sad.
📌 Grammar Point: 「그 말이 저를 슬프게 하다」 means that those words caused the speaker to experience sadness. Here, 「슬프게」 is the adverbial form of the adjective 「슬프다」 combined with 「하다」; it does not mean that someone ordered the speaker to perform an action.
▌Situation ③｜Tidying a space
A：회의실 준비됐어요?
hoe-ui-sil jun-bi-dwae-sseo-yo
Is the meeting room ready?
B：네, 책상도 정리하고 방을 깨끗하게 했어요.
ne, chaek-sang-do jeong-ni-ha-go bang-eul kkae-kkeut-ha-ge hae-sseo-yo
Yes. I also tidied the desks and cleaned up the room.
📌 Grammar Point: 「깨끗하게 하다」 means making the room become clean.
Cultural Notes:
- When 「-게 하다」 is used with people, the relationship between the participants and the speaking situation need to be considered. The construction itself does not necessarily indicate force, but if the subject has clear authority or the sentence is paired with a more direct command, it may convey a hierarchical relationship.
- In classroom or workplace contexts, 「발표하게 하다」 can mean having someone give a presentation, while 「참여하게 하다」 can mean having someone participate. Either expression may indicate a requirement, but it may also simply describe an arrangement or providing someone with an opportunity to participate, depending on the context.
- 「-게 하다」 is also very natural in emotional expressions, such as 「웃게 하다」「울게 하다」「힘들게 하다」.
How does Korean 「-게 하다」 compare with Japanese 「〜させる」?
◆ Similar grammar: Japanese 「〜させる」
Japanese 「〜させる」 can express requiring or allowing someone to do something, and it can also describe something causing a person to react. These functions are similar to the Korean verbal causative 「-게 하다」, although the two languages do not mark verb changes and the causee in exactly the same way.
- Example: 先生が学生に発表させました。
Kana: せんせいががくせいにはっぴょうさせました。
Translation: The teacher had the student give a presentation.
Japanese 「発表させました」 is functionally similar to Korean 「발표하게 했어요」. - Example: その言葉が彼女を泣かせました。
Kana: そのことばがかのじょをなかせました。
Translation: Those words made her cry.
Japanese 「泣かせました」 can correspond to Korean 「울게 했어요」.
◆ Core difference from 「-게 하다」:
Japanese causative verbs themselves change form, as in 「行く→行かせる」. Korean, by contrast, commonly uses the analytic structure 「stem + 게 하다」. The Korean form may look relatively fixed, but you still need to pay attention to whether the affected person is marked with 「에게」 or 「를/을」.
The Korean verbal causative 「-게 하다」 expresses causing an action or reaction to occur, as in 「먹게 하다」「가게 하다」「울게 하다」. Forms such as 「깨끗하게 하다」 and 「편안하게 하다」 look similar on the surface, but in these cases 「-게」 is the adverbial ending of an adjective and describes how a state changes. When you encounter sentences such as 「먹게 하다」 or 「가게 하다」, you can first identify who causes the event to happen and who actually performs the action, then determine whether the causee should take 「에게／한테」 or 「을／를」. As for 「시키다」, its nuance is usually closer to directly assigning someone a task. There is no need to memorize 「-게 하다」 and 「시키다」 as completely opposite constructions. In actual sentences, first check whether someone is being made or arranged to perform an action, then look at whether the sentence expresses permission, assignment, or a result caused by something.
FAQs
No. It can also be used when events, words, music, or an environment cause a particular emotion or state, as in 「웃게 하다」 and 「편하게 하다」.
It depends on the context. 「-게 하다」 has a broader range and can express arrangement, guidance, or causing a result, while 「시키다」 often has the sense of making someone do something or assigning them a task.
Yes. Forms such as 「깨끗하게 하다」「편하게 하다」「쉽게 하다」 are all common and express making something clean, comfortable, or easy.
No. 「-게 하다」 attaches directly to a verb or adjective stem and is not affected by whether there is a final consonant.
Both can express causing something to happen, but 「-게 만들다」 often places more emphasis on bringing about a result or creating a particular state. 「-게 하다」 has a broader range and is also more commonly used as a general causative expression.