Korean word

공감하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkonggamhada

Meaning

  • verbrelate to

Example

그 말에 공감해요.keu ma re kong gam hae yo

I can relate to what you said.

Illustration for 공감하다 (relate to)

More examples

그 이야기의 고통에 공감했어요.keu i ya gi ui ko tong e kong gam hae sseo yo

I empathized with the pain in that story.

Core concept

Another person's feelings or thoughts strike a familiar chord for a person and create shared understanding.

Common phrases

  • 말에 공감하다ma re kong gam ha da

    relate to what someone said

  • 감정에 공감하다kam jeong e kong gam ha da

    relate to someone's emotions

Similar words

동감하다tonggamhada: Feeling the same way about an issue or situation as another person.
감정이입하다kamjeongiipada: Imagining oneself in another person's place and feeling that person's emotions as one's own.
이해하다ihaehada: Grasping what words, situations, or actions mean and why they happen.
찬성하다chanseonghada: Expressing approval and support for an idea or proposal.

Definition in Korean

다른 사람의 감정이나 생각을 자기 마음으로 함께 느끼다.ta reun sa ra mui kam jeong i na saeng ga geul cha gi ma eu meu ro ham kke neu kki da

Word origin

It developed from a Sino-Korean term meaning shared feeling, with hada added to express the action of feeling together.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear it as simple agreement, but Korean commonly uses it when someone else's story feels personally familiar.

Other meanings

  • agree withverb
  • resonate withverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 공감konggamempathynoun
  • 공감대konggamdaeshared understandingnoun
  • 공감력konggamnyeokempathic abilitynoun

Word lists with this word