About Dongsa

Koreanverb.app and the Dongsa Korean Verb Conjugator apps on iOS and Android have collectively been used by millions of people all over the world to learn how to conjugate verbs in Korean. The original Korean conjugation algorithm this site is based on was developed by me, Dan Bravender, in 2008. This was a hobby project I undertook while taking Korean classes at the Yonsei Korean Language Institute (연세대학교 한국어학당). I actually wrote the initial implementation in the Erlang programming language. People who know what that means should get a good chuckle out of that. What can I say? Erlang was fashionable at the time. But I digress.

I started this project because I was having trouble understanding how Korean verbs work. Conjugating Korean verbs was difficult, and I found that sentiment was shared by students who spoke many different languages at the institute. It seemed like there was a pattern that could be learned. The good news is that there mostly is, though, as with any natural language, there are a handful of exceptions. There are also a lot of rules you have to learn before you can properly conjugate verbs. I recommend learning 한글. 한글 is easier to learn than you might think: its 24 basic phonetic components - 14 consonants and 10 vowels - are written in syllable blocks. Enough to unlock a basic level of reading can be learned in about two hours. Even if you can't read 한글 yet or aren't familiar with all the irregular pronunciation rules, each verb is sounded out as you click to open an explanation.

As you learn, are stumped, or want to practice, you can come to koreanverb.app and type in a Korean verb. If you have a conjugated form and don't know its dictionary form, you can use Find Stem. The algorithm starts with the verb stem and shows all the steps required to conjugate it. Each form is labeled by politeness level and can be filtered by your relationship to the listener. The algorithm adds the necessary endings and explains why those changes are needed, then shows how the spelling changes and why. A small set of verbs even change completely when speaking to or about someone to whom you are showing respect.

I've received a lot of very kind and constructive feedback about the site and apps over the years, which I've used to help make the site better. Thank you for all your kind words. I'm glad I was able to help you on your journey learning Korean. Learn a few rules and irregulars, and you'll be conjugating Korean verbs without thinking about it!

모두 재미있게 열심히 공부하세요!

댄 드림 2026.08.18