(이)라고 하다 in Korean: “is called, said it is”

(이)라고 하다 ((i)rago hada) means "to be called" or "(someone) said it is." You attach it to a noun, so you can introduce your name (저는 하나라고 합니다), ask what something is called, or report that someone said "it's a ___."

How to form it

How to use it

The most common beginner use is introducing yourself: 저는 김하나라고 합니다 (I'm called Kim Hana). It sounds a bit more modest and formal than 저는 김하나입니다.

It is also how you ask about words: 이거 한국어로 뭐라고 해요? (What do you call this in Korean?). And it reports statements about nouns: 내일이 시험이라고 했어요 (he said tomorrow is the exam).

With a direct quote in quotation marks, 라고 follows the quote: "사랑해"라고 했어요. In speech, (이)라고 해요 often shortens to (이)래요: 시험이래요 (they say it's an exam).

Examples

Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.

Don’t mix it up with

-다고 하다: Reports statements with verbs and adjectives (바쁘다고 했어요). (이)라고 하다 is the version for nouns.

-(으)라고 하다: Reports commands with verbs: 읽으라고 했어요 (told me to read). (이)라고 attaches to nouns: 책이라고 했어요 (said it's a book).

Common mistakes

Using 이라고 after a vowel. It is 수지라고, not 수지이라고. Use 이라고 only after a consonant: 지민이라고.

Writing 이다고. Nouns never take 다고; the quoting form is (이)라고.