-지 마세요 in Korean: How to Tell Someone Not to Do It

Quick answer: To tell someone not to do something in Korean, attach -지 마세요 (-ji maseyo) to the verb stem: 하다 → 하지 마세요 ("please don't do it"), 울다 → 울지 마세요 ("please don't cry"). You cannot use 안 for commands — 안 가세요 means "you don't go," not "don't go." For that you need 가지 마세요.

Here is the one idea to walk away with: Korean negates commands with a separate verb, 말다, not with the negative adverb 안. Statements use 안 or -지 않다. Commands and suggestions use -지 말다. English hides this because "don't" does both jobs. Korean splits them, and once you see the split, the whole family of forms falls into place.

The form

Take the verb stem (the dictionary form minus 다), add -지, then conjugate 말다 however the situation needs.

• 하다 → 하지 + 말다 → 하지 마세요
• 가다 → 가지 + 말다 → 가지 마세요
• 먹다 → 먹지 + 말다 → 먹지 마세요
• 울다 → 울지 + 말다 → 울지 마세요

There is no batchim rule to worry about. Every verb, consonant or vowel ending, takes plain -지. That makes this one of the easiest grammar points in Korean — the only tricky part is the 말다 side.

말다 has an irregular ㄹ that drops before ㅅ and ㅂ endings, which is why it's 마세요 and not ✗말세요.

If the speech-level column is new to you, start with the basics of 반말 and when to drop formality — getting the level wrong on a command is much more noticeable than getting it wrong on a statement.

What it sounds like in real sentences

여기에서 담배 피우지 마세요. Please don't smoke here.

걱정하지 마세요. 제가 할게요. Don't worry. I'll do it.

너무 무리하지 마세요. Don't push yourself too hard.

아직 열지 마세요. 뜨거워요. Don't open it yet. It's hot.

내일 늦지 마세요. Don't be late tomorrow.

And in 반말, which is where you'll hear it most in dramas and between friends:

울지 마. 괜찮아. Don't cry. It's okay.

거짓말하지 마. Don't lie.

아무한테도 말하지 마. Don't tell anyone.

우리 싸우지 말자. Let's not fight.

-지 말고: "not that — this instead"

Swap 마세요 for 말고 and you can chain a prohibition onto a positive instruction in one breath. Natives do this constantly.

택시 타지 말고 지하철 타세요. Don't take a taxi — take the subway.

걱정하지 말고 좀 쉬세요. Stop worrying and get some rest.

오늘은 나가지 말고 집에서 쉴까요? Shall we stay in today instead of going out?

This is also a neat way to practise Korean word order: the thing you're rejecting comes first, the thing you want comes last, right before the ending.

The nuance: when a native picks something else

-지 마세요 points at the person. It's a direct instruction, and that's fine from a teacher, a parent, a doctor, a friend. Said flatly to a stranger, it can land hard — closer to "stop that" than "please don't."

Two softer routes:

1. -지 말아 주세요 — "please don't, as a favour to me."

여기에 주차하지 말아 주세요. Please don't park here.

2. -(으)면 안 돼요 — "that's not allowed," pointing at the rule instead of at the listener.

여기에서 사진 찍으면 안 돼요. You can't take photos here.

The difference is who the sentence blames. 사진 찍지 마세요 tells you to stop. 사진 찍으면 안 돼요 says the rule says no — which often feels kinder, even though it's firmer in content.

Adding 좀 softens a prohibition a lot, the same way it softens requests. 담배 좀 피우지 말아 주세요 is a complaint from a neighbour; 담배 피우지 마세요 is a security guard. If you haven't met this little word yet, see how 좀 works alongside 조금 and 살짝.

One more habit worth copying: for food orders, Koreans usually flip a prohibition into a positive request. Not 맵게 하지 마세요 but 안 맵게 해 주세요 ("please make it not spicy"). The positive version sounds like a preference; the prohibition sounds like an order to the kitchen.

And in public announcements you'll hear the formal cousin:

통로에서 뛰지 마시기 바랍니다. Please do not run in the aisle.

Three mistakes learners make

1. Using 안 for a command. 안 가세요 is a statement or a question — "you're not going" / "aren't you going?" It never means "don't go." Same for 가지 않으세요. If you want someone to stop, you need 말다.

2. Using it with adjectives. -지 마세요 attaches to action verbs. You can't command someone to not be something. ✗슬프지 마세요 is wrong; say 슬퍼하지 마세요 ("don't be sad," literally "don't act sad"), 화내지 마세요 ("don't get angry"), 긴장하지 마세요 ("don't be nervous"). The famous exception is 아프지 마세요 — "don't get sick," a warm thing to say to someone you're leaving. Treat it as a set phrase and copy it as is.

3. Spelling and spacing. It's 마세요, not ✗말세요. And the standard spacing is 하지 마세요, with a space, because 마세요 is its own word. In casual texting you'll see 하지마 written solid; in anything careful, keep the space.

FAQ

What does 하지 마세요 mean in Korean?

하지 마세요 means "please don't do that" or "don't do it." It's the polite 해요체 form of the negative command, built from 하다 + -지 말다. The casual 반말 version is 하지 마, and the formal version is 하지 마십시오.

How do you say "don't worry" in Korean?

걱정하지 마세요 to someone you use polite speech with, 걱정하지 마 to a friend. Koreans also shorten it to 걱정 마세요 and 걱정 마, which sound warm and reassuring rather than abrupt. All four are completely standard.

What's the difference between 하지 마세요 and 하면 안 돼요?

하지 마세요 is a direct instruction to the listener: stop, don't. 하면 안 돼요 states that something isn't allowed, so it points at a rule rather than at the person. With strangers, 하면 안 돼요 or 하지 말아 주세요 usually feels more considerate than a bare 하지 마세요.

Practice

Translate or fix these. Answers below.

1. Tell a guest politely: "Please don't sit here." (앉다)
2. Tell a crying friend, in 반말: "Don't cry."
3. Fix the mistake: ✗내일 안 늦으세요.
4. "Don't take a taxi, take the bus." (타다, 버스)
5. Ask a stranger, softly: "Please don't park here." (주차하다)

Answers

1. 여기에 앉지 마세요.

2. 울지 마.

3. 내일 늦지 마세요. (안 can't make a command.)

4. 택시 타지 말고 버스 타세요.

5. 여기에 주차하지 말아 주세요.