Word & grammar comparisons

시작하다 (si-jak-ha-da, sijakhada) · 끝내다 (kkeut-nae-da, kkeutnaeda)

'시작하다' is used when beginning or initiating something, while '끝내다' is used when finishing or completing something.

건네다 (geon-ne-da, geonneda) · 넘기다 (neom-gi-da, neomgida)

건네다 implies a gentle, natural act of handing over, while 넘기다 conveys a more official or definite transfer of an object or authority.

보내다 (bo-nae-da, bonaeda) · 받다 (bat-da, batda)

보내다 means to send or dispatch something, while 받다 means to receive or get something that arrives; they represent opposite directions of an exchange.

달려가다 (dal-ryeo-ga-da, dalryeogada) · 달려오다 (dal-ryeo-o-da, dalryeooda)

달려가다 means running away from the speaker's location, while 달려오다 means running toward the speaker's location.

따라가다 (tta-ra-ga-da, ttaragada) · 따라오다 (tta-ra-o-da, ttaraoda)

따라가다 and 따라오다 both mean 'to follow someone,' but differ based on the starting point and direction.

건너다 (geon-neo-da, geonneoda) · 건너오다 (geon-neo-o-da, geonneooda)

건너다 means simply crossing a place, while 건너오다 emphasizes crossing towards the speaker's side or location.

들고가다 (deul-go-ga-da, deulgogada) · 들고오다 (deul-go-o-da, deulgooda)

들고가다 and 들고오다 differ based on the direction of carrying an object relative to the speaker's position.

데려가다 (de-ryeo-ga-da, deryeogada) · 데려오다 (de-ryeo-o-da, deryeooda)

Both ‘데려가다’ and ‘데려오다’ mean to take someone along, but they differ clearly by the direction of movement.

돌아가다 (dol-a-ga-da, dolagada) · 돌아오다 (dol-a-o-da, dolaoda)

돌아가다 means to go back to the starting point, while 돌아오다 means to come back to the starting point.

들어가다 (deul-eo-ga-da, deuleogada) · 들어오다 (deul-eo-o-da, deuleooda)

들어가다 is used when moving from outside to inside, while 들어오다 is used when entering a space where the speaker or reference point is located.

기다리다 (gi-da-ri-da, gidarida) · 참다 (cham-da, chamda)

기다리다 means to spend time hoping for something to happen, while 참다 means to endure pain or discomfort.

만나다 (man-na-da, mannada) · 뵙다 (boep-da, boepda)

만나다 is used for general meetings, while 뵙다 expresses respect and is used for superiors or formal situations.

살다 (sal-da, salda) · 지내다 (ji-nae-da, jinaeda)

'살다' refers to the basic act of living or existing, while '지내다' emphasizes spending time or the manner of living.

부르다 (bu-reu-da, bureuda) · 이르다 (i-reu-da, ireuda)

‘부르다’ means to call someone out loud, while ‘이르다’ means to arrive early or on time at a place or time.

묻다 (mut-da, mutda) · 질문하다 (jil-mun-ha-da, jilmunhada)

'묻다' is used for casual everyday asking, while '질문하다' is mainly for formal and clear questioning.

배우다 (bae-u-da, baeuda) · 가르치다 (ga-reu-chi-da, gareuchida)

배우다 is used from the learner's perspective, while 가르치다 is used from the teacher's perspective.

버리다 (beo-ri-da, beorida) · 버려지다 (beo-ryeo-ji-da, beoryeojida)

버리다 expresses the active act of discarding or getting rid of something by the subject, while 버려지다 describes the passive state of something being discarded by someone else.

잃다 (il-da, ilda) · 잃어버리다 (il-eo-beo-ri-da, ileobeorida)

잃다 typically expresses abstract or result-focused loss, while 잃어버리다 is used for concrete, temporary misplacement situations.

붙이다 (but-i-da, butida) · 떼다 (tte-da, tteda)

붙이다 means to attach or stick something onto another, while 떼다 means to separate or detach something that is attached.

올리다 (ol-ri-da, olrida) · 내리다 (nae-ri-da, naerida)

'올리다' means to raise or lift something up, while '내리다' means to lower or bring something down.

넣다 (neoh-da, neohda) · 빼다 (ppae-da, ppaeda)

'넣다' refers to putting something in, while '빼다' means taking something out or removing it.

켜다 (kyeo-da, kyeoda) · 끄다 (kkeu-da, kkeuda)

켜다 means to turn on or activate devices or lights, while 끄다 means to turn off or deactivate them.

열다 (yeol-da, yeolda) · 닫다 (dat-da, datda)

'열다' means to open something to reveal the inside, while '닫다' means to close something to cover or shut the inside.

쓰다 (sseu-da, sseuda) · 써지다 (sseo-ji-da, sseojida)

'쓰다' is active meaning 'to use' or 'to write,' while '써지다' is the passive form meaning 'to be written' or 'to be used' naturally or unintentionally.