나에 대해
na-e daehae
The English phrase "about me" is translated into Korean as 나에 대해 (na-e daehae).
When introducing yourself, you might use different structures depending on the level of politeness required. For example, the polite phrase 저는 [Your Name]입니다. is a conventional way to say "I am [Your Name]", and 저는 [Age]살 [Occupation]입니다. can be used to formally state your age and occupation. In casual settings, you can use 나는 [Your Name]이야. to say "I am [Your Name]" or 나는 [Age]살 노동자야. to casually state your age and occupation.
Which one should you use?
You should use 저에 대해 if you are speaking to someone older or in a formal setting to be polite. Additionally, if you are using the phrase as an adjective to modify a following noun, such as in "about me story", you should use 나에 대한 instead of 나에 대해.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add the particle 는 to the end of the phrase to create 나에 대해서는, which translates to "as for about me" and emphasizes "about me" as the topic of the sentence. As mentioned, 나에 대한 is the specific form used when the phrase functions as an adjective to modify a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
na-e daehae
Did you know?
- While 나 is the standard word for 'I', in historical dramas you may hear 소인, which translates to 'small person', used to describe 'me' when speaking to royalty.
- The phrase 나에 대해 uses the word 대해, which comes from a root meaning 'to face' or 'to confront'. It literally suggests facing a topic to discuss it.
- When writing an 'About Me' section on a profile, Koreans often use the word 소개 meaning 'introduction'. The heading would likely be 자기소개 or 'self-introduction'.
Examples in context
- 저는 김영희입니다.I am Kim Younghee.
- 저는 30살 회사원입니다.I am a 30-year-old office worker.
- 나는 25살 대학생이야.I am a 25-year-old college student.
- 그는 나에 대해 잘 몰라요.geu-neun na-e dae-hae jal mol-la-yo.He doesn't know much about me.
- 나에 대해 어떻게 생각해?na-e dae-hae eo-tteok-hae saeng-gak-hae?What do you think about me?
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a personality test result.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo이 테스트는 나에 대해 잘 설명해 줘.i te-seu-teu-neun na-e dae-hae jal seol-myeong-hae jwo.This test explains about me well.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말? 나도 해볼게.jeong-mal? na-do hae-bol-ge.Really? I'll try it too.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo너도 나에 대해 잘 알게 될 거야.neo-do na-e dae-hae jal al-ge doel geo-ya.You will know more about me too.
- 수빈 Su-bin기대된다, 현우야.gi-dae-doen-da, hyeon-u-ya.I'm looking forward to it, Hyunwoo.
