태어난
taeeonan
The Korean word for 'born' is 태어난 (taeeonan).
The core verb is 태어나다, which means 'to be born'. The form 태어난 functions specifically as an adjective to modify a noun, such as describing a child who was born.
Meaning: given birth to (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 태어나다 is a compound of 태, meaning 'birth' or 'womb' and 나다, meaning 'to come out' or 'to emerge'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense 'was born', you can add the endings –았어요/-었어요 or –았어/-었어 to the verb stem. The form 태어났다 is used specifically to state the fact that someone was born in the past. When describing where a birth occurred, use the pattern: Place + 에서 (eseo) + the verb form.
How do you pronounce it?
taeeonan
Did you know?
- Because 태어나다 uses the verb 나다, it can be used metaphorically in Korean to describe things like 'news breaking' or 'a smell emanating', which share the same sense of emergence.
- If you want to describe a 'newborn' baby, you would use a specific term like 신생아 rather than simply using the adjective form of 'born'.
- In highly formal settings, describing a person's birth might involve different honorific verbs, as the act of birth is treated with significant social respect.
Examples in context
- 모든 말들이 동등하게 태어난 건 아니야. 몇몇은 이기기 위해 태어났어.Not all horses were born equal. A few were born to win.This sentence shows how to use 태어난 in a comparative context regarding horses.Tatoeba #8365156 by Eunhee, translation #667926 by CK
- 저는 한국에서 태어났어요.I was born in Korea.
- 그녀는 서울에서 태어났어요.She was born in Seoul.
- 동생이 2000년에 태어났어요.My younger sibling was born in 2000.
- 친구는 서울에서 태어났어.My friend was born in Seoul.
- 저는 1990년에 미국에서 태어났어요.I was born in the year 1990 in the United States.
- 서울에서 태어난 아이예요.Seoul-eseo tae-eo-nan ai-ye-yo.It is a child born in Seoul.
- 저는 한국에서 태어난 사람입니다.Jeo-neun Hanguk-eseo tae-eo-nan saram-im-ni-da.I am a person born in Korea.
Example conversation
Minjun and Minji are talking about where they grew up.
- 민준 Min-jun민지 씨는 어디서 태어난 사람이에요?Minji ssi-neun eo-di-seo tae-eo-nan saram-i-e-yo?Minji, where were you born?
- 민지 Min-ji저는 부산에서 태어난 사람이에요.Jeo-neun Busan-eseo tae-eo-nan saram-i-e-yo.I am a person born in Busan.
- 민준 Min-jun그렇군요. 저는 서울에서 태어났어요.Geu-reot-gun-yo. Jeo-neun Seoul-eseo tae-eo-nat-eo-yo.I see. I was born in Seoul.
- 민지 Min-ji민준 씨는 서울 출신이군요!Minjun ssi-neun Seoul chul-sin-i-gun-yo!Minjun, you are from Seoul!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “born” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
