Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 변화하다 | byeonhwahada | [ˈpjɘ(ː)nβwa̠ɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 변하다 | byeonhada | [ˈpjɘ(ː)nɦa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Both verbs describe something that undergoes change by itself, like a person, a feeling or a society.
Which one should you use?
변화하다 is used for more formal, objective or large scale changes, such as social or scientific shifts. 변하다 is more common for personal changes, such as a person's character, feelings or the state of an object. 수정 refers to changing or modifying something, often in formal contexts like editing documents and 변화 is the noun for change. Change as in money returned after a purchase is 거스름돈 or 잔돈, and a change between vehicles is 환승.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of the two verbs is 변화했다 and 변했다.
How do you pronounce it?
It is written in Latin letters as byeonhwahada.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use 변화하다 to mean changing something. In Korean these verbs mean to undergo change, so they describe what changes by itself.
Did you know?
- Using the verb 변하다 to describe changing your clothes would sound as if your physical body is undergoing a supernatural transformation into the clothes themselves.
- The word for change as in money, 거스름돈, comes from the verb 거스르다 which means 'to go against' or 'to reverse'. This suggests that the money is flowing back against the original direction of the transaction.
- In Korean pop songs, the word 변하다 is frequently used to describe a lover's heart changing, while the formal 변화 is reserved for weather or social shifts.
Examples in context
- 사람은 변하지만 강산은 그대로다.People change, but the mountains and rivers are the same.변하지만 is a form of the everyday verb for change, meaning change, but.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “change” translations and entries 변화하다, 변하다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
