집에 오다
jibe oda
The English phrase 'come home' is translated into Korean as 집에 오다 (jibe oda).
The phrase is used to describe moving toward or arriving at the place where one lives.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 집 (house/home), –에 (location particle) and 오다 (to come).
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction based on direction: 집에 오다 means to come home (toward the speaker's location), whereas 집에 가다 means to go home (away from the speaker's current location).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the form of the phrase based on politeness and tense. The polite form is 집에 와요, and the informal past tense form meaning 'came home' is 집에 왔어.
How do you pronounce it?
jibe oda
When do people say it?
If you want to say 'Please come home now,' you can add 지금 before the expression to create 지금 돌아와주세요.
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 집 (home) can also mean 'office' or 'store' in certain contexts, such as 커피집 for a coffee shop.
- The verb 오다 is used in Korean to describe things that 'come' but don't move by will, such as rain or snow 'coming' down.
- The written form of 오다 (to come) first appeared in the 1447 text 용비어천가, one of the earliest works written in the hangul script.
Example conversation
Jihoon is calling Minji to check her location.
- 지훈 Ji-hun민지 씨, 지금 집에 오다 가요?Minji ssi, jigeum jibe oda gayo?Minji, are you coming home now?
- 민지 Min-ji네, 거의 다 왔어요.ne, geoui da wasseoyo.Yes, I'm almost there.
- 지훈 Ji-hun조심히 집에 오다 오세요.josimhi jibe oda oseyo.Come home safely.
- 민지 Min-ji고마워요, 지훈 씨.gomawoyo, Jihun ssi.Thank you, Jihoon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 오다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
