어서
eoseo[ʌ̹sʰʌ̹]
The Korean phrase for the encouragement "come on" is 어서 (eoseo).
어서 is used to urge someone to do something quickly or to encourage them to enter a space.
Meaning: expression of encouragement (intj)
Which one should you use?
While 어서 functions as an encouragement to "come on" or "hurry up" in a welcoming or prompting sense, 빨리 focuses strictly on the speed of an action.
How do you pronounce it?
eoseo
Did you know?
- The word 어서 appears in the 'Seokbo sangjeol', a 15th-century text that recorded the life of the Buddha to help people learn the newly invented Korean alphabet.
- While 어서 encourages a person to move, the similar-sounding 어서 can also act as a connective particle meaning 'because' or 'since' depending on its placement in a sentence.
- In Korean culture, saying 어서 to a guest who is hesitant to enter is a way of removing the guest's burden of feeling like they are intruding.
Examples in context
- 어서!Come on!This example shows how to use 어서 as a direct command for encouragement.Tatoeba #8363281 by Eunhee, translation #24697 by CK
- 어서 들어와.Come on right in.This example shows how to use 어서 to encourage someone to enter a space.
- 와, 빨리!Come on, hurry up!
- 어서 먹어.eoseo meogeo.Come on, eat up.
Example conversation
Subin is encouraging Hyunwoo to start eating his meal.
- 수빈 Su-bin음식이 식기 전에 어서 먹어.eumsigi sikgi jeone eoseo meogeo.Come on, eat before the food gets cold.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo고마워, 수빈아. 잘 먹을게.gomawo, subin-a. jal meogeulge.Thanks, Subin. I will eat well.
- 수빈 Su-bin천천히 먹어도 되니까 어서.cheoncheonhi meogeodo doenikka eoseo.You can eat slowly, so come on.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo응, 알았어.eung, arasseo.Okay, I got it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 어서, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 어서, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
