나아지다
naajida[na̠a̠d͡ʑida̠]
To get better in Korean is 나아지다 (naajida).
나아지다 is used to describe an improvement in quality or a recovery from an illness. It is commonly used with nouns such as 상황 (situation) or 형편 (circumstances) to describe improving conditions, and it can also be used to describe a person's physical health or body (몸이 나아지다) getting better after being ill.
Which one should you use?
While 나아지다 refers to the process of becoming better or improving, the verb 낫다 is used to mean 'to be better' or 'to recover', focusing on the state of being better or the act of healing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 나아지다 is 나아졌다, meaning 'got better' or 'improved'. To describe a process of improvement that is currently in progress, you can use the progressive form 나아지는 중이다, which means 'is getting better' or 'is improving'.
How do you pronounce it?
naajida
Did you know?
- In Korean culture, instead of simply saying 'get better', people often suggest eating 죽 (rice porridge), as this food is symbolically and practically linked to the process of 나아지다.
- Korean has a distinct word for 'getting better' from a cold called 쾌차하다, which is used exclusively in formal settings or when speaking to elders to show high respect.
- The root verb 낫다 undergoes a rare phonetic change called 's-irregular' conjugation, where the 's' sound disappears completely when followed by a vowel in the past tense 나았다.
Examples in context
- 귀하의 빠른 회복을 기원합니다Wishing you a speedy recovery.
- 저희 조직을 위하여 얼른 회복하시길 바랍니다We hope for your quick recovery for the sake of our organization.
- 성적이 나아지다.seongjeogi naajida.Grades improve.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 나아지다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
