떠나다
tteonada[t͈ʌ̹na̠da̠]
To go away in Korean is 떠나다 (tteonada). Wiktionary also lists 떠나가다 (tteonagada).
Meaning: to depart or leave a place (verb)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 떠나다 | tteonada | [t͈ʌ̹na̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 떠나가다 | tteonagada | [t͈ʌ̹na̠ɡa̠da̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The verb 떠나다 is used to express the act of departing or leaving a place. If you want to tell someone to 'go away' in an angry or dismissive sense, such as saying 'get lost', a native speaker is more likely to use 가버려.
Which one should you use?
떠나다 is the general term for leaving or departing. In contrast, 떠나가다 emphasizes the movement of departing away from the speaker's current location.
How does it change in a sentence?
For a polite expression, use 떠나요. For an informal or casual expression, use 떠나.
How do you pronounce it?
tteonada
Did you know?
- The root 나다 in 떠나다 is the same word used in 'to appear' or 'to emerge', suggesting that leaving is viewed as 'emerging out' from a location.
- The word 떠나다 appears in the Seokbo sangjeol, a Buddhist text written in 1447. This makes it one of the earliest recorded forms of the word in the Korean alphabet.
- In Korean pop songs and poetry, 떠나다 is frequently used to describe a 'breakup' rather than a physical journey. It frames the end of a relationship as a permanent departure from a shared emotional space.
Example sentences for Korean are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go away” translations and entries 떠나다, 떠나가다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 떠나가다, 떠나다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
