잘 살다
jal salda
To say "live well" in Korean, use 잘 살다 (jal salda).
The phrase 잘 살다 can refer to either living a high-quality, prosperous life or living a morally good and virtuous life, depending on the context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adverb 잘 (jal), meaning "well" and the verb 살다 (salda), meaning "to live".
Which one should you use?
While 잘 살다 focuses on the general state of one's life or prosperity, the related phrase 잘 지내다 is more commonly used when asking how someone is "doing" or "getting along" in their daily life.
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form 잘 살다 is conjugated to 잘 사세요 when used as a polite imperative or when expressing a wish for someone to live well.
How do you pronounce it?
jal salda
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, saying 잘 살다 to someone can act as a cold dismissal, effectively telling them to 'go live your own life' and leave the speaker alone.
- While 잘 살다 is often a wish for prosperity, it can be used sarcastically to describe someone living in luxury while others suffer.
- The verb 살다 was written as the characters 薩囉 in the historical text 'Gyerim Yusa' as early as the year 1103.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 살다, 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
