움직이다
umjigida[umd͡ʑiɡida̠]
To move in Korean is 움직이다 (umjigida).
움직이다 is used for the physical movement of body parts, objects or when a person is changing their posture. The noun 이사 refers to the specific event of changing one's residence.
Meaning: (intransitive) to change place or posture, to go (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 움직이다 covers general movement, use 이사하다 when you are specifically referring to moving to a new home or residence. To express moving or transferring in a formal context, use 이동하다.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
움직여요 is the polite, informal present tense conjugation of 움직이다, meaning 'moves' or 'is moving'. To say 'moved', use the past tense form 움직였어요.
How do you pronounce it?
umjigida
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 움직이다 when you specifically mean moving to a new house. Instead, use 이사하다.
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word for 'moving' can be used metaphorically to describe a 'moving' or 'touching' emotional experience, using the word 감동.
- The phrase 이사 for moving home is so distinct that using 움직이다 in that context would sound like you are physically sliding your house across the ground.
- The word 움직이다 was recorded as early as 1459 in the Worin seokbo, a Buddhist text written in Middle Korean.
Examples in context
- 우리는 다음 주에 사무실을 이동해야 합니다.We need to move our office next week.
- 나는 다음 주에 집을 옮겨야 해.I need to move houses next week.
- 이번 주말에 새 아파트로 이사 갈 거야.I'm moving to a new apartment this weekend.
- 이사 완료했어.I have finished moving.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “move” translations and entries 움직이다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 움직이다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
