흔들다
heundeulda[xɯndɯɭda̠]
The English verb 'shake' is translated into Korean as 흔들다 (heundeulda).
The verb 흔들다 is used for physical shaking of objects, such as shaking a bottle, a hand or a person's shoulder.
Meaning: transitive: to cause to move (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 흔들다 is a transitive verb meaning 'to shake something,' 흔들리다 is the intransitive counterpart meaning 'to be shaken' or 'to shake' (as in a tree shaking in the wind).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
heundeulda
Did you know?
- In Korean, if you want to say you are shaking from cold or fear, you would use the word 떨다 instead of 흔들리다.
- In Korean music and dance, the word 흔들흔들 is a common mimetic word used to describe a swaying or shaking motion, often appearing in song lyrics to suggest a rhythmic dance.
- While 흔들다 describes physical shaking, the phrase 마음이 흔들리다 is used to describe someone who is emotionally wavering or feeling tempted by a new romantic interest.
Examples in context
- 병을 흔들다To shake a bottle
- 다리를 흔들다To shake a leg
- 흔들흔들하다To shake (emphasized)
- 손을 흔들다.son-eul heundeulda.To wave one's hand.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Seoyeon are preparing a drink together.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연, 이 주스를 좀 흔들다.Seo-yeon, i ju-seu-reul jom heun-deul-da.Seoyeon, shake this juice a bit.
- 서연 Seo-yeon알았어, 지금 흔들게.a-rat-eo, ji-geum heun-deul-ge.Okay, I will shake it now.
- 도현 Do-hyeon충분히 섞이게 흔들어야 해.chung-bun-hi seok-ki-ge heun-deul-eo-ya hae.You have to shake it enough to mix it.
- 서연 Seo-yeon이제 다 됐어.i-je da dwaet-eo.It is all done now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 흔들다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
