태어나줘서 고마워요
taeeonajwoseo gomawoyo
In Korean, how to say thank you for existing is 태어나줘서 고마워요 (taeeonajwoseo gomawoyo).
This phrase is used to tell someone that you are grateful they were born and are in your life. It is commonly used in romantic contexts, fan letters to idols or deep emotional moments between very close friends to express profound gratitude for someone's existence.
What does it mean word for word?
The part 태어나줘서 literally means 'for the act of being born' with a nuance of doing that act for the speaker's benefit.
Which one should you use?
While 태어나줘서 고마워요 focuses on the gratitude for the act of being born, the phrases 있어줘서 고마워 and 있어서 고마워 mean 'Thank you for being here' or 'Thank you for being (present/existing)'. The latter, 있어서 고마워, is a more relaxed version of 있어줘서 고마워.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the level of formality in the phrase 태어나줘서 고마워요, you can drop the 요 at the end to make it 태어나줘서 고마워, which is informal and suitable for close friends or romantic partners. To make it more formal and respectful, replace 고마워요 with 고맙습니다 to get 태어나줘서 고맙습니다.
How do you pronounce it?
taeeonajwoseo gomawoyo
Did you know?
- In Korea, the concept of gratitude for someone's existence is often linked to the idea of 'destiny' or 인연, suggesting that two people were meant to meet across lifetimes.
- The grammar in 태어나줘서 uses a helper verb that implies the person did the act of being born as a favor or a gift to the speaker.
- While it sounds deeply personal, this specific phrasing is a staple of 'fan culture' in Korea. Fans often write 태어나줘서 고마워 in letters to K-pop idols to express that the idol's presence in the world brings them immense joy.
Examples in context
- 있어줘서 고마워.Thank you for always being there.
- 계신다니 감사합니다.I am sincerely grateful for your presence.
- 계시는데 감사드립니다.I am truly grateful for your existence.
- 정말 태어나줘서 고마워요.jeong-mal tae-eo-na-jwo-seo go-ma-wo-yo.I am truly grateful you exist.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Subin are celebrating a birthday together.
- 지훈 Ji-hun수빈 씨, 생일 축하해요.Subin ssi, saeng-il chuk-ha-hae-yo.Happy birthday, Subin.
- 수빈 Su-bin고마워요, 지훈 씨!Go-ma-wo-yo, Jihun ssi!Thank you, Jihoon!
- 지훈 Ji-hun태어나줘서 고마워요.Tae-eo-na-jwo-seo go-ma-wo-yo.Thank you for being born.
- 수빈 Su-bin그렇게 말해주니 정말 감동이에요.Geu-reoh-ge mal-hae-ju-ni jeong-mal gam-dong-i-e-yo.I'm really touched that you said that.
