죽다
jukda[t͡ɕuk̚t͈a̠]
To say to die in Korean, meaning to stop living, use 죽다 (jukda).
죽다 is the standard verb for dying. In casual speech, 죽어 버리다 adds emphasis and a sense of tragedy or exasperation.
Which one should you use?
The polite, honorific way to say to die is 돌아가시다, which works like pass away in English.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
돌아가시다 is the polite form. 죽어 버리다 is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense is 죽었다, meaning died.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as jukda.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using 죽다 for the death of an elder or a person of high status is considered rude. In those cases use 돌아가시다.
When do people say it?
When offering condolences, people say 고인의 명복을 빕니다. The form 죽겠다 is often used as an exaggeration for extreme states, such as being very hungry, tired or even very happy.
Did you know?
- The standard word 죽다 can be a homonym for 'porridge' (죽), leading to playful puns or linguistic confusion in casual conversation.
- The honorific word for dying, 돌아가시다, literally means 'to return' or 'to go back'. This reflects a cultural view of death as returning to one's original source.
- The phrase 고인의 명복을 빕니다 for condolences specifically asks for the 'bliss' or 'happiness' of the deceased in the afterlife, drawing on Buddhist influences.
Examples in context
- 너무 귀여워서 죽겠다It's so cute, I'm going to die.Here 죽겠다 is an exaggeration, saying something is so cute you could die.
- 올해 날씨 때문에 작물들이 많이 죽었어요.Many crops died this year due to the weather.
- 차 사고로 그가 죽어 버렸어.He died in a car accident.
- 아무렇지 않았는데 갑자기 죽어 버렸어.She suddenly died out of nowhere.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 죽다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
