Korean word

깨다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkkaeda

Meaning

  • verbwake up

Example

아침에 깼어요.a chi me kkae sseo yo

I woke up in the morning.

Illustration for 깨다 (wake up)

More examples

밤새 소음에 잠에서 깼어요.pam sae so eu me cha me seo kkae sseo yo

I woke up because of the noise during the night.

Core concept

A sleeping or foggy state clears, leaving awareness fully alert again.

Common phrases

  • 잠에서 깨다cha me seo kkae da

    wake up

  • 정신이 깨다cheong si ni kkae da

    come to one's senses

Similar words

깨어나다kkaeeonada: Come out of sleep or a foggy state and regain clear awareness.
일어나다ireonada: Move from lying down to a sitting or standing position.
눈을 뜨다nuneul tteuda: Open the eyes to look at the surroundings.
깨우다kkaeuda: Cause a sleeping person to wake up with a sound, touch, or other signal.

Definition in Korean

잠에서 깨어 눈이 떠지거나 정신이 또렷해지다; 술기운이 가시다; 물건이 부서지거나 깨지다.cha me seo kkae eo nu ni tteo ji geo na cheong si ni tto ryeo tae ji da sul gi u ni ka si da mul geo ni pu seo ji geo na kkae ji da

Word origin

깨다 (kkaeda, "to wake up or break") is not a known loanword, and the deeper origin of the verb and relationship between its main uses remain uncertain.

Usage tips

  • English uses separate basic verbs for waking and breaking, but one Korean form covers both, so the subject and nearby words carry extra meaning.

Other meanings

  • sober upverb
  • breakverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word