TOPIK · Level 101
15 words
Korean word
떨다
Pronunciation
Romanizationtteolda
Meaning
- verbshiver
Example
추워서 떨고 있어요.chu wo seo tteol go i sseo yo
I am shivering because I am cold.
More examples
면접 때 너무 긴장해서 손이 떨고 있었어요.myeon jeop ttae neo mu kin jang hae seo so ni tteol go i sseo sseo yo
My hand was shaking because I was so nervous during the interview.
Core concept
A small, involuntary movement runs through the body, hands, or voice when someone is cold, afraid, or nervous.
Common phrases
벌벌 떨다peol beol tteol da
tremble all over
입술을 떨다ip ssu reul tteol da
have trembling lips
긴장해서 떨다kin jang hae seo tteol da
tremble with nervousness
Similar words
떨리다tteollida: Have a body part or voice that quivers on its own.
긴장하다kinjanghada: Feel unable to stay calm when facing an important event.
Definition in Korean
긴장·공포 등으로 몸이나 목소리·손 등이 미세하게 흔들리거나 떨리는 동작을 나타내는 동사.kin jang kong po teung eu ro mo mi na mok sso ri son teung i mi se ha ge heun deul li geo na tteol li neun tong ja geul na ta nae neun tong sa
Word origin
The deeper origin and formation of this Korean verb are uncertain, so its connection with trembling is best learned as an established meaning rather than from a guessed history.
Usage tips
- The cause often appears before the verb in Korean, making descriptions of trembling from cold or fear easy to recognize in TOPIK sentences.
Other meanings
- shake offverb
- shakeverb
Opposites
- 차분해지다chabunhaejidacalm downverb
- 진정되다chinjeongdoedasettle downverb
Related words
- 벌벌떨다peolbeoltteoldatremble violentlyverb
- 떨림tteollimtremblingnoun