Korean word

먹이다

Pronunciation

Romanizationmeogida

Meaning

  • verbfeed

Example

엄마가 아기에게 먹였어요.eom ma ga a gi e ge meo gyeo sseo yo

Mom fed the baby.

Illustration for 먹이다 (feed)

More examples

할머니가 손주에게 숟가락으로 간식을 먹였어요.hal meo ni ga son ju e ge sut kka ra geu ro kan si geul meo gyeo sseo yo

Grandma fed her grandchild a snack with a spoon.

Core concept

Food or medicine moves from a giver to another eater because the giver makes eating happen.

Common phrases

  • 숟가락으로 먹이다sut kka ra geu ro meo gi da

    feed with a spoon

  • 아이에게 이유식을 먹이다a i e ge i yu si geul meo gi da

    feed a child baby food

Similar words

먹다meoktta: Eats by putting food in the mouth, chewing it, and swallowing it.
주다chuda: Hands an object or food over to another person.
먹게 하다meokkke hada: Gets another person to eat on their own.
먹여 주다meogyeo chuda: Feeds someone as part of caring for that person.

Definition in Korean

사람이나 동물에게 밥·간식·약 등을 마련해 주어 먹게 만드는 동사.sa ra mi na tong mu re ge pap kan sik yak teung eul ma ryeon hae chu eo meok kke man deu neun tong sa

Word origin

The word is formed by adding a Korean causative ending to the native verb for eat, shifting the action from eating to causing someone else to eat.

Usage tips

  • The verb is especially natural for babies and animals, while adult contexts often focus on providing a meal rather than physically feeding someone.

Opposites

  • 굶기다kumgidastarveverb

Related words

Word lists with this word