Korean word

새다

Pronunciation

Romanizationsaeda

Meaning

  • verbleak

Example

집에서 물이 새요chi be seo mu ri sae yo

Water is leaking in the house.

Illustration for 새다 (leak)

More examples

틈 사이로 빛이 새요.teum sa i ro pi chi sae yo

Light leaks through the gaps.

Core concept

A boundary fails to keep something in, allowing its contents, sound, light, or information to escape.

Common phrases

  • 냄새가 새다naem sae ga sae da

    smell leak out

  • 빛이 새다pi chi sae da

    light leak out

Similar words

새어나가다saeeonagada: Something gradually gets out through a small crack or opening.
스며나오다seumyeonaoda: Liquid or a smell slowly seeps out through a material.

Definition in Korean

구멍이나 틈으로 액체·기체·빛·소리 등이 밖으로 흘러나오거나 드러나는 동사로, 비유적으로 비밀이나 정보가 알려지거나 밤이 밝아지는 뜻으로도 쓰인다.ku meong i na teu meu ro aek che ki che pit so ri teung i pa kkeu ro heul leo na o geo na teu reo na neun tong sa ro pi yu jeo geu ro pi mi ri na cheong bo ga al lyeo ji geo na pa mi pal ga ji neun tteu seu ro do sseu in da

Word origin

The verb is native Korean, but its deeper origin is uncertain, so the leak, information-release, and dawn senses are best learned as established uses rather than as a proven historical chain.

Usage tips

  • A useful grammar cue is that the thing escaping often appears as the subject, so the context identifies what is coming out without naming the container.

Other meanings

  • get outverb
  • dawnverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 새어나오다saeeonaodaleak outverb

Word lists with this word