Korean word

어쩌다가

Pronunciation

Romanizationeojjeodaga

Meaning

  • adverbby chance

Example

어쩌다가 길에서 친구를 만났어.eo jjeo da ga ki re seo chin gu reul man na sseo

I happened to meet a friend on the street.

Illustration for 어쩌다가 (by chance)

More examples

어쩌다가 그 일을 맡게 됐어.eo jjeo da ga keu i reul mat kke twae sseo

I happened to take on that task.

Core concept

An unplanned event suddenly enters the speaker's experience, often with a note of surprise.

Common phrases

  • 어쩌다가 마주치다eo jjeo da ga ma ju chi da

    happen to run into

  • 어쩌다가 만나게 되다eo jjeo da ga man na ge toe da

    happen to meet

  • 어쩌다가 들르다eo jjeo da ga teul leu da

    happen to stop by

Similar words

우연히uyeonhi: An event occurs without planning or intention and is purely coincidental.
뜻밖에tteutppakke: An event occurs unexpectedly, outside what was anticipated.

Definition in Korean

예기치 않게 발생한 사건이나 상황을 가리키는 부사로, 주로 놀라움이나 의아함을 담아 씀.ye gi chi an ke pal saeng han sa geo ni na sang hwang eul ka ri ki neun pu sa ro chu ro nol la u mi na ui a ha meul ta ma sseum

Word origin

The adverb 어쩌다가 (eojjeodaga, "the target adverb") is connected with 어쩌다 (eojjeoda, "a related form"), but its exact historical development as a longer adverbial form is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • Its meaning often includes the speaker's reaction, so context and intonation show whether the chance event feels surprising or puzzling.

Other meanings

  • unexpectedlyadverb

Opposites

  • 계획적으로kyehoekjjeogeurodeliberatelyadverb
  • 의도적으로uidojeogeurointentionallyadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word