Korean word

자

Pronunciation

Romanizationcha

Meaning

  • particlelet's

Example

내일 공원에 가자.nae il kong wo ne ka ja

Let's go to the park tomorrow.

Illustration for 자 (let's)

More examples

오늘 저녁에 같이 먹자.o neul cheo nyeo ge ka chi meok jja

Let's eat together this evening.

Core concept

A short spoken ending that invites the listener to join the speaker in an action.

Common phrases

  • 가자ka ja

    Let's go

  • 먹자meok jja

    Let's eat

  • 쉬자swi ja

    Let's take a break

Similar words

자요chayo: A polite-sounding spoken ending that invites the listener to join an action.
ㅂ시다sida: A respectful sentence ending for suggesting joint action in a polite setting.
ㄹ래rae: A sentence ending that asks whether the listener wants to do something.
ㄹ까kka: A sentence ending that checks the listener's willingness before suggesting a shared action.

Definition in Korean

동사 어간에 붙어 화자가 청자와 함께 행동하자고 권하거나 제안하는 종결 어미로, 구어체에서 널리 쓰인다.tong sa eo ga ne pu teo hwa ja ga cheong ja wa ham kke haeng dong ha ja go kwon ha geo na che an ha neun chong gyeol eo mi ro ku eo che e seo neol li sseu in da

Word origin

The history of 자 (ja, "spoken sentence ending") is uncertain, so learners can treat it as a fixed spoken ending unrelated to the separate noun meaning ruler.

Usage tips

  • It works like English let's with friends and classmates, but it can sound too direct when speaking to teachers or older people.

Other meanings

  • come oninterjection
  • rulernoun

Word lists with this word