Korean word

흔들다

Pronunciation

Romanizationheundeulda

Meaning

  • verbshake

Example

강한 바람이 나무를 흔들었다.kang han pa ra mi na mu reul heun deu reot tta

A strong wind shook the tree.

Illustration for 흔들다 (shake)

More examples

음악에 맞춰 몸을 흔들었다.eu ma ge mat chwo mo meul heun deu reot tta

They swayed their bodies to the music.

Core concept

A force moves something back and forth so it loses steadiness, and the same motion can stir a person's feelings.

Common phrases

  • 손을 흔들다so neul heun deul da

    wave one's hand

  • 머리를 흔들다meo ri reul heun deul da

    shake one's head

  • 몸을 흔들다mo meul heun deul da

    sway one's body

Similar words

흔들리다heundeullida: To move back and forth because of an outside force and become unsteady.
흔들거리다heundeulgeorida: To make small, repeated side-to-side movements.

Definition in Korean

손이나 바람 등으로 물체를 좌우나 위아래로 움직여 불안정하게 만들거나, 사람의 마음이나 감정을 동요시키다.so ni na pa ram teung eu ro mul che reul chwa u na wi a rae ro um ji gyeo pu ran jeong ha ge man deul geo na sa ra mui ma eu mi na kam jeong eul tong yo si ki da

Word origin

The word is a native Korean verb with an uncertain deeper origin, but the vivid scene of a tree moving again and again in strong wind gives its whole form a useful memory anchor.

Usage tips

  • The mover comes first, followed by the thing it moves, which makes the sentence pattern easy to spot.

Other meanings

  • waveverb
  • upsetverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word