가다

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 가다〮 (Yale: kàtá).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ka̠da̠]

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• Phonetic hangul: [가다]

가다 • (gada) (infinitive 가, sequential 가니) (more often intransitive, see Usage notes)

1. to go

   Synonym: 예다 (yeda, archaic)

   Antonym: 오다 (oda, “to come”)

   가자! ― Gaja! ― Let's go!

   Audio (South Korea)

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   서울에 가요. ― Seour-e gayo. ― I'm going to Seoul.

   Audio (South Korea)

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   대화가 산으로 간다.

   Daehwa-ga saneuro ganda.

   The conversation is going nowhere.

   (literally, “The conversation is going to the mountains.”)

   그들은 개관식에 참석하러 베이징으로 갔다. (formal)

   Geudeur-eun gaegwansig-e chamseokhareo Beijing-euro gatda.

   They went to Beijing for the opening.

   Audio (South Korea)

   (file)

2. (auxiliary, with 어) Marks a continuous action that either stretches from the present into the future, or involves physical movement away from the speaker.

   Antonym: 오다 (oda, continuous action from the past or towards the speaker)

   다 먹어간다. ― Da meogeoganda. ― I've almost finished my food.

   땅거미가 찾아오고 석양은 또 저물어 간다.

   Ttanggeomi-ga chajaogo seogyang-eun tto jeomureo ganda.

   Dusk has found its way, and the evening sun is setting again [and will continue to do so].

3. (of cracks and wrinkles) to appear

   금이 간 유리 ― geum-i gan yuri ― glass that has cracked

4. (of time) to pass

   Synonyms: 흐르다 (heureuda), 지나다 (jinada)

   올해도 또 다 갔다. ― Olhae-do tto da gatda. ― This year has all but passed away, too.

5. (specifically transitive) to last

   사흘도 못 간 결심

   saheul-do mot gan gyeolsim

   a determination that did not last even three days

6. (colloquial) to be knocked out (e.g. by a blow, by alcohol, etc.)
7. (vulgar) to orgasm
8. Used as the verbal element for nouns related to understanding or interest.

   짐작이 가. ― Jimjag-i ga. ― I can conjecture.

   관심이 가. ― Gwansim-i ga. ― I'm interested in it.

   인정은 못하겠는데 이해는 가.

   Injeong-eun mothagenneunde ihae-neun ga.

   I might not be able to accept it, but I understand.

9. (euphemistic but not honorific) to pass away

• Transitivity: Korean verbs of movement are variably intransitive and transitive:
  • If the destination of the movement is not a space or only a small one, it is intransitive: 나무에 가다 (namu-e gada, “to go to a tree”), 내 방에 가다 (nae bang-e gada, “to go to my room”).
  • If the destination of the movement is an extended space into which one enters, it can be both transitive and intransitive with no significant change in meaning: 중국으로 가다 (junggug-euro gada, “to go to China”), 중국을 가다 (junggug-eul gada, “to go to China”). But intransitive use is rather more common, and transitive use may be understood as emphatic.
  • If the object is a path that one goes on, it is transitive: 길을 가다 (gir-eul gada, “to go on a road”), 인도를 가다 (indo-reul gada, “to go on the pavement”).
  • With the exception of "to last", which is always transitive, the various extended senses are intransitive.
• Conjugation: This verb has two forms for the plain-style 해라체 (haerache) imperative. The blunt form is regular: 가라 (gara, “Go!”). The less blunt form is irregular: 가거라 (gageora, “Go (well)!”). Other verbs with the irregular non-blunt form include 일어나다 (ireonada, “to get up”), 자라다 (jarada, “to grow”), 자다 (jada, “to sleep”), and compound verbs ending in this verb. Historically, this reflects the perseverance of the Middle Korean suffix 거 (Yale: -ke-).

(verbal expressions with nouns)

(compound verbs with verbs)

(other)

• IPA^(key): /kà.tá/, [kà.dá]

가다〮 (kàtá) (infinitive 가〮, sequential 가니〮)

1. (intransitive) to go (especially somewhere for a certain purpose)

   Antonym: 오다〮 (wòtá, “to come”)

2. (auxiliary, with 어〮 (-é)) Marks a continuous action that either stretches from the present into the future, or involves physical movement away from the speaker.

   Antonym: 오다〮 (wòtá, continuous action from the past or towards the speaker)

Middle Korean had two (possibly three) verbs equivalent to Modern 가다 (gada, “to go”) or English "to go": 가다〮 (kàtá), and 녀다〮 (nyètá) / 니다〮 (nìtá). The latter appears only in compound verbs and before the suffix 거 (-ke-). Some scholars believe that 녀다〮 (nyètá) and 니다〮 (nìtá) were separate verbs.

It is believed that 가다〮 (kàtá) had a stronger emphasis on the purpose of the movement, while 녀다〮 (nyètá) / 니다〮 (nìtá) had a stronger emphasis on the physical movement itself. For example, only 가다〮 (kàtá) is attested with a human indirect object (i.e. expressing "to go to a person [for something]"); the indirect objects taken by 녀다〮 (nyètá) / 니다〮 (nìtá) are all real or metaphorical spaces. However, both could be used to translate the same Chinese verb, showing that the semantic distinction was not so strict.

• Korean: 가다 (gada)

• 김천학 [gimcheonhak] (2004) “中(중)世(세)國(국)語(어) '가다, 니다, 녀다'에 관한 考(고)察(찰)”, in Eomun yeon'gu, volume 32, number 4, pages 141—162
• 南(남)星(성)祐(우) (2020) “杜(두)詩(시)諺(언)解(해)의 同(동)義(의)語(어) 硏(연)究(구)”, in Han'gugeosa yeon'gu, volume 6, pages 7—141