Level 6

탄생하다

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Meaning and Usage

The verb '탄생하다' literally means 'to be born' or 'to come into existence.' It is often used not only for the birth of living beings but also metaphorically for the creation or emergence of things like cities, ideas, or movements.

Common Contexts

  • Birth of a person or animal
  • Founding or establishment of places or organizations
  • Emergence of abstract concepts such as ideas or trends

Collocations and Patterns

  • '탄생하다' often pairs with time expressions to indicate when something was born or created, e.g., '100년 전에 탄생하다' (was born 100 years ago).
  • It can be used with nouns like '아이디어' (idea), '도시' (city), '음악계' (music industry) to express the birth or creation of something new.
  • The causative form '탄생시키다' means 'to cause to be born' or 'to create.'

Register and Politeness

'탄생하다' is a formal verb and is commonly used in written language, news reports, and formal speeches. It is less common in casual conversation where simpler verbs like '태어나다' might be used.

Common Mistake

Learners sometimes confuse '탄생하다' with '태어나다,' which also means 'to be born.' '태어나다' is mainly used for living beings, while '탄생하다' can be used more broadly, including for abstract or non-living things.

Example Sentences

이 도시는 100년 전에 탄생했다.

I dosineun 100nyeon jeone tansaenghaetda.

This city was born 100 years ago.

새로운 아이디어가 회의 중에 탄생했다.

Saeroun aideuga hoeui junge tansaenghaetda.

A new idea was born during the meeting.

그 가수는 음악계에서 큰 변화를 탄생시켰다.

Geu gasuneun eumakkyeeseo keun byeonhwareul tansaengsikyeotda.

That singer created a big change in the music industry.