-아지다/어지다 in Korean: “become, get (more)”

-아지다/어지다 (-ajida / -eojida) means "become" or "get" when added to an adjective. 춥다 means "to be cold", and 추워지다 means "to get cold". It describes a change in state, like the weather, a skill or how someone looks.

How to form it

How to use it

Add it to adjectives to show change: 좋아지다 ("get better"), 커지다 ("get bigger"), 바빠지다 ("get busy"). It follows the same vowel rules as the polite present -아요/어요.

-지다 is written attached to the word before it (좋아지다, not 좋아 지다), and then conjugated like any verb: 좋아져요, 좋아졌어요, 좋아질 거예요.

With some action verbs, -아/어지다 makes a passive meaning instead, like 만들어지다 ("be made") or 지워지다 ("be erased"). As a beginner, focus on the adjective use first.

Examples

Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.

Don’t mix it up with

-게 되다: -게 되다 is mostly used with verbs for things that happen through circumstances ("end up doing"). For an adjective changing, use -아/어지다.

-아/어 가다/오다: -아/어 가다/오다 shows a gradual, ongoing change. They can be combined: 추워져요 is "it gets cold", 추워지고 있어요 is "it's getting colder".

Common mistakes

Forgetting the ㅂ-irregular change: 춥어졌어요 is wrong. Say 추워졌어요.

Writing a space: 좋아 졌어요 is wrong. It is one word, 좋아졌어요.

Want the basics first? Read Present tense (아요/어요).