TeacherJoy

Let’s take a closer look at how we use the verb 나다! As we learned, 나다 describes something appearing or emerging naturally. Because it covers so many situations, it can be translated into many different English verbs. Let’s check out some common ones.

First, 나다 is often used for things you can’t see but can sense—like light, sound, smell, taste, or even energy. In Korean, we usually drop pronouns like “I” or “You” when it’s obvious. So, most of the time, 나다 just pairs with these non-living subjects.

But what if you want to say WHERE it’s coming from?

• For places, use the marker -에서.
• For people, use -한테.
• If you want to really emphasize that the person is the source, use -한테서.
• If you just want to focus on the subject itself, stick with -이/-가.

Not too bad, right?

• 제 얼굴에서 빛이 나요. (My face is glowing.)
• 저한테 빛이 나요. (Light is on me. / I’m glowing.)
• 저한테서 빛이 나요. (The light is coming from me.)

• 여기에서 냄새가 나요. (The smell is coming from it.)
• 저한테 냄새 나요? (Do I smell? / Is there a smell on me?)
• 저한테서 냄새 나요? (Is the smell coming from me?)