쫓다

The Korean verb 쫓다 (jjot-da) is a multifaceted action word that primarily describes the physical act of pursuing something or someone. At its core, it signifies movement with intent—either to catch up to a target or to force a target to move away. For English speakers, the closest equivalents are 'to chase,' 'to pursue,' 'to follow,' or 'to drive away.' It is a word rooted in physical space and tangible action. When you see a dog running after a cat in a park, you are witnessing the verb 쫓다 in its purest form. The dog is the subject performing the action, and the cat is the object being chased. This dynamic of pursuit is fundamental to the word's identity.

Physical Pursuit

This is the most common usage, where one entity moves quickly to catch another. Examples include police chasing a thief or children playing tag.

Beyond physical chasing, 쫓다 is equally important when describing the act of expelling or driving something away. This is often used with pests, insects, or even abstract concepts like bad luck. If a fly is buzzing around your dinner table, you use a flyswatter or your hand to 쫓다 the fly. In this context, the goal isn't to catch the object but to ensure it leaves the immediate vicinity. This 'driving away' nuance is a critical distinction that makes the word more versatile than the simple English word 'chase.'

Expelling/Driving Away

Used when removing something unwanted from a space, such as shooing a bird out of a house or driving away sleepiness (잠을 쫓다).

In daily life, you will hear this word in various registers. Parents might tell their children not to 쫓다 the pigeons in the square, or a news reporter might describe a high-speed car chase on the highway. It is a word that implies energy, speed, and a clear objective. Because it is a transitive verb, it always pairs with the object marker 을/를, making it structurally straightforward for learners. Whether you are talking about a cat chasing a mouse or a person trying to stay awake by 'driving away' sleep, 쫓다 provides the necessary linguistic tool to describe these active engagements with the world around us.

Time and Urgency

The word often carries a sense of urgency. When you are chasing something, time is usually of the essence, adding a layer of tension to the sentence.

Finally, it is worth noting that 쫓다 appears frequently in Korean literature and folk tales. The image of a tiger chasing a rabbit or a hero chasing a villain is a staple of Korean storytelling. By mastering this word, you gain access to a wide range of descriptive possibilities, from the mundane task of shooing a mosquito to the dramatic climax of an action story. It is a foundational verb for any student reaching the A2 level, providing a bridge between simple movement verbs and more complex, intent-driven actions.

Using 쫓다 correctly requires an understanding of its grammatical structure as a transitive verb. In Korean, this means the subject (the one doing the chasing) is followed by the subject marker 이/가 or 은/는, and the object (the one being chased or driven away) is followed by the object marker 을/를. The verb itself is then conjugated based on the tense and politeness level required by the social context. For example, in a polite, informal setting, the present tense becomes 쫓아요, while the past tense becomes 쫓았어요. Understanding these basic building blocks is the first step toward natural usage.

Grammar Structure

[Subject] + [Object] + 을/를 + 쫓다. Example: 고양이가 쥐를 쫓아요 (The cat chases the mouse).

When using 쫓다 to mean 'to drive away,' the sentence structure remains the same, but the context changes significantly. Instead of moving toward the object to catch it, the subject acts to make the object leave. This is very common with words for insects (벌레, 파리, 모기) or feelings (잠, 잡념). For instance, if you are studying and feel sleepy, you might drink coffee to 'drive away sleep' (잠을 쫓다). This idiomatic usage is extremely common in Korea, especially among students and office workers who are often battling fatigue.

Driving Away Sleep/Thoughts

Used metaphorically to clear the mind or stay alert. 잠을 쫓기 위해 세수를 했어요 (I washed my face to drive away sleep).

Another important grammatical variation is the passive form, 쫓기다 (jjot-gi-da), which means 'to be chased.' This is used when the subject is the one being pursued. It is frequently used in the phrase '시간에 쫓기다' (to be chased by time), which translates to being in a rush or having a tight deadline. This passive form is essential for expressing feelings of pressure or anxiety. For example, '마감 시간에 쫓기고 있어요' means 'I am being chased by the deadline,' or more naturally, 'I am pressed for time because of the deadline.'

Compound Verbs

쫓다 is often combined with other verbs, such as 뒤쫓다 (to chase from behind) or 내쫓다 (to kick out/expel someone).

In summary, 쫓다 is a dynamic verb that adapts to its object. Whether you are describing a high-speed chase, shooing away a mosquito, or feeling the pressure of a deadline, the verb provides a clear and impactful way to describe the action. Pay attention to the object of the sentence to determine the exact nuance, and don't forget to practice the passive form 쫓기다 to describe those moments when you feel the world is catching up to you.

In South Korea, you will encounter the word 쫓다 in a variety of real-world settings, ranging from the news to traditional stories. One of the most common places to hear it is on television news reports or in crime dramas. When the police are in pursuit of a suspect, the term used is almost always 쫓다 or its more formal synonym 추격하다. However, in casual conversation about a drama plot, a viewer might say, '경찰이 범인을 진짜 열심히 쫓고 있어요' (The police are really chasing the criminal hard). This creates a sense of action and suspense that is central to the genre.

Crime and Action Media

Frequent in police procedurals, action movies, and news reports regarding fugitives or car chases.

Another everyday context is in the household or outdoors when dealing with insects. Korea's summers can be quite humid, leading to many mosquitoes and flies. You will often hear people say, '모기 좀 쫓아 줘' (Please drive the mosquito away) or see advertisements for products designed to 쫓다 pests. In this context, the word is used in its 'drive away' sense. It is a very practical, functional use of the word that every resident in Korea learns quickly. Similarly, you might hear it at a park where a parent tells a child, '비둘기 쫓지 마' (Don't chase the pigeons), reflecting a common childhood activity.

Daily Life and Pests

Used when shooing away bugs, birds, or stray animals. Common in domestic settings and public parks.

In the academic or professional world, the passive form 쫓기다 is perhaps more frequent than the active form. Koreans are known for their 'Pali-pali' (hurry-hurry) culture, and this often results in people feeling 'chased' by their schedules. You will hear students say they are 시험 공부에 쫓기고 있다 (being chased by exam studies) or workers saying they are 업무에 쫓긴다 (being chased by work tasks). This usage perfectly captures the high-pressure environment of modern Korean society, where time and responsibilities always seem to be right on one's heels.

Modern Stress

The passive form is a key expression for describing stress and the feeling of having too much to do in too little time.

Lastly, 쫓다 appears in many traditional proverbs and idiomatic expressions. For example, the phrase '두 마리 토끼를 쫓다' (to chase two rabbits) is the Korean equivalent of trying to do two things at once and potentially failing at both. You might hear this in a business meeting or a counseling session when someone is advised to focus on one goal at a time. Hearing 쫓다 in these various contexts—from the high-speed drama of a movie to the quiet stress of a library—shows just how integrated this verb is into the Korean experience.

The most frequent and significant mistake learners (and even native speakers) make with 쫓다 is confusing it with its homophone 좇다 (jot-da). While they sound exactly the same in speech, their meanings and spellings are distinct. 쫓다 (with the double-consonant 'ㅉ' and the final consonant 'ㅊ') refers to physical pursuit or driving something away. In contrast, 좇다 (with the single consonant 'ㅈ' and the final consonant 'ㅈ') refers to following an abstract ideal, a dream, a teaching, or someone's opinion. Using the wrong one in writing is a common orthographic error that can change the meaning of your sentence significantly.

Spelling Confusion

쫓다 (Physical) vs. 좇다 (Abstract). Example: 꿈을 좇다 (Follow a dream) vs. 도둑을 쫓다 (Chase a thief).

Another mistake involves the incorrect use of particles. Because 쫓다 is a transitive verb, it must take the object marker 을/를. Learners sometimes mistakenly use the direction marker 에 or 로, thinking of the English 'follow TO' or 'chase TO.' For example, saying '범인에 쫓다' is incorrect; it must be '범인을 쫓다.' Understanding that the target of the chase is the direct object of the action is vital for grammatical accuracy. Furthermore, when using the passive form 쫓기다, learners often forget that the 'chaser' should be marked with 에게 or 에 (by), not 을/를.

Particle Errors

Active: [Object]을/를 쫓다. Passive: [Agent]에게/에 쫓기다. Mixing these up is a common hurdle for A2 learners.

There is also a nuance mistake regarding the 'driving away' meaning. Some learners use 쫓다 when they should use 버리다 (to throw away) or 지우다 (to erase). 쫓다 implies that the thing being driven away is currently present and needs to be actively pushed out. For instance, you 'drive away' (쫓다) a bad thought that is currently bothering you, but you 'erase' (지우다) a memory. Using 쫓다 for static objects, like 'driving away a chair,' would be nonsensical; it is reserved for things that can move or abstract pressures that feel active.

Misusing Synonyms

Don't use 쫓다 when you mean 'to follow' in the sense of walking behind someone peacefully (use 따라가다 instead).

Finally, watch out for conjugation errors. Since 쫓다 ends in a 'ㅊ' consonant, it follows standard conjugation rules, but some learners find the batchim (final consonant) tricky. In the present tense, it is 쫓아요 (jjot-a-yo), not 쫓여요. In the past tense, it is 쫓았어요. When adding the connective suffix -아/어서, it becomes 쫓아서. Practicing these forms aloud will help prevent the common mistake of tripping over the pronunciation when the 'ㅊ' sound meets a vowel suffix.

In Korean, there are several words that share a semantic space with 쫓다, but they each carry distinct nuances that are important for reaching higher proficiency. The most common alternative is 따라가다 (ttara-gada). While 쫓다 implies a sense of urgency, speed, or pursuit (like a chase), 따라가다 is more neutral. It simply means 'to follow' or 'to go after.' You would use 따라가다 when following a friend to a restaurant, but you would use 쫓다 if that friend was running away and you were trying to catch them. Choosing between these two depends entirely on the intensity of the action.

쫓다 vs. 따라가다

쫓다: High intensity, chasing, pursuit. 따라가다: Neutral, following, walking behind.

For the 'driving away' meaning of 쫓다, a common and more forceful alternative is 내쫓다 (nae-jjot-da). The prefix '내-' means 'out,' so 내쫓다 literally means 'to chase out' or 'to kick out.' This is often used when someone is being expelled from a house, an organization, or a country. It is much more definitive and often carries a negative or harsh connotation compared to the simple 쫓다. If you shoo a fly, you 쫓다 it; if you throw a disruptive person out of a meeting, you 내쫓다 them.

쫓다 vs. 내쫓다

쫓다: To drive away (general). 내쫓다: To kick out, expel, or force someone to leave a place.

Another word that often confuses learners is 추적하다 (chu-jeok-hada). This means 'to track' or 'to trace.' While 쫓다 implies a visible, active chase, 추적하다 is often used for following clues, tracking a signal, or tracing the history of something. For example, a detective might 추적하다 a suspect's phone location or bank records. This is a more intellectual or technical form of pursuit. Similarly, 뒤쫓다 (dwi-jjot-da) is a very close synonym of 쫓다, but it emphasizes the fact that you are coming from 'behind' (뒤). It is often used interchangeably with 쫓다 in physical chase scenarios.

Abstract Pursuits

Remember to use 좇다 for dreams, ideals, and following someone's example. This is the most critical distinction for written Korean.

Lastly, consider the word 몰아내다 (mora-naeda), which means 'to drive out' or 'to oust.' This is often used in political or social contexts, such as driving out an invading army or ousting a corrupt leader. It is more formal and collective than 쫓다. By understanding these variations—from the simple 'shooing' of 쫓다 to the technical tracking of 추적하다 and the forceful expulsion of 내쫓다—you can choose the exact word that fits the intensity and context of your situation, making your Korean sound more natural and precise.