Key Facts
- Hangul: 자르다 (jareuda)
- Meaning: to cut
- Level: A2
- Stem: 자르
- Conjugation class: 르-irregular
- Particles: What is cut takes 을/를 (머리를 잘라요).
What Does 자르다 Mean?
자르다 means to cut through something, such as 종이를 자르다, and it covers hair as well: 머리를 자르다. What is cut takes 을/를. Korean says 머리를 잘랐어요 even when a hairdresser did the cutting, so it translates as 'I got my hair cut'. For slicing food use 썰다, and for peeling or sharpening use 깎다.
How Do You Pronounce 자르다?
The dictionary form has 3 syllables and is read as written. The 르 change creates the ㄹㄹ sequence in 잘라요. The polite 잘라요 is spoken as written, and the past 잘랐어요 is [잘라써요].
How Do You Use 자르다 in a Sentence?
가위로 종이를 잘라요.
I cut paper with scissors.
가위로 gives the tool, 종이를 gives the object, and 잘라요 is the polite present. The ㄹ doubled in 잘라요 is the 르 pattern.
어제 머리를 잘랐어요.
I got my hair cut yesterday.
The past 잘랐어요 follows 머리를 and reports a haircut, whoever held the scissors.
긴 머리를 자르면 가벼워요.
If you cut long hair, it feels light.
The condition 자르면 introduces the result. Cutting long hair makes it light, so 가벼워요 follows.
How Does Jareuda Conjugation Work?
자르다 is 르 irregular. Before 아 or 어 the ㅡ of 르 drops and ㄹ doubles, so 자르 + 아요 gives 잘라요, and the past is 잘랐어요. The reason form is 잘라서. Before a consonant the stem is regular: 자르면, 자르는, 자를. Suggestions use the propositive: 자르자 among friends and 자릅시다 in formal settings. Plain written style gives 자른다 for the present.
자르다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 잘라요 | ||
| Polite past | 잘랐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 자를 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 자르겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 자릅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 잘랐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 자를 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 잘라 | ||
| Casual past | 잘랐어 | ||
| Casual future | 자를 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 자르고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 자르세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 잘라서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 자르면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 자르는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 자른 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 자를 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 잘라요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 자르지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 잘랐어요 | [잘라써요] |
| Plan future | 자를 거예요 | [자를꺼예요] |
| Guess future | 자르겠어요 | [자르게써요] |
| Formal present | 자릅니다 | [자름니다] |
| Formal past | 잘랐습니다 | [잘랃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 자를 것입니다 | [자를꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 잘랐어 | [잘라써] |
| Casual future | 자를 거야 | [자를꺼야] |
| Want to | 자르고 싶어요 | [자르고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 자르지 않아요 | [자르지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 자르어요
Correct: ✓ 잘라요
Why: The guess 자르어요 treats 자르다 as a regular verb. It is 르 irregular, and the correct polite form is 잘라요. Take care not to say 자라요 either, because that is a different verb.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| 썰다 | 썰다 is to slice food. Use it in the kitchen when the knife cuts ingredients. |
| 깎다 | 깎다 is to peel, shave or sharpen. It fits fruit, pencils and prices. |
| 끊다 | 끊다 is to cut off, break or stop. It describes ending something, not dividing it. |
Cutting Paper for a Card
Two classmates are making a greeting card. One asks about the method, the other explains, and the first reports the finished cut.
Mina
이 종이를 반으로 자르면 돼요?
I jongireul baneuro jareumyeon dwaeyo?
Should I cut this paper in half?
Alex
네. 저는 가위로 잘라요.
Ne. Jeoneun gawiro jallayo.
Yes. I use scissors to cut it.
Mina
반으로 잘랐어요.
Baneuro jallasseoyo.
I cut it in half.
반으로 gives the result, “into halves”, while 가위로 names the tool. Both use 로, but they answer different questions: what shape or division results, and what you use. Compare unchanged 자르 in 자르면 with 잘라 in 잘라요 and 잘랐어요.
Common Combinations with 자르다
반으로 자르다 means to cut in half. It describes the resulting division, so it fits paper, a sandwich, or another object you divide into two parts. 가위로 자르다 means to cut with scissors. You can combine a tool and a result in one sentence because they contribute different details.
머리를 자르다 is the everyday haircut phrase. 머리 can mean “head”, but in this combination it refers to hair. Saying 머리를 잘랐어요 normally reports getting a haircut, and does not establish whether you cut your own hair. At a salon, 짧게 specifies “short”, while 조금만 limits the amount to “just a little”.
말을 자르다 means to interrupt someone, literally to cut their words. The object 말 signals that this is a conversational action, not a physical cut. It can sound critical because the speaker is describing someone breaking into another person’s turn. The surrounding conversation tells you whose speech was interrupted. The Korean Learners’ Dictionary entry for 자르다 lists both this use and the blunt workplace meaning “fire”.
Where Will You Hear 자르다?
자르다 comes up at hair salons, during crafts, and in kitchens. For food, 자르다 gives a broad description of cutting, while 썰다 is especially useful for slicing ingredients into pieces. Choosing 자르다 does not specify the thickness, shape, or number of slices; add those details when they matter.
In an office or a drama, 사람을 자르다 can mean to fire someone. This use is blunt and can sound harsh. 해고하다 is the explicit word for dismissing an employee. A scene about workplace conflict may therefore use 자르다 even though no scissors or knife is involved.
For a request, the chart’s 자르세요 can tell someone to cut something. At a salon, the fuller 잘라 주세요 asks the stylist to do the cutting for you. The added 주세요 presents the action as a service or favor; it is useful when stating what you want the stylist to do.
Where Does the Extra ㄹ Go?
Before 아/어 endings, the preceding syllable receives a final ㄹ and 르 becomes 라: 자르 → 잘라. The resulting ㄹㄹ sequence belongs in both syllables. Wrong: 잘아요, for “I cut”. Correct: 잘라요. Dropping one ㄹ loses the required conjugated spelling.
The change does not spread to every form. Keep 자르 in 자르면 and 자르는. The past modifier 자른 describes something already cut, while 자르는 describes the cutting action in progress or as a regular activity. In 자를 거예요, write a space before 거예요; the future expression contains more than one word.
The doubled ㄹ also affects what you hear. In 잘라요, hold the tongue contact through the middle of the word. Compare 자라요, “grows”, where the single ㄹ is a light tap between vowels. The irregular change therefore matters for both spelling and listening.
With paper, 자르다 changes the material by dividing it, while 접다 changes its shape by folding. A card-making instruction can therefore require both verbs at different steps. If the instruction names scissors with 가위로, expect cutting; if it simply asks for a crease, folding is the relevant action.
Tools and Results to Name Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 가위 | scissors | Takes 로 when naming the cutting tool. |
| 칼 | knife | Another tool for dividing an object. |
| 종이 | paper | A common object in craft instructions. |
| 반 | half | 반으로 names a division into halves. |
The everyday tools lesson teaches the tool vocabulary. For the haircut setting, see hair salon vocabulary so you can name the part you want cut.
Mini Drill
- Give the polite present of 자르다.
- Complete “if I cut”: 자르다 → ____.
- Give the polite past.
- Choose the present modifier: 자르는 or 잘라는.
Show drill answers
- 잘라요.
- 자르면.
- 잘랐어요.
- 자르는.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 머리를 잘랐어요 prove the speaker cut their own hair?
- What does 가위로 specify?
- What does 말을 자르다 mean?
Show answers
- No. It normally also covers getting a haircut from a stylist.
- The tool: scissors.
- To interrupt someone’s speech.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I Got a Haircut?
Say 머리를 잘랐어요.
Why Is It 잘라요 and Not 자르어요?
자르다 is 르 irregular, so the ㅡ drops and ㄹ doubles.
Is 자라요 the Same Word?
No. 자라요 is a different verb meaning to grow, so do not use it for cutting.
What Particle Marks the Thing I Cut?
Use 을/를, as in 종이를 자르다.
Which Words Are Related to 자르다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Continue with the other 르 verbs and compare 썰다 and 깎다 in the kitchen. The pattern behind 자르다 is covered in the 르 irregular pattern; to check any other form, open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.