Key Facts
- Hangul: 지다 (jida)
- Meaning: to lose (a game or fight)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 지
- Conjugation class: regular
- Particles: The loser or sun takes 이/가; the opponent takes 에게 and the contest takes 에 (친구에게 졌어요).
What Does 지다 Mean?
This page is about losing a contest, as in 경기에 지다. Dictionaries list a different 지다 for the sun setting (해가 지다) and flowers falling (꽃이 지다); the two are homographs, but they conjugate the same way, so the table serves both. Context always tells them apart. The loser or the sun takes 이/가, the opponent takes 에게, and the contest takes 에, so you say 친구에게 졌어요. Its opposite for contests is 이기다, and 패배하다 is a formal word for being defeated.
How Do You Pronounce 지다?
The dictionary form has 2 syllables and is read as written. The polite forms are 져요 and 졌어요, and each uses one syllable where you might expect two: they are spoken [저요] and [저써요]. The formal 집니다 sounds like [짐니다], because ㅂ before ㄴ becomes ㅁ.
How Do You Use 지다 in a Sentence?
우리 팀이 졌어요.
Our team lost.
우리 팀이 takes 이/가 and 졌어요 is the past. It is the sentence you say after a defeat.
여름에는 해가 늦게 져요.
In summer the sun sets late.
해가 늦게 져요 uses the sun sense. 여름에는 gives the season.
지면 다시 도전하세요.
If you lose, try again.
지면 is conditional and 다시 도전하세요 is the polite request: if you lose, try again.
How Does Jida Conjugation Work?
지다 is regular. 지 plus 어 contracts to 져, so 져요, 졌어요 and 져서. Consonant endings attach plainly: 지면, 지는, 질. Because the subject does not control it, -고 싶다 is not normally used. Sports reports in plain written style use 졌다 for a defeat.
지다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 져요 | ||
| Polite past | 졌어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 질 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 지겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 집니다 | ||
| Formal past | 졌습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 질 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 져 | ||
| Casual past | 졌어 | ||
| Casual future | 질 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 지세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 져서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 지면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 지는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 진 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 질 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 져요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 지지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 져요 | [저요] |
| Polite past | 졌어요 | [저써요] |
| Plan future | 질 거예요 | [질꺼예요] |
| Guess future | 지겠어요 | [지게써요] |
| Formal present | 집니다 | [짐니다] |
| Formal past | 졌습니다 | [젇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 질 것입니다 | [질꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 져 | [저] |
| Casual past | 졌어 | [저써] |
| Casual future | 질 거야 | [질꺼야] |
| Because | 져서 | [저서] |
| Short negative | 안 져요 | [안 저요] |
| Long negative | 지지 않아요 | [지지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 졌어요
Correct: ✓ 친구에게 졌어요
Why: Learners may carry an object pattern from another verb into 지다. In Korean the opponent takes 에게: 친구에게 졌어요, not 친구를 졌어요.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| 이기다 | 이기다 is the opposite: to win. |
| 떨어지다 | 떨어지다 is to fall or to fail. |
| 패배하다 | 패배하다 is a formal word for being defeated. |
After a Table-Tennis Match
Two coworkers have just finished a game. Mina asks about the result; Jun describes both this defeat and what usually happens when he plays this opponent.
Mina
오늘도 졌어요?
Oneuldo jyeosseoyo?
Did you lose again today?
Jun
네. 저는 민수 씨에게 자주 져요.
Ne. Jeoneun Minsu ssiege jaju jyeoyo.
Yes. I often lose to Minsu.
Mina
지면 다시 도전하세요.
Jimyeon dasi dojeonhaseyo.
If you lose, try again.
오늘도 means “today too,” suggesting an earlier defeat. 졌어요 reports one finished match, while 자주 져요 describes a repeated result. The last line uses 지면 to make the advice apply whenever a defeat happens. Notice that Jun names the opponent with 에게, even though English puts “to” after the verb.
Phrases for Losing, Conceding and Describing Results
경기에 지다 means “to lose a match.” The contest takes 에, so the phrase tells you what event ended in defeat. 친구에게 지다 names the opponent instead. You can mention the event, the opponent or just the losing team; you do not need all three for the sentence to make sense.
한 점 차로 지다 means “to lose by one point.” 차 is the difference or margin, and 로 introduces that margin. The phrase describes a close result, not a match in which the loser scored only one point. In a score discussion, look for the number before 점 and the word 차.
제가 졌어요 literally means “I lost.” After a playful argument, it can also mean “I give in” or “You win.” The speaker may simply be ending the disagreement. A light tone makes it sound friendly; after a serious dispute, the same words can sound resigned.
지지 않아요 means “does not lose.” The repeated 지 is correct: the first belongs to the stem and the second begins the negative ending -지 않다. Keep the space before 않아요. 안 져요 is the shorter conversational alternative and also needs a space after 안.
Where Will You Encounter 지다?
Sports conversations use 졌어요 to report a result to another person. Written match summaries often use 졌다. Both report defeat; the difference is the ending used for the audience and format. 패배하다 sounds more formal, so recognizing it helps when moving from friends’ conversations to sports reporting.
A drama character may say 제가 졌어요 when conceding an argument. A travel conversation about 해가 지다 concerns sunset instead. The noun before 지다 matters: a team suggests competition, while 해 suggests the sun. Learning the whole phrase prevents the sunset meaning from sounding like a sporting defeat.
For a lost wallet or phone, choose 잃어버리다. 지다 does not describe misplacing a possession. “We lost the match” and “I lost my phone” share one English verb but need different Korean verbs. Start by deciding whether there was an opponent or a missing object.
Words for Following a Match
| Related word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 경기 | match / game | Names the contest in 경기에 지다. |
| 상대 | opponent | The person or team on the other side. |
| 점수 | score | Tells you the numerical result, not who played better. |
| 무승부 | draw / tie | Neither side wins; this is not a defeat. |
The sports vocabulary lesson introduces the words around games and results.
What Is Tricky about Predicting a Defeat?
질 거예요 usually predicts a loss. The table’s general future label does not mean the speaker plans to lose deliberately. Context gives the form its practical meaning: before a difficult match, it is an expectation about the result. 질 stays attached to the stem, and 거예요 is written separately.
The honorific 지세요 can describe a respected person losing. It is rarely useful as a request, since “Please lose” is an unusual thing to ask. Likewise, a wish to lose needs a special context, such as deliberately letting a child win. Learn the neutral result 졌어요 before trying to use every table cell as an instruction.
Mini Drill: Practice the Forms
- Report “Our team lost” in polite Korean.
- Complete “I often lose to a friend”: 친구____ 져요.
- Change 져요 to the formal present.
- Give the conditional meaning “if you lose.”
Show drill answers
- 우리 팀이 졌어요. The team is the subject.
- 친구에게 져요. 에게 marks the opponent.
- 집니다. The contraction in 져요 does not carry into this ending.
- 지면. Attach 면 directly to 지.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 한 점 차로 지다 say how many points the losing team scored?
- Which verb describes losing a phone: 지다 or 잃어버리다?
- In 해가 져요, is anyone being defeated?
Show answers
- No. It gives the one-point margin between the sides.
- 잃어버리다, because the phone is a missing possession.
- No. This is the separate sunset meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say Our Team Lost?
Say 우리 팀이 졌어요.
What Does 해가 지다 Mean?
It means the sun sets.
Which Particle Marks the Opponent?
Use 에게, as in 친구에게 졌어요.
What Is the Opposite?
이기다, to win.
Which Words Are Related to 지다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 이기다 for the other half of a match and 피다 for flowers coming out. The pattern behind 지다 is covered in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense; to check any other form, open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.