Key Facts
- Hangul: 내려오다 (naeryeooda)
- Meaning: to come down
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 내려오
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The mover takes 이/가; the destination takes 에 or (으)로 (1층으로 내려오다).
- Honorific polite: 내려오세요
- Usage: Everyday word for stairs, mountains and trips from Seoul to the south. It pairs with 올라오다 as the up/down pair.
What Does 내려오다 Mean?
- to come down: Used when someone or something moves downward toward the speaker, e.g. 아래로 내려오세요.
- to come down to the countryside: Used for coming from Seoul to a place in the south, e.g. 부산에 내려오다.
내려오다 puts 내려 (down) before 오다 (come): someone or something moves downward toward the speaker. Call from the first floor, 아래로 내려오세요, and the person upstairs knows to come down to you. The mover takes 이/가, and the destination takes 에 or (으)로, as in 1층으로 내려오다.
The second sense mirrors 올라오다. Coming from Seoul to a place in the south or countryside is 내려오다, so 부산에 내려오다 means to come down to Busan. It is an everyday verb for stairs, hills and travel south.
Which Set Phrases Use 내려오다?
- 아래로 내려오세요: Please come down. The destination is the speaker's spot.
- 1층으로 내려오다: To come down to the first floor.
- 부산에 내려오다: To come down to Busan from Seoul.
How Do You Pronounce 내려오다?
내려오다 is read as spelled. The past 내려왔어요 is [내려와써요], and the formal 내려옵니다 is [내려옴니다]. The future 내려올 거예요 is [내려올꺼예요].
How Do You Use 내려오다 in a Sentence?
아이가 계단에서 내려와요.
The child is coming down the stairs.
아이가 is the subject, and 계단에서 marks where the child is coming down from. The speaker waits at the bottom, so 내려오다 is correct.
동생이 부산에 내려왔어요.
My younger sibling came down to Busan.
동생이 (my younger sibling) comes down to the southern city 부산에. The past 내려왔어요 shows the trip is complete.
내려오면 연락해 주세요.
Please contact me when you come down.
내려오면 is the condition when you come down; 연락해 주세요 is the request that follows. Use it as a ready phrase for meeting someone.
How Does Naeryeooda Conjugation Work?
내려오다 is regular. The final 오 + 아 contracts to 와: 내려와요, 내려왔어요. Forms with consonant or 으 endings keep the stem: 내려오세요, 내려오면, 내려옵니다.
내려오다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 내려와요 | ||
| Polite past | 내려왔어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 내려올 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 내려오겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 내려옵니다 | ||
| Formal past | 내려왔습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 내려올 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 내려와 | ||
| Casual past | 내려왔어 | ||
| Casual future | 내려올 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 내려오고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 내려오세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 내려와서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 내려오면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 내려오는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 내려온 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 내려올 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 내려와요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 내려오지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 내려왔어요 | [내려와써요] |
| Polite future | 내려올 거예요 | [내려올꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 내려오겠어요 | [내려오게써요] |
| Formal present | 내려옵니다 | [내려옴니다] |
| Formal past | 내려왔습니다 | [내려왇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 내려올 것입니다 | [내려올꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 내려왔어 | [내려와써] |
| Casual future | 내려올 거야 | [내려올꺼야] |
| Long negative | 내려오지 않아요 | [내려오지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 내려오다
Wrong: ✗ 내려오요
Correct: ✓ 내려와요
Why: 오 + 아요 contracts to 와요 in this verb. Adding 요 straight after the stem leaves out the vowel contraction, and 내려오요 is not a Korean form.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 내려오다?
| Word | How to tell it from 내려오다 |
|---|---|
| 내려가다 | 내려가다 is going down away from the speaker; 내려오다 is coming down toward the speaker. |
| 내리다 | 내리다 means to get off a vehicle or to lower something; 내려오다 stresses motion downward toward you. |
Meeting Downstairs in a Hotel Lobby
Jisu is waiting downstairs while Mina is still in her room. The lobby is their meeting point, so their conversation uses 내려오다.
Jisu
로비로 내려오세요.
Robiro naeryeooseyo.
Please come down to the lobby.
Mina
네, 지금 내려와요.
Ne, jigeum naeryeowayo.
Okay, I’m coming down now.
Jisu
내려오면 전화해 주세요.
Naeryeoomyeon jeonhwahae juseyo.
Please call me when you come down.
Mina
벌써 내려왔어요. 입구에 있어요.
Beolsseo naeryeowasseoyo. Ipkkue isseoyo.
I’m already downstairs. I’m at the entrance.
내려오세요 invites movement toward Jisu. 내려오면 sets the moment for a call, and 내려왔어요 reports that the descent is complete. 지금 내려와요 is understood here as movement happening now. The final line translates naturally as “I’m already downstairs” because the completed movement explains Mina’s current location.
Which Part of the Route Are You Naming?
A destination and a starting place need different markers. 로비로 내려오다 gives the lobby as the direction or destination. 방에서 내려오다 gives the room as the starting place. You can mention both when directions need to be precise; 에서 does not tell the listener where to meet you.
계단으로 내려오다 identifies the stairs as the route. The same (으)로 marker can therefore introduce either a route or a direction. The noun supplies the clue: stairs are a way down, while a lobby is usually the place where the person will arrive. The example 계단에서 내려와요 instead locates where the person is coming down from.
Viewpoint matters even when the physical journey stays the same. Someone waiting downstairs calls the movement 내려오다. Someone upstairs describing a person leaving them for the lower floor uses 내려가다. When arranging a meeting, establish where each speaker is before choosing between “come” and “go”.
Beyond Stairs: Travel and Things Passed Down
In a conversation between Seoul and Busan, 내려오다 can describe coming from Seoul to Busan. That does not mean Busan must be at a lower elevation. The familiar regional viewpoint treats travel from the capital to a regional destination as downward movement. Use the destination and the speakers' locations to understand the sentence.
전해 내려오다 means “to be handed down” or “to be passed down”. A story or custom travels through time from earlier generations to later ones. The “down” is figurative: nobody has to carry it downstairs. Keep a space between 전해 and 내려오다, while 내려오다 itself remains one word.
In a museum explanation or a folktale introduction, 옛날부터 전해 내려오는 이야기 refers to a story passed down from long ago. The modifier 내려오는 links that continuing history to 이야기. This is a useful contrast with the physical 내려오는 사람, a person coming down toward the viewpoint of the scene.
What Should You Listen for in Directions?
내려오세요 is useful when someone is guiding you to their location: a reception desk, a meeting point or the bottom of a hill. 내려와 is the casual version for a close relationship. The honorific request is about the person moving, so the lobby itself needs no special respectful word.
A sign with only a downward arrow may identify a route without establishing a speaker's viewpoint. In that setting, the arrow and floor number can be clearer than an English-style “come down” translation. In spoken directions, listen for the named destination before following the instruction.
| Korean | Meaning | Use with the movement |
|---|---|---|
| 계단 | stairs | Names a route between floors. |
| 층 | floor; storey | Follows a floor number, as in 1층. |
| 아래 | below; the lower part | Points to a lower location. |
| 입구 | entrance | Identifies a more exact meeting point. |
See the asking for directions lesson for route and location words.
Mini Drill: Someone Is Coming toward You
- Give the polite present of 내려오다.
- Ask respectfully for someone to come down.
- Complete “when you come down”: ____.
- Give the present modifier in “a person coming down”: ____ 사람.
Show drill answers
- 내려와요: 오 and 아 contract to 와.
- 내려오세요.
- 내려오면.
- 내려오는 사람.
Quick Self-Test
- You wait below while a friend approaches from upstairs. Which verb fits?
- Does 방에서 identify the starting place or the destination?
- Is 전해 내려오다 necessarily about physical movement?
Show answers
- 내려오다.
- The starting place.
- No. It can describe stories or customs passed down through generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 내려오다?
내려와요. The 오 and 아 merge into 와.
How Do I Invite Someone to Come down to Me?
Say 아래로 내려오세요 or 내려오세요.
What Is the Difference between 내려오다 and 내려가다?
내려오다 is coming down toward the speaker. 내려가다 is going down away from the speaker.
Is 내려오다 the Same as 내리다?
No. 내리다 means to get off a vehicle or lower something. 내려오다 stresses motion downward toward you.
Which Words Are Related to 내려오다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Put 내려오다 beside 올라오다 as a pair, and then add 내려가다 for the opposite viewpoint. After that, 내리다 covers getting off a bus or lowering an object. For the rule behind these forms, read how 오 + 아 becomes 와, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.