Key Facts
- Hangul: 나누다 (nanuda)
- Meaning: to divide; to share
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 나누
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The thing divided or shared takes 을/를; the people sharing take 와/과 or 에게.
- Honorific polite: 나누세요
- Usage: Natural in set phrases: 이야기를 나누다, 정을 나누다, 반으로 나누다. In math it also means to divide, as in 육을 이로 나누면 삼이에요.
What Does 나누다 Mean?
- to divide; to share: Used for splitting something up or sharing it, e.g. 음식을 나누다 (to share food).
- to exchange (words): Used with conversation, e.g. 이야기를 나누다 (to talk with each other).
나누다 means to divide and to share. 음식을 나누다 is to share food, and 반으로 나누다 is to divide something in half. In maths it is division: 육을 이로 나누면 삼이에요. What is divided takes 을/를, and the people who share can be marked with 와/과 or 에게.
It also covers talk. 이야기를 나누다 means to have a talk with each other, and 정을 나누다 is to share affection. Compare 주다, which gives something to someone; 나누다 splits it between people.
Which Set Phrases Use 나누다?
- 이야기를 나누다: To talk with each other.
- 음식을 나누다: To share food.
- 반으로 나누다: To divide in half.
How Do You Pronounce 나누다?
나누다 is read as spelled. The past 나눴어요 is [나눠써요] and the formal 나눕니다 is [나눔니다]. The future 나눌 거예요 is [나눌꺼예요].
How Do You Use 나누다 in a Sentence?
우리는 케이크를 나눠요.
We share the cake.
우리는 (we) shows it is shared by the group, and 케이크를 is the thing divided. The polite present 나눠요 shows the contraction at once.
친구와 이야기를 나눴어요.
I had a talk with my friend.
친구와 (with a friend) names the partner, and 이야기를 나눴어요 is the conversation sense. The past 나눴어요 is the contracted past.
반으로 나누면 쉬워요.
It is easy if you divide it in half.
반으로 gives the result of dividing, and the if-form 나누면 says it is easy if done that way.
How Does Nanuda Conjugation Work?
나누다 is regular. The stem 나누 ends in ㅜ, and ㅜ + 어 contracts to ㅝ, so the polite present is 나눠요 and the past is 나눴어요. Consonant endings keep the stem: 나누면, 나눕니다.
나누다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 나눠요 | ||
| Polite past | 나눴어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 나눌 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 나누겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 나눕니다 | ||
| Formal past | 나눴습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 나눌 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 나눠 | ||
| Casual past | 나눴어 | ||
| Casual future | 나눌 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 나누고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 나누세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 나눠서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 나누면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 나누는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 나눈 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 나눌 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 나눠요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 나누지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 나눴어요 | [나눠써요] |
| Polite future | 나눌 거예요 | [나눌꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 나누겠어요 | [나누게써요] |
| Formal present | 나눕니다 | [나눔니다] |
| Formal past | 나눴습니다 | [나눧씀니다] |
| Formal future | 나눌 것입니다 | [나눌꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 나눴어 | [나눠써] |
| Casual future | 나눌 거야 | [나눌꺼야] |
| Long negative | 나누지 않아요 | [나누지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 나누다
Wrong: ✗ 나누요
Correct: ✓ 나눠요
Why: 나누 + 어요 contracts to 나눠요. Adding 요 straight onto the stem as 나누요 is wrong.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 나누다?
| Word | How to tell it from 나누다 |
|---|---|
| 쪼개다 | 쪼개다 is to split something solid into pieces; 나누다 is broader and includes sharing and dividing among people. |
| 주다 | 주다 is to give something to someone; 나누다 is to split and share it between people. |
Sharing the Last Piece of Cake
Two coworkers have one piece of cake left. They need to agree on portions before eating it.
Mina
케이크를 어떻게 나눠요?
Keikeureul eotteoke nanwoyo?
How shall we divide the cake?
Jisu
반으로 나누면 어때요?
Baneuro nanumyeon eottaeyo?
How about dividing it in half?
Mina
좋아요. 이렇게 나눴어요.
Joayo. Ireoke nanwosseoyo.
Okay. I’ve divided it like this.
Jisu
고마워요. 같이 먹어요.
Gomawoyo. Gachi meogeoyo.
Thanks. Let’s eat together.
어떻게 asks how to divide it. 반으로 states the result, two halves, while 나누면 makes the suggestion conditional. 나눴어요 reports that the division is finished. The first question uses the polite present to seek a practical decision, rather than asking about a permanent habit.
What Do the Particles Tell You about Sharing?
In 친구와 음식을 나누다, “to share food with a friend”, 친구와 is the partner and 음식을 is the thing shared. 와/과 presents the other person as someone participating with you. 에게 instead identifies a recipient, so it is useful when discussing distribution to people rather than a shared activity between equals.
반으로 나누다 specifies the result of the division: halves. 둘로 나누다 means dividing into two parts or groups, but does not itself promise that they are equal. 똑같이 나누다 explicitly says to divide equally. If fairness matters, the extra word provides information that 나누다 alone leaves open.
Food can be divided without being cut. Sharing a bowl of wrapped sweets may involve giving each person some sweets, whereas cutting a cake needs a physical action. 자르다 names the cutting; 나누다 names the division or sharing. One situation may call for both verbs, but they focus on different parts of the task.
Conversations, Greetings and Affection
이야기를 나누다 means to have a conversation. Literally, the participants “share a story” or “share talk”, but the usual English is “talk” or “have a conversation”. It does not require one person to tell a complete story while the other stays silent. 친구와 이야기를 나눴어요 naturally describes a two-way exchange.
인사를 나누다 means to exchange greetings. You can meet it in an account of people meeting, welcoming visitors or introducing themselves. The object 인사 tells you that the exchange is social; translating 나누다 mechanically as “divide” would miss the meaning.
정을 나누다 concerns sharing affection or building an affectionate bond. 정 is a feeling of attachment between people, so this phrase does not describe portions of a physical object. It also does not automatically mean a romantic relationship: the relationship and the surrounding story supply that detail.
Where Will You Meet 나누다?
At a meal, listen for 음식을 나누다 and 반으로 나누다. In a classroom or workshop, groups may be divided according to a task. In an interview or article, 대화를 나누다 means to have a conversation. The object and the result phrase usually reveal which sense is active.
A maths problem uses a different role for (으)로. In 육을 이로 나누면 삼이에요, 이로 names the divisor, two. In 반으로 나누다, 반으로 gives the resulting portions. Both are natural division patterns, but the noun after the object determines how to read the relationship.
The spelling 나눠요 represents the contraction of 나누어요. It is not a shortened stem that you can attach everywhere: the conditional remains 나누면 and the present modifier remains 나누는. Write the short negative 안 나눠요 with a space after 안.
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 반 | half | Specifies equal halves in 반으로 나누다. |
| 몫 | share; allotted portion | Names what belongs to each participant. |
| 대화 | conversation | Pairs with 나누다 for an exchange of words. |
| 인사 | greeting | Pairs with 나누다 for mutual greetings. |
See restaurant vocabulary for the meal words around sharing dishes, or maths in Korean for numerical division.
Mini Drill: Divide, Share or Exchange
- Change 나누다 to the polite present.
- Complete “if we divide it in half”: 반으로 ____.
- Give the polite past in “had a conversation”: 이야기를 ____.
- Put 나누다 before a noun for an ongoing action: ____ 사람.
Show drill answers
- 나눠요.
- 반으로 나누면.
- 이야기를 나눴어요.
- 나누는 사람, a person who shares or divides.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 둘로 나누다 necessarily mean two equal parts?
- What does 인사를 나누다 mean?
- In 친구와 음식을 나누다, which noun is the thing shared?
Show answers
- No. 똑같이 makes equality explicit.
- To exchange greetings.
- 음식, marked with 을.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 나누다?
나눠요.
How Do I Say 'to Have a Talk'?
이야기를 나누다.
How Is 나누다 Different from 주다?
주다 is to give something to someone. 나누다 is to split and share it between people.
Does 나누다 Also Mean to Divide in Maths?
Yes. 육을 이로 나누면 삼이에요 is six divided by two is three.
Which Words Are Related to 나누다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 주다 and 모으다 as the nearby verbs, then 섞다 and 자르다 for mixing and cutting. Together with 나누다 they cover most kitchen and sharing sentences. For the rule behind these forms, read how ㅜ + 어 becomes ㅝ, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.