Core verbs

닫다 dat-da Shutting a door, shutting a shop, shutting your mouth Two open faces meet, and the path that joined inside to outside is cut. Korean 5 uses

set set An alarm, a date, and the sunset all come to rest Something in motion is put down in one spot and stays fixed there. English 5 uses

入る hai-ru News, people, wallets: it all comes inside Something outside crosses the edge and settles inside a boundary. Japanese 5 uses

拿 ná 拿: five fingers closing Your fingers close hard around something and pull it toward you. Chinese 5 uses

带 dài 带: whatever is stuck to you comes along Something is fastened to you, so when you move, it moves too. Chinese 5 uses

上がる a-ga-ru When rain goes up, it has stopped Something low rises. When it has risen all the way, that thing is finished. Japanese 5 uses

stand stænd How standing turns into putting up with it Holding upright against whatever is trying to knock you over. English 5 uses

넣다 neo-ta Sugar goes in, and so does your resume Something outside is sent past a boundary and settles inside. Korean 5 uses

下がる sa-ga-ru When your head goes down, that is respect Something high moves lower. As the height drops, so does the force behind it. Japanese 5 uses

빼다 ppae-da Pulling a tooth and subtracting tax are the same motion Something lodged inside is drawn out, leaving its place empty and the whole smaller. Korean 5 uses

换 huàn 换: the slot stays, what's in it changes One thing steps out of a slot and something else steps into the empty space. Chinese 5 uses

let let Permission, cooling soup, and letting go share one hand The hand that was blocking the way lifts, and things go where they were already headed. English 5 uses

look lʊk Look is not what you see — it is where you aim your eyes Your head turns and your eyes land on one spot on purpose. English 5 uses

找 zhǎo Why change at the register is 找 There is a gap somewhere, and your eyes go looking for the thing that fills it. Chinese 5 uses

오르다 o-reu-da Rent rises, fever rises, and so does your skill Something moves from a low place to a high one — a position, a number, a level of force. Korean 5 uses

開ける a-ke-ru Open your mouth, open the way: same verb You move whatever is blocking to the side, leaving a gap that inside and outside can pass through. Japanese 5 uses

用 yòng Why 'don't mention it' starts with 用 You pick something up and borrow its power to get the job done. Chinese 5 uses

see siː See is not looking — it is what already got in Something lands in front of you and registers, whether or not you tried. English 5 uses

내리다 nae-ri-da You get down from a bus, and a decision comes down too What was up above moves down. The height drops, and what is above passes to what is below. Korean 5 uses

閉める shi-me-ru A tap, a curtain, a shop: all pressed shut You press an open gap together so nothing can pass through it any more. Japanese 5 uses

draw drɔː A drawn line and a drawn match pull the same rope Taking hold of something and pulling it out toward you. English 5 uses

立つ ta-tsu Steam stands, and so do rumors Something that was lying flat, or was not there at all, rises upright and catches the eye. Japanese 5 uses

붙다 but-da When you pass an exam in Korean, what exactly are you sticking to? Two separate things meet, the gap between them vanishes, and it now takes force to part them. Korean 5 uses

收 shōu 收: everything spread out, pulled back in You sweep what was spread out back toward you and take it inside. Chinese 5 uses

catch kætʃ You catch a ball, a train, and a cold the same way Something is going past, and your hand closes on it in time. English 5 uses

发 fā One character sends a text, a fever, and a temper: 发 Something that was shut inside bursts outward in every direction. Chinese 5 uses

座る su-wa-ru What it means to sit in the boss's chair The body lowers and settles into one spot, and stays put there. Japanese 5 uses

떨어지다 tteo-reo-ji-da Falling, failing, running out — one word does all three What was attached breaks loose and drops, and by that much it grows distant or is simply gone. Korean 5 uses

carry ˈkæri Why a shop carries shoes it never picks up A load rests on you and stays there while you keep moving. English 5 uses

남다 nam-da Rice is left, time is left, and words are left in you What is still sitting there after everything has been used up and everyone has gone. Korean 5 uses

持つ mo-tsu Why milk that lasts is milk that holds A hand grips something and does not let go, so it stays on your side. Japanese 5 uses

进 jìn 进: getting hired and getting better are the same step A foot crosses one threshold: what was outside is now inside. Chinese 5 uses

채우다 chae-u-da You fill a bottle, a blank, and even three years An empty space is brought all the way to full, until nothing more will fit. Korean 5 uses

出 chū 出: accidents, new phones and ideas all 'come out' Something hidden inside crosses the edge and shows itself outside. Chinese 5 uses

pull pʊl You pull a door, a tooth, and yourself together You take hold of something out there and drag it toward you. English 5 uses

置く o-ku The verb hiding inside do it in advance You set something down in a spot, take your hand away, and leave it there. Japanese 5 uses

引く hi-ku In Japanese you pull a cold toward you You pull something from over there toward yourself. Pulling can bring it in, or pull it away from a total. Japanese 5 uses

풀다 pul-da Untie a lace, untangle a problem, undo a misunderstanding Something bound tight is let back to slack, and what was tangled comes loose on its own. Korean 5 uses

回 huí 回: replies and strength both 'come back' Something that went out loops around and lands back where it started. Chinese 5 uses

막다 mak-da Block a road, cut off a sentence, head off an accident Something is set across the path so the flow cannot get any further. Korean 5 uses

押す o-su A schedule that runs late is being pushed You send force from your side toward the other side. It can press something flat, or shove it along. Japanese 5 uses

转 zhuǎn 转: a steering wheel, a payment and the weather all turn You pivot from the way you were facing and end up pointed somewhere else. Chinese 5 uses

回る ma-wa-ru When a job comes around to you, it really went around Something turns around a center. Turning touches place after place, and one full turn brings it back to you. Japanese 5 uses

站 zhàn 站: a bus stop and taking sides are the same stance Two feet planted on the ground, holding one spot. Chinese 5 uses

세우다 se-u-da Stopping a car and making a plan are the same gesture What was lying flat or rolling along is set upright, and made to hold its place. Korean 5 uses

住 zhù Why 'to live somewhere' and 'to hold tight' share one character: 住 Something in motion sticks to one spot and stops coming loose. Chinese 5 uses

決める ki-me-ru Deciding is nailing down what was still floating Something has been floating and wobbling; you drive it into one point so it cannot move any more. Japanese 5 uses

눕다 nup-da People lie down, and so do trees after a storm What stood upright is stretched out level with the ground, and the force holding it up drains away. Korean 5 uses

变 biàn 换 swaps the slot; 变 changes the thing itself The thing stays where it is but turns into something else — what was there is now a different thing. Chinese 5 uses

続く tsu-zu-ku A road continues the same way a story does One thing links to the next, and the next, without a break. Time, road, or people: the same line. Japanese 5 uses

옮기다 om-gi-da You move a box, and you also move a cold What was here is lifted and set down there. The thing does not change; its place does. Korean 5 uses

fall fɔːl Why falling asleep is the same word as falling off a ladder A hand slowly loosening its grip on a branch, and the body going down. Nothing pushes it; the thing holding it up simply lets go. English 5 uses

drop drɒp One open hand: a phone, a price, a passenger, a plan Fingers that were gripping something spread open, and the thing goes down. The one holding it is the one who lets go. English 5 uses

rise raɪz The sun, the rent, and your voice all do the same thing The sun below the horizon climbing slowly upward with nothing pushing it. It goes up because going up is what it does. English 5 uses

move muːv Moving a car and being moved by a story are one verb A desk being pushed out of the space it occupied and set down against the wall. The desk is the same; the spot is not. English 5 uses

fit fɪt The word for shoe size also books your afternoon A puzzle piece pressed into an empty slot, with nothing sticking out and nothing left over. English 5 uses

wear wer Not putting it on, but keeping it on Something put on in the morning still on the body at night. Not the instant of putting it on, but the whole day of carrying it. English 5 uses

change tʃeɪndʒ Changing your shirt, your train, and your order is one move A card lifted off the table and a different card set down in the same spot. There is only one spot; what lies on it is now something else. English 5 uses

hear hɪər Sound Arrives: Why HEAR Is Not Something You Do You are standing still and a sound flows into your ear on its own. You did not go and fetch it; it reached you. English 5 uses

listen ˈlɪsən Your Ears Are Already Open — So Why LISTEN? You turn your head and lean slightly toward where the sound is. You are not waiting for it to arrive; you are carrying your ear over to it. English 5 uses