Core verbs

知道 zhīdào Why "知道了" works as a reply, not a statement A loose fact slides in from outside and comes to rest in a drawer in your head. Chinese 5 uses

find faɪnd Find is not the searching — it is the instant your eye lands Your eye comes down and stops on the thing whose whereabouts you did not know. English 5 uses

知る shi-ru 知る is one new dot landing in your head A piece of news from outside flies in and sticks in your head as a dot. Japanese 5 uses

찾다 chat-da In Korean you 'search out' your money at the bank Eyes sweep across a wide space square by square, then stop dead on the one spot they wanted. Korean 5 uses

听 tīng From "hear this" to "do as you're told" — one ear An ear swivels toward the noise and stays open, letting the sound walk in. Chinese 5 uses

알다 al-da In Korean, knowing is having the slot already filled Something from outside walks into the head, takes a seat, and that spot lights up. Korean 5 uses

tell tel Tell is not saying — it is placing something in someone's hands You take something you were holding and set it down in another person's open palm. English 5 uses

言う i-u 言う is one lump of speech leaving the mouth One lump of words leaves the mouth, crosses the air, and lands in someone's ear. Japanese 5 uses

모르다 mo-reu-da Korean 'moreuda' is not absence — it is an empty slot You open the drawer in your head and that one square is blank white, so your hand gropes at air. Korean 5 uses

ask æsk Ask is not questioning — it is pulling something from their side to yours You hold a hand out toward what you do not have and draw it from their side over to yours. English 5 uses

話す ha-na-su 話す is time spent with words going both ways Two people facing each other while words travel back and forth and time passes. Japanese 5 uses

吃 chī Rice, pills, and losses all go in the same mouth A mouth opens, receives what was outside, and passes it down inside the body. Chinese 5 uses

show ʃoʊ Show is not displaying — it is lifting the hidden thing up to someone's eyes Something that was out of sight rises until it sits plainly at another person's eye level. English 5 uses

聞く ki-ku Why 聞く is both 'listen' and 'ask' An ear opens outward and pulls sound, or an answer, inside you. Japanese 5 uses

喝 hē Why an after-work invitation is just "one cup 喝" What's in the cup tips back and runs straight down the throat into the body. Chinese 5 uses

듣다 deut-da In Korean, medicine 'listens well' A sound from outside rides into the body through the ear, reaches something inside, and settles there. Korean 5 uses

말하다 ma-ra-da Korean 'malhada': carrying what is inside across to someone Something penned up inside rises to the mouth, goes out, and crosses over to the person in front of you. Korean 5 uses

call kɔːl Call is not naming — it is throwing a sound across until it lands A sound leaves your mouth, arcs across the air, and lands squarely on someone over there. English 5 uses

食べる ta-be-ru 食べる is a mouth opening and taking it inside The mouth opens, food goes in, and chewing carries it inside the body. Japanese 5 uses

睡 shuì Sleep isn't lying down — it's the light going out Eyelids lower, the light in the head dims out, and the body settles. Chinese 5 uses

follow ˈfɑːloʊ Follow is not trailing behind — it is putting your foot on the line already laid Whatever went ahead leaves a line behind it, and you set your feet onto that line one step at a time. English 5 uses

먹다 meok-da In Korean you also eat your resolve and eat your years Something outside crosses the mouth into the body and becomes yours, past taking back. Korean 5 uses

飲む no-mu In Japanese you 'drink' a pill — one throat, one direction Something enters the mouth and runs straight down the throat without being chewed. Japanese 5 uses

坐 zuò Why taking the subway is 坐, the sitting word Knees fold, the body's weight settles onto one spot, and it stays with that spot. Chinese 5 uses

help help Help is not assisting — it is sliding your hand under someone's load A hand slides under the load someone was carrying alone and takes half the weight. English 5 uses

寝る ne-ru 寝る is the body turning horizontal and the switch going down A body that was standing upright lies down long and flat, and its switch goes down with it. Japanese 5 uses

买 mǎi Even the bill gets bought — what 买单 really says The money in your hand crosses over, and in its place the goods cross back to you. Chinese 5 uses

마시다 ma-si-da In Korean you drink your breath, and you drink smoke too Nothing to chew: it runs straight down the throat and fills you from the inside. Korean 5 uses

자다 ja-da Korean 'jada': cutting the line to the world and setting the body down An awake body closes its eyes, the line to the outside goes slack, and it sinks until only breath moves. Korean 5 uses

use juːz Use is not utilising — it is gripping something and putting it to work You take a firm grip on something and borrow its power to get work done your way. English 5 uses

卖 mài The same trade, seen from behind the counter An item leaves the shelf and goes out, and money comes in to fill the gap it left. Chinese 5 uses

起きる o-ki-ru Accidents 'stand up' too — 起きる rises from flat to upright Something lying flat and settled rises into the upright and becomes visible. Japanese 5 uses

歩く a-ru-ku 歩く is moving without the feet ever leaving the ground Two feet take the ground in turn, never leaving it, and the body moves forward. Japanese 5 uses

일어나다 i-reo-na-da In Korean, accidents 'rise up' too Something low to the ground straightens and surges upward, so what was not there now stands in front of you. Korean 5 uses

穿 chuān Putting on a coat and cutting through an alley — same verb The body goes into an opening, comes out the other side, and stays there. Chinese 5 uses

start stɑːrt The one moment hiding inside every 'start' Something that was standing perfectly still gives one small jolt and makes its first movement. English 5 uses

stop stɑːp Quitting smoking and a bus pulling in are the same picture Something that was rolling along cannot go any further and its feet stick to that spot. English 5 uses

洗 xǐ Water runs across a surface and takes the dirt with it Water sweeps across a surface, lifts what clung to it, and sends it down the drain. Chinese 5 uses

앉다 an-da Korean 'anda': coming down and sticking to one spot Something standing or airborne comes down and lays its weight onto a spot, and stays stuck there. Korean 5 uses

走る ha-shi-ru Pain 'runs' too — 走る draws one fast line The feet leave the ground and the body shoots forward along one fast line. Japanese 5 uses

乗る no-ru 乗る is getting on top and riding along with it A body climbs on top of something and is carried along while it moves. Japanese 5 uses

学 xué Learning is copying someone's movement into your own body Copying a movement someone else makes and stacking it up inside you, one layer at a time. Chinese 5 uses

서다 seo-da In Korean a bus 'stands' and so does a machine What was lying down or rolling along is set straight up in one place, and the motion stops dead. Korean 5 uses

try traɪ Tasting soup and dialling twice are the same move A hand is laid once on something whose outcome is unknown, and the eyes watch for the answer. English 5 uses

걷다 geot-da Korean 'geotda': feet pushing the ground to move the body Two feet push the ground in turns, and the body moves forward by exactly that much. Korean 5 uses

降りる o-ri-ru 降りる is stepping down off what was carrying you A body that was being carried up there comes down and stands on the ground on its own feet. Japanese 5 uses

教 jiāo Teaching is sending what's in your hands across to theirs What was stacked inside you is lifted out, sent across, and set into the other person's hands. Chinese 5 uses

stay steɪ The foot that could have left and did not Something that could have moved does not leave its spot and remains stuck to it. English 5 uses

问 wèn Asking is holding out a blank and waiting for it to be filled A slip with a blank on it is held out in front of someone, waiting to be filled in. Chinese 5 uses

買う ka-u You can 'buy' resentment too — 買う is one exchange, two directions Money leaves your hand and, in its place, goods cross over to you. Japanese 5 uses

live lɪv What piles up while the breathing goes on While the breathing goes on, the marks of a life pile up in one place. English 5 uses

뛰다 ttwi-da In Korean, your heart 'jumps' and so do house prices The feet kick off the ground and the body springs up, crossing not one notch but a whole gap at once. Korean 5 uses

타다 ta-da Why a bus and a trend are both things you climb onto A body settles on top of something that is moving, and goes wherever that thing goes. Korean 5 uses

答 dá One arrow flying back: 答 for replies, answers, and yes A question flies in and lands on you, and you send something back along the same line. Chinese 5 uses

work wɜːrk Medicine works, a printer works, a baker works Force goes in, the teeth of a gear turn, and the thing is doing the job it is for. English 5 uses

売る u-ru In Japanese you can sell a fight Something on my side is pushed across to your side, and the price comes back the other way. Japanese 5 uses

play pleɪ Kicking a ball and playing guitar, one verb Someone steps inside a marked-off frame and moves freely within it. English 5 uses

着る ki-ru In Japanese you can wear someone else's guilt Cloth comes down over the torso and the body ends up inside it, wrapped. Japanese 5 uses

等 děng Feet nailed down while the clock walks past: 等 Your feet stay stuck to one spot while time keeps walking past you. Chinese 5 uses

사다 sa-da In Korean you buy lunch — and you also buy a misunderstanding You put a price down, and that much of something crosses over to your side. Korean 5 uses