If you’re an English speaker who pays close attention to language traits, you’ve probably learned or realized that a vast majority of English verbs beginning with “re” are words that talk about doing something over again. Shall I reword, rephrase, or reorganize that thought?

re = originally a Latin prefix meaning “again” or “back”

remove = to move something back or away

reverse = to go backward

Similarly, Korean has its own prefix that functions like the Latin-based English prefix “re”. Korean uses 되~; English uses re~.

되 (as a prefix) = back, again; on the contrary

Let’s take a look at some Korean words that reflect this usage.  Continue reading →