Dictionary — Entry No. 0648
만났어
manasseo · verb
만났어
manasseo
[mah-nah-SUH]
verbbeginner
Meaning
The informal past tense of 만나다 (mannada), meaning ‘met’ or ‘encountered.’ Used casually to describe meeting someone in the past, whether planned or by coincidence. It carries warmth when describing a meaningful first encounter.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
Fate and chance meetings (운명적 만남, unmyeongjeok mannam) are a beloved K-Drama trope, and 만났어 is the word used to describe that pivotal first encounter. TWICE’s members often describe meeting each other during trainee days with the same casual warmth this word carries, and ONCE (TWICE’s fandom) use it in anniversary posts about the day they discovered the group.
Example Sentences
어제 우연히 만났어.
Eoje uyeonhi manasseo.
I ran into them by chance yesterday. (우연히 = by coincidence — the classic K-Drama fate setup)
드디어 만났어!
Deudieo manasseo!
I finally met them! (fan meeting excitement, or a long-distance couple finally reuniting)
어디서 만났어?
Eodiseo manasseo?
Where did you two meet? (asking about how people got to know each other — often leads to a good story)
⚠️ Don’t use manasseo when…
만났어 (manasseo, ‘met’) is easily confused with 많았어 (manhasseo, ‘there were many/a lot’). The spelling difference is ㄴ vs ㅎ inside the syllable 만, and while the sounds are distinct, new learners often mishear them when listening at natural speech speed.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: My Love from the Star — Do Min-joon and Cheon Song-yi’s fateful encounter across centuries is the ultimate 만났어 moment, referenced by fans as the K-Drama gold standard for destined meetings.
- K-Pop: TWICE — ‘Feel Special’ — the song celebrates the people who make you feel seen; ONCE use 만났어 in anniversary posts describing the exact moment they first encountered TWICE and knew they were fans for life.
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.