Frequency / Every

마다: every single one, no exceptions

마다 attaches to a noun and means "every" or "each". It's mechanically simple — no 받침 rule, nothing changes — so the interesting part is what it does that English "every" doesn't.

Time expressions

This is the most common use by a distance.

• 날마다 운동해요. (nal-mada undonghaeyo) — "I exercise every day."
• 주말마다 만나요. (jumal-mada mannayo) — "We meet every weekend."
• 세 시간마다 (se sigan-mada) — "every three hours"

That last pattern, number plus counter plus 마다, is how you say intervals. It's worth drilling because it comes up in instructions and schedules constantly.

Things and people

• 사람마다 달라요. (saram-mada dallayo) — "It differs from person to person."
• 나라마다 문화가 달라요. (nara-mada munhwa-ga dallayo) — "Every country has a different culture."

Notice how naturally 마다 pairs with 다르다 (dareuda, "to be different"). "X마다 달라요" is a set phrase you can lean on: whatever varies, that's the frame.

The emphasis it carries

마다 insists on the without exception part in a way English "every" doesn't always. Saying 날마다 is closer to "every single day" than to a loose "daily" — it rules out the gaps.

That's why it sounds slightly strong in casual conversation about small things, and why 매일 (maeil, "every day", from Sino-Korean) often shows up instead when nobody is making a point of it.

마다 vs 매

Korean has two ways to say "every", and they come from different places.

• 마다 is native Korean and attaches to any noun: 날마다, 주말마다, 사람마다.
• 매 (每) is Sino-Korean and forms fixed compounds: 매일 (maeil, "every day"), 매주 (maeju, "every week"), 매년 (maenyeon, "every year").

매 isn't a particle you attach freely — it only lives inside words that already exist. So 매사람 isn't a thing, while 사람마다 is perfectly normal. When there's a 매 compound available, it tends to sound more neutral; 마다 leans on the exhaustiveness.

If the two number systems behind 매일 and 날마다 are unfamiliar, the numbers page explains why Korean keeps both.