따라 (ttara) means "of all days".
Goes after a time word to say that day is different from usual: 오늘따라 길이 막혀요 (oneulttara giri makyeoyo), "the traffic is bad today, of all days".
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- Attaches straight to the word, with no space: 오늘따라 oneulttara.
- It says things are different from usual, and there's no clear reason why.
Build it
When to use it
Today is different
Today is somehow not like other days.
Looking back on one day
That one day, things went differently.
Lately
Something has been happening more than it normally does.
In context
6 examples- 1
그날따라 우산을 안 가져갔어요.
Geunalttara usaneul an gajyeogasseoyo.
That day, of all days, I didn't take an umbrella.
- 2
요즘따라 엄마 생각이 많이 나요.
Yojeumttara eomma saenggagi mani nayo.
I've been thinking about my mom a lot lately.
- 3
왜 오늘따라 이렇게 조용해요?
Wae oneulttara ireoke joyonghaeyo?
Why is it so quiet today? It's not usually like this.
- 4
오늘따라 길이 많이 막히네요.
Oneulttara giri mani makineyo.
The traffic is really bad today, of all days.
- 5
오늘따라 커피가 더 맛있어요.
Oneulttara keopiga deo masisseoyo.
The coffee tastes extra good today.
- 6
그날따라 손님이 한 명도 없었어요.
Geunalttara sonnimi han myeongdo eopseosseoyo.
That day, of all days, there wasn't a single customer.
Practice
5 questions오늘따라 일이 많아요.
Oneulttara iri manayo.
How it sounds
따라 is a small particle you'll mostly hear in speech. It often carries a little complaint or surprise: of all the days, it had to be today. It can be warm too. 오늘따라 예뻐 보여요 oneulttara yeppeo boyeoyo means "you look especially pretty today".
It goes on time words, and you'll hear it almost always in 오늘따라 oneulttara, 그날따라 geunalttara and 요즘따라 yojeumttara.
Not the same as "following"
The particle grew out of the verb 따르다 ttareuda, "to follow", but the verb works differently: it takes 을/를, as in 길을 따라가세요 gireul ttaragaseyo, "follow the road". The particle 따라 on this page doesn't follow anything; it just marks a day that's unlike the others.
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 따라 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
