A foreign student asked me this. "Teacher, why does it sound awkward to say 'make' for kimchi?" It's not wrong. But Korean people almost always say "damgayo" for kimchi, meaning "soak it." ## 'Damgeuda' is a word that leaves things to time 'Damgeuda' means to leave something soaked deep in water or seasoning. Kimchi, alcohol, and fermented sauces are all made that way. You put the ingredients in a container and wait, and time creates the flavor. People only get things started, more or less. That's why 'damgeuda' fits better than 'mandeulda'. Gimjang is a little different. We say "gimjang-eul haeyo." It's because the word doesn't mean just kimchi, but the whole task of the entire family gathering to prepare for winter. ## A method only those in the know use If you get confused about the verb, ask yourself this. "Am I making it to eat right away, or leaving it to wait?" If you have to wait, it's often 'damgeuda.' You make a salad, but you "damgeuda" kimchi, makgeolli, and doenjang. The reason Koreans don't tell you this is that they've never been taught it. They picked it up naturally from listening to their grandmothers and mothers talk, so they don't even know there's a rule. ## Just watch out for this '담그다' changes to "담가요, 담갔어요." The 'ㅡ' drops out. Also, it's easy to confuse with '담다'. '담다' means to put something into a container. So use them differently, as in "밥을 담아요" (put rice in a bowl) and "김치를 담가요" (make kimchi). In November, during kimchi-making season, if a neighbor asks, "김치 담갔어요?" Now you know what it means, right?