IdiomFood & Drink
Korean
Korean미역국을 먹다 (Miyeokgugeul meokda)
Meaning: To fail an exam.
Literally: To eat seaweed soup
Example: “운전면허 시험에서 또 미역국을 먹었다.” — I failed the driving test again.
Equivalents in other languages
Chinese: 名落孙山 (míng luò Sūn Shān) Literally: One's name falls below Sun Shan
Origin: The best-known explanation goes back to 1907, when Japan forced the disbandment of the Korean army: the word for disbandment, haesan, sounds the same as the word for childbirth, after which mothers eat seaweed soup. Soldiers losing their posts joked that they had "eaten seaweed soup," and the phrase came to mean failing an exam. The link to slippery seaweed is a later folk explanation.
More Korean idioms
- 그림의 떡 (Geurimui tteok) Something desirable but completely out of reach.
- 등잔 밑이 어둡다 (Deungjan mit-i eodupda) The answer is overlooked right under your nose.
- 우물에 가 숭늉 찾는다 (Umure ga sungnyung channeunda) To demand results with absurd impatience.
- 누워서 떡 먹기 (nuwoseo tteok meokgi) An extremely easy task.
- 호박이 넝쿨째 굴러 들어왔다 (Hobagi neongkuljjae gulleo deureowatda) Unexpected great fortune fell into your lap.
- 발 벗고 나서다 (bal beotgo naseoda) To throw yourself into helping wholeheartedly.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다 (Nanmareun saega deutgo bammareun jwiga deunneunda) Be careful what you say; someone is always listening.
- 자라 보고 놀란 가슴 솥뚜껑 보고 놀란다 (Jara bogo nollan gaseum sotttukkeong bogo nollanda) Once badly frightened, you get scared of anything that looks similar.
- 뚝배기보다 장맛이 좋다 (Ttukbaegiboda jangmasi jota) What's inside matters more than the outside.
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