Korean Idioms
A curated set of 21 idioms in Korean — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.
- 눈에 콩깍지가 씌다 — To be blinded by love. Literally: To have bean pods over one's eyes.
- 식은 죽 먹기 — A piece of cake; very easy to do. Literally: Eating cold porridge.
- 우물 안 개구리 — Someone with a narrow, limited worldview. Literally: A frog in a well.
- 꿩 먹고 알 먹고 — Getting two benefits from one action. Literally: Eating the pheasant and its egg too.
- 발 없는 말이 천리 간다 — Gossip and rumors spread incredibly fast. Literally: Words without feet travel a thousand miles.
- 소 잃고 외양간 고친다 — Taking preventive action only after suffering loss; closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Literally: Fix the barn after losing the cow.
- 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 — Cooperation and teamwork make even difficult tasks easier; many hands make light work. Literally: Even a blank paper is better when held together.
- 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 — Speaking of someone often enough may cause them to unexpectedly appear; talk of the devil. Literally: Even a tiger comes when you speak of it.
- 종로에서 뺨을 맞고 강남역에서 화낸다 — Venting frustration on innocent people due to humiliation elsewhere; displaced anger toward wrong targets. Literally: Get slapped in Jongno and take anger out in Gangnam Station.
- 발이 넓다 — To be extremely well-connected. Literally: To have wide feet.
- 국수를 먹다 — To attend a wedding — or, asked as a question, when will you marry? Literally: To eat noodles.
- 바가지를 쓰다 — To be overcharged; to get ripped off. Literally: To wear a gourd.
- 비행기를 태우다 — To flatter someone over the top. Literally: To put someone on an airplane.
- 미역국을 먹다 — To fail an exam. Literally: To eat seaweed soup.
- 그림의 떡 — Something desirable but completely out of reach. Literally: A rice cake in a painting.
- 김칫국부터 마신다 — To count your chickens before they hatch. Literally: To drink the kimchi broth first.
- 등잔 밑이 어둡다 — The answer is overlooked right under your nose. Literally: It's dark under the lamp.
- 우물에 가 숭늉 찾는다 — To demand results with absurd impatience. Literally: Going to the well to look for scorched-rice water.
- 누워서 떡 먹기 — An extremely easy task. Literally: Eating rice cake lying down.
- 호박이 넝쿨째 굴러 들어왔다 — Unexpected great fortune fell into your lap. Literally: A pumpkin rolled in, vine and all.
- 발 벗고 나서다 — To throw yourself into helping wholeheartedly. Literally: To step forward with bare feet.
Loading the full interactive collection…