13 Korean Expressions You Want to Know

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

보기 좋은 떡이 먹기도 좋다. (Bogi joh-eun tteog-i meoggido johda.)

Literal Translation: A good looking ddeok rice cake tastes good.
Figurative Meaning: What looks good tastes good.

When to use it: When you see something that looks good, it likely will be of good quality. That’s because someone put the effort into it to make it have a good appearance. For example, if a chef makes a dish looks delicious, it will be delicious.

 

다 된 밥에 재 뿌리지 마라. (Da doen bab-e jae ppuliji mala.)
Literal Translation: Don’t spread ashes on cooked rice.

Figurative Meaning: Don’t rain on someone’s parade.
When to use it: Use it to command someone not to spoil another’s plans or ruin a moment, like delivering bad news at a wedding.

 

 

누워서 떡 먹기. (Nuwoseo tteog meoggi.)
Literal Translation: Eat ddeok while lying down.
Figurative Meaning: A piece of cake.
When to use it: This is a great Korean proverb to use to express how easy something is. For example, imagine your best friend is a chef and he makes you dinner. You say it’s delicious, and he says ‘누워서 떡 먹기야’, meaning it was as easy to cool as ‘lying down and eating ddeok’.

 

 

그림의 떡. (Geulim-ui tteog.)
Literal Translation: A picture of rice cake ddeok.
Figurative Meaning: A pie in the sky.
When to use it: Imagine that you’re heading to the department store while you’re reading these Korean proverbs. Your friend spots an amazing bag, and she wants to buy it. It’s 8x her monthly salary, so she can’t afford to buy it. You chime in with ‘그림의 떡이야’. 

 

 

김치국부터 마시지 말라. (Gimchigugbuteo masiji malla.)
Literal Translation: Don’t drink the kimchi soup first.
Figurative Meaning: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
When to use it: Let’s say your friend is buying a new car, and she is deciding between a standard car and a more expensive car. If she is counting on a raise at work in order to pay for the more expensive car, you can use this Korean proverb.
The meaning is that you should wait until what you expect to happen, actually happens. Kimchi soup is eaten after food to improve digestion. Therefore, you should wait for your main meal to come before eating the soup!

 

 

놓친 고기가 커 보인다. (Nohchin gogiga keo boinda.)
Literal Translation: The fish that looks the biggest is the one that gets away.

Figurative Meaning: It is always the big one who gets away.
When to use it: Used to suggest to someone that maybe he or she is exaggerating his or her lose.

 

 

도토리 키 재기. (Dotoli ki jaegi.)
Literal Translation: Measuring the height of acorns.

Figurative Meaning: Splitting hairs.
When to use it: Used to describe a situation where people are arguing about the differences between things that are essentially the same.

 

 

뚝배기보다 장맛이 좋다. (Ttugbaegiboda jangmas-i johda.)
Literal Translation: The taste of (soybean or red pepper) paste is better than the earthen bowl it comes in
Figurative Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving.

Usage: Used to describe something that is better on the inside than it looks on the outside.
A 뚝배기 is an "earthenware bowl" Koreans use to store their soybean paste and red pepper paste, two staples of the Korean diet.

 

 

빛 좋은 개살구. (Bich joh-eun gaesalgu.)
Literal Translation: A wild apricot with beautiful colour.

Figurative Meaning: Looks are deceiving. All that glitters is not gold.
When to use it: Used to describe something that looks good on the outside, but is lacking on the inside. A wild apricot may look delicious but is sourer than a regular apricot.

 

 

식은 죽 먹기. (Sig-eun jug meoggi.)
Literal Translation: Like eating cold rice porridge.

Figurative Meaning: A piece of cake. / Mere child's play.
When to use it: Used to express confidence in one's ability to do something.
죽 is a watered-down rice gruel that Koreans often eat when they are sick since it is easy to eat and digest. It is Korea's version of the American chicken-soup remedy. Even though 죽 is easy to eat, it is even easier when it is cold since one does not have to worry about scalding the inside of one's mouth. 

 

 

울며 겨자 먹기. (Ulmyeo gyeoja meoggi.)
Literal Translation: Cry while eating the mustard seed.

Figurative Meaning: Grin and bear it.
When to use it: Used when someone is forced to do something he or she would whether not do, but pretends to enjoy it, anyway. For Koreans, the mustard seed is hot and spicy and it is used for seasoning in Korea.

 

 

작은 고추가 맵다. (Jag-eun gochuga maebda.)
Literal Translation: It is the small pepper that is hot.

Figurative Meaning: The best things come in small packages.
When to use it: Often used to warn someone not to underestimate someone simply based on his or her size.

 

 

첫술에 배부르랴 ? (Cheos-sul-e baebuleulya?)
Literal Translation: Can one's hunger be satisfied with the first spoonful of food?

Figurative Meaning: Rome was not built in a day.
When to use it: Used to remind someone that some things take time, and that one should not rush to judgment nor give up too easily.