Korean Four Character Idioms: 40 with Hanja, Romanization and Audio

Korean Four Character Idioms at a Glance

A four-character idiom squeezes a whole idea into four syllables. Each syllable is a Sino-Korean word, which is a word based on a Chinese character (Hanja). Read them one by one and you get the literal meaning. 작심삼일 is 作 (make) 心 (heart, resolve) 三 (three) 日 (day), 'a resolve that lasts three days'. The real meaning is a New Year's resolution that collapses almost at once.

Many of these idioms came to Korea from Classical Chinese, and some come from old stories. Those story idioms are called 고사성어 (gosaseongeo). Koreans use the idioms in everyday speech, in the news and in essays. In a sentence, an idiom behaves like a noun. It takes the copula 이다 (to be), a particle, or 하다 to become a verb.

How to Read a Four-Character Idiom

Break the idiom into two pairs. Most idioms are two halves that mirror each other: 東問 / 西答 (asked east / answered west), 同苦 / 同樂 (same pain / same joy), 外柔 / 內剛 (soft outside / strong inside). If you know one half, the other is often its opposite or its echo.

Learning a few characters pays off quickly. The Sino-Korean words page explains how Hanja-based syllables build Korean vocabulary.

This page belongs to Korean Word Types. Two deeper lists go further: common Korean four character idioms (30 everyday 사자성어 with Hanja) and Korean four character idioms with stories (30 고사성어 with their origin tales).

Which Four-Character Idioms Should You Learn First?

Start with the idioms that come up in daily conversation, because you will hear them in dramas and on the street. Then learn the character idioms, which help you describe people. Leave the story idioms for later, since they make most sense once you know the story behind them.

• Say first. 일석이조, 작심삼일, 십중팔구, 인산인해, 설상가상, 금시초문.
• Use often. 동문서답, 이심전심, 우유부단, 죽마고우, 일취월장, 시행착오, 전화위복.
• Recognise in reading. 각주구검, 와신상담, 형설지공, 표리부동, 과유불급.

The scene below is a busy town square where each numbered person or object shows one idiom. Tap a number to hear it.

Word · 10

1. 1

   일석이조

   Play

   ilseogijo

   two birds with one stone

2. 2

   작심삼일

   Play

   jaksimsamil

   a resolution that doesn't last

3. 3

   십중팔구

   Play

   sipjungpalgu

   very likely; almost certainly

4. 4

   동문서답

   Play

   dongmunseodap

   an answer that misses the question

5. 5

   인산인해

   Play

   insaninhae

   a huge crowd

6. 6

   이심전심

   Play

   isimjeonsim

   understanding each other without words

7. 7

   설상가상

   Play

   seolsanggasang

   to make matters worse

8. 8

   죽마고우

   Play

   jungmagou

   a childhood friend

9. 9

   칠전팔기

   Play

   chiljeonpalgi

   never giving up

10. 10

    오비이락

    Play

    obiirak

    a coincidence that looks like the cause

Everyday Idioms (일석이조)

These eight idioms are the most common in everyday talk. Most of them take the copula 이다 straight away: 일석이조예요 after a vowel, 작심삼일이에요 after a consonant. A few take a particle and work as an adverb, such as 설상가상으로 (to make matters worse).

Example Sentences

Each sentence describes a situation first, then names it with the idiom. Play each one, say it aloud, then think of a moment in your own week that fits.

The copula changes with the last syllable. 일석이조 ends in a vowel, so it takes 예요. 작심삼일 ends in the consonant ㄹ, so it takes 이에요 and, in the past, 이었어요.

How Do You Say Idioms about People and Character in Korean?

Character idioms are handy for describing people in a single word. Some are compliments (팔방미인, 외유내강), some are criticism (안하무인, 표리부동) and some describe a relationship (죽마고우, 동고동락). Several turn into adjectives or verbs with 하다: 우유부단하다 (to be indecisive), 동고동락하다 (to go through thick and thin together).

Idioms about Effort and Time

Effort idioms are favourites in speeches, school posters and success stories. They praise patience and steady work. Numbers are common here. 칠전팔기 is 'seven falls, eight rises', and 일사천리 runs a thousand li (an old unit of distance) in one rush.

How Do You Say Idioms from Stories in Korean?

Story idioms, or 고사성어, each sum up an old tale, mostly from Chinese history and classics. The note beside each one gives the core of the story in one sentence. Once you know the story, the four syllables make sense and are easy to remember. The full tales, with the book each one comes from, are on Korean four character idioms with stories.

Idioms for TOPIK and News Reading

These idioms are common in Korean newspapers, essays and intermediate textbooks. TOPIK II reading uses that kind of text. This page does not say that any of these idioms has appeared on a particular test. The official TOPIK website, topik.go.kr, publishes past papers, and those are the best place to see real exam texts.

Which Idioms Are Said Aloud and Which Are Written?

Four-character idioms sound a little more educated than everyday words, but many are fully at home in conversation. The labels below are editorial guidance, not dictionary labels.

How Idioms Fit into a Sentence

A four-character idiom is a noun, so it fits into a sentence in three ways.

Not every idiom can take 하다. 일석이조하다 is not used, while 동고동락하다 is a normal verb. Learn the pattern with each idiom.

How Do You Pronounce These Idioms?

Four-character idioms are single words, so all sound changes inside them apply. The Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법) of the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) are the reference. The romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean. It shows linking and nasal changes inside a word but does not show tensing.

• Tensing after a stop. After final ㄱ or ㅂ, a plain consonant becomes tense: 작심 [작씸], 십중 [십쭝], 각주 [각쭈], 익선 [익썬].
• Tensing after ㄹ in Sino-Korean words. ㄹ makes only a following ㄷ, ㅅ or ㅈ tense: 설상 [설쌍], 일사 [일싸], 월장 [월짱], 설지 [설찌]. Before ㄱ there is no tensing: 불급 [불급].
• Nasal assimilation. A stop before ㅁ or ㄴ becomes a nasal: 죽마 [중마]. ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ: 감래 [감내], 동락 [동낙]. The romanization shows these: jungmagou, gojingamnae, donggodongnak.
• ㄴ and ㄹ. ㄴ before ㄹ becomes ㄹ: 천리 [철리]. The romanization writes ilsacheolli.
• Linking. A final consonant moves to a following vowel: 인산인해 [인사닌해], 작심삼일 [작씸사밀].

Audio and Slow Playback

Each idiom and sentence has its own clip. The clips below replay five idioms with sound changes slowly. Play one, repeat it syllable by syllable, then say it at normal speed.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Four-Character Idioms?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Using the wrong copula. 일석이조 ends in a vowel, so it is 일석이조예요. 작심삼일 ends in a consonant, so it is 작심삼일이에요.
2. Adding 하다 to every idiom. 동고동락하다 and 우유부단하다 are real words, but 일석이조하다 and 인산인해하다 are not. Check each idiom's pattern.
3. Reading syllables as native Korean words. The 이 in 일석이조 is 二 (two), not the native word 이 (this). The 일 in 작심삼일 is 日 (day), while the 일 in 일석이조 is 一 (one).
4. Assuming Chinese or Japanese meanings carry over. 팔방미인 is praise in Korean, but the same characters can be criticism in Japanese. Learn the Korean use.
5. Overusing them. One idiom in a paragraph sounds educated. Several in a row sounds stiff, especially in casual speech.

Tip: Write the Hanja under each syllable when you first learn an idiom. Even if you forget the characters later, the literal picture stays.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Run the deck below in recognition mode until each idiom brings up its meaning, then switch to listening mode. The deck holds all 40 idioms with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. Other topic decks are listed on the vocabulary flashcard decks page.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, pick five idioms, write the Hanja and the literal meaning of each syllable, and make one sentence with each.

Where to Go Next

Four-character idioms often have native Korean twins. 일석이조 matches the proverb 꿩 먹고 알 먹고, and 고진감래 matches 고생 끝에 낙이 온다. Compare them in Korean proverbs. For shorter phrases built from body parts and food, see Korean idioms. To learn how Hanja syllables form everyday words, read Sino-Korean words, and return to Korean Word Types for every kind of Korean vocabulary. For 30 idioms in daily use, grouped by situation, open common Korean four character idioms; for the tales behind story idioms, open Korean four character idioms with stories.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Four-Character Idioms Called in Korean?

They are called 사자성어 (sajaseongeo), literally 'four-character set phrases'. Ones that come from an old story are also called 고사성어 (gosaseongeo). Each syllable stands for one Chinese character (Hanja), so 일석이조 is written 一石二鳥 and means 'one stone, two birds'.

How Do You Say Two Birds with One Stone in Korean?

Say 일석이조 (ilseogijo), from 一石二鳥: one stone, two birds. In speech, add the polite copula: 일석이조예요. The native Korean proverb 꿩 먹고 알 먹고 (eat the pheasant and its eggs) means the same thing and is just as common.

How Do You Pronounce 작심삼일 (jaksimsamil)?

Say it [작씸사밀]. After the final ㄱ of 작, the ㅅ of 심 becomes tense, so you hear 씸. The ㅁ of 삼 then links to the vowel of 일, giving 사밀. The romanization jaksimsamil does not show the tensing, so follow the audio.

Do I Need to Know Hanja to Learn Four-Character Idioms?

No. You can learn them as Korean words with Hangul and audio, and most Koreans use them without writing the characters. Knowing a few common characters helps you guess new idioms, though. For example, 일 (一, one), 이 (二, two), 삼 (三, three) and 인 (人, person) appear in many idioms on this page.

Are Four-Character Idioms Used in TOPIK?

Four-character idioms appear in intermediate and advanced Korean reading, including news and essays, which is the kind of text TOPIK II uses. This page does not claim that any idiom is on a particular test. Past papers are published on the official TOPIK website, topik.go.kr, so check those to see real examples.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. Each idiom is one word, so sound changes inside it, such as [중마고우] for 죽마고우, appear in the romanization (jungmagou). Tensing does not.