Common Korean Four Character Idioms: Word List with Audio and Examples

Common Korean Four Character Idioms at a Glance

Common Korean four character idioms are fixed phrases of four Chinese-origin syllables that pack a story or a lesson into four sounds. The Korean name is 사자성어 (saja seongeo): 사자 means four characters, and 성어 means a set phrase. Koreans learn them at school and use them in conversation, news headlines, essays and exams. Each one is written in Hangul and also has a Hanja form, the Chinese characters that carry the meaning.

The idioms on this page are the ones you meet most. They belong to the larger set on the Four-Character Idioms page, which also lists idioms for people, effort and stories. Here the list is arranged by situation, so you can use an idiom for the thing you want to say. The order inside each group is an editorial study order and not a count from a corpus.

You need to read Hangul to use the tables. If you cannot yet, start with reading Hangul.

Which Common Four-Character Idioms Should You Learn First?

Learn the idioms you can use the same day. Five are heard almost daily: 작심삼일, 일석이조, 십중팔구, 인산인해 and 설상가상. With these five you can talk about a failed diet, a clever plan, a likely outcome, a busy holiday and a bad day. Then add by goal:

1. If you want to join conversations. 작심삼일, 일석이조, 십중팔구, 설상가상, 인산인해 and 금시초문.
2. If you read the news. 속수무책, 동상이몽, 시행착오, 막상막하, 우왕좌왕 and 대동소이.
3. If you write essays. 시종일관, 과유불급, 유유상종, 금상첨화, 용두사미 and 일취월장.
4. If you praise people. 팔방미인, 외유내강, 죽마고우, 이심전심, 일거양득 and 백발백중.
5. If you prepare for exams. Learn all 30, and check the official TOPIK information on topik.go.kr for what each level tests.

The scene below numbers ten of the idioms with small pictures so that you can tie each phrase to an image.

Word · 10

1. 1

   일석이조

   Play

   ilseogijo

   two birds with one stone

2. 2

   작심삼일

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   jaksimsamil

   a resolution that does not last

3. 3

   십중팔구

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   sipjungpalgu

   very likely; almost certainly

4. 4

   설상가상

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   seolsanggasang

   to make matters worse

5. 5

   동문서답

   Play

   dongmunseodap

   an answer that misses the question

6. 6

   막상막하

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   maksangmakha

   neck and neck; too close to call

7. 7

   인산인해

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   insaninhae

   a huge crowd

8. 8

   이심전심

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   isimjeonsim

   understanding without words

9. 9

   우왕좌왕

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   uwangjwawang

   running around in confusion

10. 10

    박장대소

    Play

    bakjangdaeso

    bursting into hearty laughter

Tap a number to hear the idiom. At 5 idioms a day the list takes six days, and a review day after each group helps.

Idioms for Results and Efficiency

These idioms judge outcomes. 일석이조 and 일거양득 praise a plan that gains twice. 금상첨화 adds something good to something already good. 백발백중 praises a perfect aim, and 용두사미 describes a grand start with a weak end. 대동소이 says two things are about the same.

일석이조 and 일거양득 are near-twins, and each has a number pattern: 일 (one) plus 이 (two). 일석이조 is the image (one stone, two birds), and 일거양득 is the idea (one act, two gains). The final sound decides the copula. 일석이조 ends in a vowel, so it takes 예요 (일석이조예요). 일거양득 ends in a consonant, so it takes 이에요 (일거양득이에요).

Example Sentences

Each example is a short, polite spoken sentence. Notice the pattern noun + 이에요 or noun + 예요, where the idiom is the predicate. Say a sentence aloud, then read it again with the idiom hidden and say its meaning in English. The particles are explained in the Korean particles guide.

How Do You Say Idioms for Time and Habit in Korean?

These idioms are about how something goes over time. 작심삼일 describes a resolution that fades, and 일취월장 describes steady progress. 시종일관 describes keeping the same course, and 시행착오 describes learning through mistakes. 과유불급 warns against doing too much, and 이열치열 describes fighting heat with heat.

작심삼일 is the most common idiom of the page. It has the number 삼일 (three days) but is not a count: Koreans say it about any resolution that does not last, often with a smile in January. 시행착오 almost always appears with the verb 겪다 (to go through): 시행착오를 겪다 (to go through trial and error). 과유불급 comes from the Analects of Confucius (논어), so you may also see it in books of proverbs. The proverbs page covers sayings with a similar lesson.

Idioms for People

People idioms describe character. 팔방미인 and 외유내강 are praise. 죽마고우 names a friend from childhood. 우유부단 describes someone who cannot decide, 유유상종 describes friends who resemble each other, and 자화자찬 describes someone who praises their own work.

팔방미인 is positive in Korean: someone good at many things, such as singing, dancing and cooking. The same four characters are used in Japanese, but with a negative meaning of a person who pleases everyone, so do not carry that sense over. 자화자찬 is critical, because it is about a speaker who praises themself. To praise someone else's work say 칭찬하다 instead. 유유상종 can be neutral, as when friends with the same hobby gather, or slightly critical when it describes a group that is closed to others.

How Do You Say Idioms for Situations in Korean?

Situation idioms give a quick comment on what is happening. 십중팔구 says something is very likely. 설상가상 adds a worse event. 동문서답 describes an answer that misses the point, and 금시초문 says you have not heard the news. 속수무책 means nothing can be done, and 막상막하 means two sides are equal.

십중팔구 and 설상가상 work as adverbs. 십중팔구 goes directly before a verb: 십중팔구 길이 막혀요. 설상가상 usually takes 으로 at the start of a clause: 설상가상으로 비까지 왔어요 (to make matters worse, it rained too). 속수무책 and 막상막하 take the copula: 속수무책이었어요, 막상막하예요. The grammar section below sums up the patterns.

Idioms for Crowds and Feelings

The last group is about people together and what they feel. 인산인해 describes a crowd, 이심전심 describes feelings that pass between people, and 동상이몽 describes people who want different things. 우왕좌왕 describes confusion, 노심초사 describes worry, and 박장대소 describes a burst of laughter.

인산인해 is built from two matching pairs: 인산 (a mountain of people) and 인해 (a sea of people). This 2 + 2 pattern is common in four-character idioms. 이심전심 and 동상이몽 are a pair of opposites: in the first the hearts are in tune, and in the second the dreams differ even though people share a bed. 노심초사 and 박장대소 are usually used as verbs with 하다: 노심초사하다, 박장대소하다. See the idioms hub for other kinds of idiom, such as animal and body-part idioms.

How Do Four-Character Idioms Work in a Sentence?

Most idioms behave like nouns. They appear in four patterns. The table shows the pattern and an example from this page.

Not every idiom takes every pattern. 우왕좌왕, 노심초사, 박장대소, 일취월장 and 대동소이 take 하다 easily. 일석이조 and 인산인해 do not. The safest approach is to learn each idiom with its example sentence.

Register: Which Idioms Are Spoken and Which Are Written?

Some idioms are heard in daily talk, and others belong to writing. Use this guide to choose.

Numbers inside Idioms

Six idioms contain Sino-Korean numbers: 일석이조 (one, two), 일거양득 (one, two), 작심삼일 (three), 십중팔구 (ten, eight, nine), 백발백중 (hundred, hundred) and 팔방미인 (eight). If you know the Sino-Korean numbers, you can read the numeric part at once. See the Sino-Korean numbers lesson. The Chinese characters themselves are introduced on the basic Hanja page.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most idioms are said as they are spelled, but the Sino-Korean sounds create tense consonants. The table shows eight that learners often get wrong.

The rules come from the Standard Pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원. Revised Romanization does not write tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so it writes 십중팔구 as sipjungpalgu. In the tables the spoken form appears in square brackets after the Revised Romanization where it differs.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each idiom has a normal clip, and five harder ones also have a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed: 작심삼일, 십중팔구, 인산인해, 막상막하 and 일취월장. Nothing plays until you press a button.

Listen to 작심삼일 first. The ㅅ in the middle is tense, so the word sounds close to jak-ssim-sa-mil. Then listen to 인산인해, where the sounds run together as in-sa-nin-hae.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Common Four-Character Idioms?

• Writing 일석이조이에요. An idiom that ends in a vowel takes 예요: 일석이조예요. Idioms that end in a consonant take 이에요: 작심삼일이에요.
• Reading 일석이조 as il-seok-i-jo. The final ㄱ links to the next vowel and the ㅅ is tense, so it is [일써기조].
• Using 자화자찬 to praise another person. It only describes praising yourself. Use 칭찬하다 to praise someone else.
• Adding 하다 to every idiom. 일석이조하다 and 인산인해하다 do not exist, so check the example sentence for each one.
• Carrying the Japanese sense of 팔방미인 over into Korean. In Korean it is a compliment.

The copula rule (예요 and 이에요) is the one that learners break most often, because the idiom looks like a block and the final sound is easy to miss. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 idioms feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and press the clip before the card turns. Third, take the quiz below. The deck stores your progress only in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks, and the vocabulary worksheets page lists printable sheets. 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.

The deck holds the same 30 cards as the tables above: Hangul, Revised Romanization and meaning.

Try this eight-question check.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Four-Character Idioms With Stories to learn the tales behind idioms such as 새옹지마 and 전화위복, or return to Four-Character Idioms for the full set.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Short-Lived Resolution in Korean?

A short-lived resolution is 작심삼일 (jaksimsamil). The four characters mean a firm resolve lasts three days. Koreans use it for any plan that does not last, such as a diet, and say it often in January. A typical sentence is 새해 운동 계획이 작심삼일이었어요 (my New Year exercise plan fizzled out in three days).

How Do You Pronounce 일석이조 (ilseogijo)?

일석이조 is spelled il-seok-i-jo, but it is said [일써기조]. The ㅅ after ㄹ is tense, and the final ㄱ of 석 links to the vowel of 이. Say il-sseo-gi-jo as one flow, with the stress even across the four syllables. Revised Romanization writes ilseogijo.

How Many Common Four-Character Idioms Should I Learn First?

Learn about 10 first. Take the five idioms heard almost daily (작심삼일, 일석이조, 십중팔구, 설상가상 and 인산인해), then add 금시초문, 이심전심, 동문서답, 우왕좌왕 and 팔방미인. Add the rest of the 30 over the next two weeks, and revisit them with the example sentences.

Where Can I Practise Common Four-Character Idioms with Flashcards?

Use the Korean four-character idioms flashcards for a mixed deck, or the vocabulary flashcard decks page, which lists every deck with audio. This page also carries a deck with all 30 idioms in recognition mode. Your progress stays in your browser, so it is not shared with other devices.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea officially adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid that does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so spoken forms are given in square brackets and the Hangul and audio are the guide.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Common Four-Character Idioms?

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, write the Hangul and Hanja from memory, cover the English column and check your answers against the tables.

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