Korean Idioms: 40 Common Expressions with Meanings and Audio

Korean Idioms at a Glance

An idiom is a phrase you cannot work out from its parts. In English, 'break a leg' has nothing to do with legs. Korean works the same way. 눈이 높다 (nuni nopda) is literally 'the eyes are high', but it means 'picky' or 'has high standards'. You can't translate it word by word, so you learn it as one unit.

Most Korean idioms are a short clause: a noun, a particle and a verb or adjective. Because the last word is a real predicate, the idiom conjugates. 눈이 높다 becomes 눈이 높아요 in polite speech and 눈이 높았어요 in the past. The words inside it stay fixed. You can't swap 눈 (eyes) for 시력 (eyesight) and keep the meaning.

Idioms, Proverbs and Four-Character Idioms

Korean has three kinds of fixed expressions, and learners often mix them up. The table shows how they differ.

An idiom describes. A proverb teaches. A four-character idiom packs an idea into four syllables taken from Chinese characters (Hanja). The other two kinds have their own lists: Korean proverbs and Korean four character idioms.

This page belongs to Korean Word Types. Two deeper lists go further: Korean body part idioms (30 idioms with the hand, foot, eye, ear, mouth, face, heart and liver) and Korean animal idioms (30 idioms with tigers, dogs, frogs, cats and cows).

Which Korean Idioms Should You Learn First?

Learn idioms in the order you are likely to need them. Most daily conversation is about people, so personality idioms come first. Next come the ones for everyday situations, like an easy task, a busy week or a failed exam. Save the old-fashioned and critical idioms for recognition.

• Say first. 손이 크다, 발이 넓다, 눈이 높다, 귀가 얇다, 입이 무겁다, 식은 죽 먹기.
• Use often. 눈코 뜰 새 없다, 파김치가 되다, 미역국을 먹다, 바가지를 쓰다, 속이 타다.
• Recognise, use with care. 얼굴이 두껍다, 입이 가볍다, 국수를 먹다, 깨가 쏟아지다.

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

Word · 10

1. 1

   손이 크다

   Play

   soni keuda

   generous; makes or gives a lot

2. 2

   발이 넓다

   Play

   bari neolda

   well-connected; knows many people

3. 3

   눈이 높다

   Play

   nuni nopda

   picky; has high standards

4. 4

   귀가 얇다

   Play

   gwiga yalda

   easily persuaded; gullible

5. 5

   입이 무겁다

   Play

   ibi mugeopda

   keeps secrets; discreet

6. 6

   간이 크다

   Play

   gani keuda

   bold; daring

7. 7

   식은 죽 먹기

   Play

   sigeun juk meokgi

   a piece of cake; very easy

8. 8

   그림의 떡

   Play

   geurimui tteok

   something you want but can't have

9. 9

   파김치가 되다

   Play

   pagimchiga doeda

   to be worn out

10. 10

    배가 아프다

    Play

    baega apeuda

    to be jealous

Body-Part Idioms

Body parts carry the most Korean idioms. Each part has a job. The hand (손) is about giving and working, the foot (발) about going places and the eyes (눈) about judging. The mouth (입) is about speaking, the ears (귀) about listening and the liver (간) about courage. A big hand gives a lot, a wide foot meets many people and high eyes look down on ordinary choices. The full set of body words is on body parts.

Example Sentences

Most of the eight sentences follow one frame: person + 은/는 + idiom + a reason or result. 은/는 is the topic particle. It marks the person you're describing. Play each sentence, say it aloud, then swap in someone you know.

Notice the pairs. 입이 무겁다 and 입이 가볍다 are opposites, and so are 간이 크다 and 간이 콩알만 해지다 in the feelings group. Learning idioms in pairs halves the work.

How Do You Say Animal Idioms in Korean?

Animal idioms use small creatures to talk about size, quiet and cunning. A frog in a well has never seen the sky, so it stands for a narrow mind. A cat's forehead is tiny, so it stands for a small space. These idioms are vivid and slightly playful. Friends use them, and so do news headlines.

Food Idioms

Food idioms come from everyday Korean meals: porridge (죽), rice cake (떡), noodles (국수), seaweed soup (미역국) and kimchi. Several are about ease and difficulty. 식은 죽 먹기 and 누워서 떡 먹기 both mean 'very easy', while 그림의 떡 is food you can see but never eat.

The seaweed-soup idiom has a cultural side. Koreans eat 미역국 on birthdays, so a birthday soup and a failed exam share one dish. The idiom only means failure when an exam, test or interview is in the sentence.

How Do You Say Idioms about Feelings in Korean?

Korean often places feelings inside the body. Jealousy sits in the stomach (배), worry burns in the insides (속), fear shrinks the liver (간) and anger climbs to the top of the head (머리끝). Learn the body part and the feeling comes with it.

Idioms about Work and Money

Work idioms again use hands, feet, heads and eyes. Taking your hand off (손을 떼다) is quitting, pulling your foot out (발을 빼다) is backing away and putting heads together (머리를 맞대다) is teamwork. Several match English idioms almost word for word, which makes them easy to remember.

Which Idioms Are Everyday and Which Are Old-Fashioned?

Most idioms on this page are alive in daily speech, dramas and webtoons. A few sound old-fashioned, and a few are fine with friends but rude to someone's face. The labels below are editorial guidance, not dictionary labels.

How Idioms Change Their Endings

The last word of an idiom is a normal verb or adjective, so it takes every ending. 눈코 뜰 새 없다 becomes 눈코 뜰 새 없어요 (polite present), and 미역국을 먹다 becomes 미역국을 먹었어요 (polite past). Before a noun, an adjective idiom uses its modifier form: 손이 큰 사람 (a generous person), 발이 넓은 친구 (a well-connected friend). The particle inside the idiom does not change. Say 손이 커요, not 손은 커요, unless you are contrasting one person with another.

How Do You Pronounce These Idioms?

Idioms are short phrases, so the sound rules that join words matter. 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 writes each spaced word separately and does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

• Linking. A final consonant moves to a following vowel: 손이 [소니], 발이 [바리], 입이 [이비]. That is why the romanization reads soni, bari and ibi.
• Double final consonants. In 넓다 and 얇다 the cluster ㄼ is said as ㄹ, and the next ㄷ becomes tense: [널따], [얄따]. Before a vowel both letters are heard: 넓어요 [널버요].
• Tensing after a stop. After ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ, a plain consonant becomes tense: 높다 [놉따], 먹기 [먹끼], 국수 [국쑤].
• ㅎ and aspiration. In 않다 the ㅎ joins the ㄷ to give [안타]. The romanization writes anta because Revised Romanization shows this change in verbs and adjectives.
• The possessive 의. In 새 발의 피 and 그림의 떡 the standard sound is [의], and [에] is also allowed. Most people say [에].

Audio and Slow Playback

Each idiom and sentence has its own clip. The clips below replay five longer idioms slowly. Play one, repeat it in chunks, then say the whole phrase.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Idioms?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Translating word by word. 배가 아파요 can mean 'I'm jealous' or 'My stomach hurts'. Read the whole situation before you decide.
2. Swapping a word inside the idiom. 발이 넓다 works, but 다리가 넓다 (the leg is wide) means nothing. Keep the exact nouns.
3. Changing the particle. The idiom is 눈이 높다, with 이. Saying 눈을 높다 is ungrammatical, because 높다 is an adjective and takes no object.
4. Using a critical idiom on a senior. Calling your manager 얼굴이 두꺼운 사람 (a shameless person) is rude even in polite speech.
5. Mixing up opposites. 입이 무겁다 (discreet) is praise, but 입이 가볍다 (can't keep a secret) is criticism. Changing one word flips the judgement.

Tip: When you meet a new idiom, write down its literal picture first. The picture is what makes it stick.

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 people you know, write one idiom from this page for each, and say each sentence aloud in the polite style.

Where to Go Next

Idioms sit between single words and full sayings. Move up to whole sayings with Korean proverbs, or try the compact Hanja-based expressions in Korean four character idioms. For lighter material, Korean onomatopoeia covers sound words such as 멍멍 and 딩동. To see every kind of Korean vocabulary, return to Korean Word Types. For more of the two biggest groups, open Korean body part idioms and Korean animal idioms, with 30 idioms each.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Korean Word for Idiom?

An idiom is 관용어 (gwanyongeo) or 관용구 (gwanyonggu) in Korean. Both words name a fixed phrase whose meaning is not the sum of its words, such as 발이 넓다 (bari neolda), literally 'the foot is wide' but meaning 'well-connected'. A proverb is a different thing, 속담 (sokdam), and a four-character idiom is 사자성어 (sajaseongeo).

How Do You Say Generous in Korean?

The idiom is 손이 크다 (soni keuda), literally 'the hand is big'. It describes someone who cooks, buys or gives far more than needed, as in 우리 어머니는 손이 커요 (My mother is generous). The plain adjective for generous in character is 너그럽다 (neogeureopda).

How Do You Pronounce 발이 넓다 (bari neolda)?

Say it [바리 널따]. The ㄹ of 발 moves to the next syllable, so 발이 sounds like 바리. In 넓다 the cluster ㄼ is said as ㄹ, and the ㄷ after it becomes tense, so you hear 널따. The romanization bari neolda does not show that tensing, so follow the audio.

Which Korean Idioms Should I Learn First?

Start with idioms you can use about people you know: 손이 크다 (generous), 발이 넓다 (well-connected), 눈이 높다 (picky), 귀가 얇다 (easily persuaded) and 입이 무겁다 (keeps secrets). Then add 식은 죽 먹기 (very easy) and 눈코 뜰 새 없다 (very busy), which come up in daily conversation.

Can I Use Korean Idioms with Older People or at Work?

Most idioms on this page are fine in polite speech when you end them in the polite style, such as 손이 커요. Be careful with critical ones, such as 얼굴이 두껍다 (shameless) and 입이 가볍다 (can't keep a secret). Do not say them about a senior, and do not use them in formal writing.

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 word is romanized on its own, so sound changes across a space are not shown. The bracketed spoken forms and the audio show how the phrase really sounds.