Korean Proverbs: 40 Sayings with Romanization and Audio

Korean Proverbs at a Glance

A proverb is a complete saying with a lesson inside it. 'The early bird catches the worm' is an English proverb. Korean proverbs work the same way, but their pictures come from village life: rice fields, oxen, tigers, rice cakes and oil lamps. Once you know the picture, the lesson is easy to guess. 소 잃고 외양간 고친다 means 'fixing the cowshed after losing the cow'. You can guess the lesson: acting too late.

Koreans use proverbs to comment on a situation. Someone tells a story, and a listener sums it up with a proverb. Because of that, a proverb usually stands on its own at the end of what you say, in its plain dictionary form. Short proverbs ending in a noun or 이다 often take the polite ending instead: 시작이 반이에요, 티끌 모아 태산이에요.

How a Korean Proverb Is Built

Many proverbs have two halves joined by a connecting ending. The first half sets a condition and the second gives the result.

Other proverbs are a short noun phrase with no verb at all, such as 티끌 모아 태산 and 제 눈에 안경. The verb is simply understood.

This page belongs to Korean Word Types. Idioms, which describe rather than teach, are on Korean idioms. Two deeper lists go further: Famous Korean proverbs (30 well-known sayings) and Korean proverbs and English equivalents (30 Korean proverbs paired with English sayings, with a note on how close each match is).

Which Korean Proverbs Should You Learn First?

Learn the proverbs you will hear before the ones you will read. Short proverbs come up in conversation, dramas and variety shows almost every day. Longer, bookish proverbs show up in essays, speeches and reading tests, so learn to recognise them first.

• Heard daily. 시작이 반이다, 티끌 모아 태산, 금강산도 식후경, 하늘의 별 따기, 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다, 세 살 버릇 여든까지 간다.
• Common in speech and writing. 가는 말이 고와야 오는 말이 곱다, 소 잃고 외양간 고친다, 원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다, 벼는 익을수록 고개를 숙인다.
• Recognise first, mostly in books. 구슬이 서 말이라도 꿰어야 보배, 서당 개 삼 년이면 풍월을 읊는다, 열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다.

The scene below is a village where each numbered object shows one proverb. Tap a number to hear it.

Word · 10

1. 1

   시작이 반이다

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   sijagi banida

   well begun is half done

2. 2

   티끌 모아 태산

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   tikkeul moa taesan

   many a little makes a mickle

3. 3

   금강산도 식후경

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   geumgangsando sikhugyeong

   eat first, then do the rest

4. 4

   등잔 밑이 어둡다

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   deungjan michi eodupda

   the thing you seek is often right under your nose

5. 5

   낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다

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   nanmareun saega deutgo bammareun jwiga deunneunda

   walls have ears

6. 6

   소 잃고 외양간 고친다

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   so ilko oeyanggan gochinda

   to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

7. 7

   고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다

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   gorae ssaume saeu deung teojinda

   the small get hurt when the powerful fight

8. 8

   원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다

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   wonsungido namueseo tteoreojinda

   even experts make mistakes

9. 9

   벼는 익을수록 고개를 숙인다

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   byeoneun igeulsurok gogaereul suginda

   the wiser you are, the humbler you are

10. 10

    개천에서 용 난다

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    gaecheoneseo yong nanda

    a great person can come from humble beginnings

Short Everyday Proverbs

These eight proverbs are short, so they fit easily into a conversation. Several end in a noun, such as 태산 (a great mountain) or 식후경 (sightseeing after a meal). That lets speakers add the polite ending 이에요 or 예요 straight onto them.

Example Sentences

In each sentence the proverb sums up the situation, either before or after it. Play each one, say it aloud, then use the proverb to comment on something in your own week.

Two of these are Sino-Korean sayings: 금강산도 식후경 ends in a Sino-Korean word, and 백문이 불여일견 is borrowed whole from Classical Chinese. You will find more sayings like these in Korean four character idioms.

How Do You Say Proverbs about Effort and Time in Korean?

Effort proverbs are the ones teachers and parents quote most. They praise patience, focus and hard work, and they warn that habits stick. Several use old units: 리 for distance, 말 for volume. You don't need to know the exact size. Just know that 천 리 is a very long way.

Proverbs about Speech

Korean culture puts a lot of weight on how you speak, and so do its proverbs. They warn that rumours spread (발 없는 말이 천 리 간다), that secrets leak (낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다) and that tone matters as much as content (아 다르고 어 다르다).

The pun in 발 없는 말이 천 리 간다 is worth knowing. 말 means both 'words' and 'horse'. A horse needs feet to travel, but words have no feet and still travel a thousand li.

How Do You Say Proverbs about People in Korean?

People proverbs describe character: the boaster, the humble expert, the envious cousin and the friend you never really knew. They are useful for talking about others without naming a fault directly. The proverb carries the criticism, so it sounds softer.

Proverbs with Animals

Animals in Korean proverbs come from the farm and the sea: cows, pheasants, frogs, crayfish, whales and shrimp. The dragon (용) in 개천에서 용 난다 stands for greatness, and the tiger (호랑이) from the speech group is the classic animal of Korean folk tales.

Which Proverbs Are Said Aloud and Which Are Written?

Most proverbs on this page are fine in everyday speech. A few belong more to writing, speeches and school lessons. The labels below are editorial guidance, not dictionary labels.

Cutting a Proverb Short

Speakers often say only the first half of a long proverb. 호랑이도 제 말 하면… or 가는 말이 고와야… is enough, because everyone knows the ending. Learners should still learn the whole proverb, since you need it to understand the half. A common way to quote one is to add -더니 or -다고 to the plain form, as in 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다더니 (Speak of the devil, they say). These quoting endings are a grammar topic of their own, so this page sticks to the plain proverb.

How Do You Pronounce These Proverbs?

Proverbs are full sentences, so they collect many sound changes. 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: 시작이 [시자기], 말이 [마리], 낙이 [나기].
• Nasal assimilation. Before ㄴ or ㅁ, a final stop becomes a nasal: 백문 [뱅문], 듣는다 [든는다], 갚는다 [감는다], 읊는다 [음는다]. The romanization shows this: baengmun, deunneunda, gamneunda, eumneunda.
• ㄹ and ㄴ together. ㄴ next to ㄹ becomes ㄹ: 천 리 is said [철리]. Because the two words are spaced, the romanization still writes cheon ri.
• Aspiration. ㅎ joins a following ㄱ or ㄷ: 잃고 [일코], 놓고 [노코]. Revised Romanization shows this in verbs: ilko, noko.
• Tensing. After a stop, a plain consonant becomes tense: 뱉기 [밷끼], 듣고 [듣꼬], 먹고 [먹꼬]. The romanization does not show this.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each proverb and sentence has its own clip. The clips below replay five long proverbs slowly. Play one, repeat each half, then say the whole saying.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Proverbs?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Turning the proverb into a report. 소 잃고 외양간 고쳐요 is grammatical, but it sounds like you are telling someone you are literally repairing a cowshed. To comment on a situation, quote the proverb in its plain form: 소 잃고 외양간 고친다.
2. Using a proverb as a sentence about yourself. 원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다 comforts someone else. Saying it about your own mistake can sound like an excuse.
3. Changing words. 티끌 모아 태산 must keep 태산. Swapping in 산 (mountain) breaks the fixed saying.
4. Overusing them. One proverb in a conversation sounds clever. Three in a row sounds like a textbook.
5. Taking English equivalents as exact. 개천에서 용 난다 is close to 'rags to riches', but it is about a person rising from a humble background, not about sudden wealth.

Tip: Learn each proverb with the situation it comments on. When that situation comes up again, the proverb will come back to you.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Run the deck below in recognition mode until each proverb brings up its meaning, then switch to listening mode. The deck holds all 40 proverbs 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, write one short story from your own life for five proverbs on this page, and end each story with the proverb.

Where to Go Next

Proverbs pair well with the two other kinds of fixed expressions. Korean idioms are shorter phrases you build into your own sentences, such as 손이 크다 (generous). Korean four character idioms pack a whole proverb into four syllables, such as 일석이조, which means the same as 꿩 먹고 알 먹고. To see every kind of Korean vocabulary, return to Korean Word Types. For 30 well-known sayings with usage notes, open Famous Korean proverbs; to compare Korean sayings with English ones, open Korean proverbs and English equivalents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Korean Word for Proverb?

A proverb is 속담 (sokdam). It is a traditional saying that gives advice or a lesson, such as 시작이 반이다 (well begun is half done). It differs from an idiom, 관용어 (gwanyongeo), which only describes, and from a four-character idiom, 사자성어 (sajaseongeo), which is four Sino-Korean syllables.

How Do You Say Well Begun Is Half Done in Korean?

Say 시작이 반이다 (sijagi banida), literally 'the start is half'. In polite conversation people often say 시작이 반이에요. It encourages someone who has just begun a diet, a course or a project.

How Do You Pronounce 티끌 모아 태산 (tikkeul moa taesan)?

Say it as written: [티끌 모아 태산]. 티 has the aspirated ㅌ with a puff of air, and 끌 has the tense ㄲ with no puff. 태산 also starts with an aspirated ㅌ. Use the audio on this page to hear the contrast between ㅌ and ㄲ.

Which Korean Proverbs Should I Learn First?

Start with the eight short everyday proverbs, which you will hear most: 시작이 반이다, 티끌 모아 태산, 금강산도 식후경, 백문이 불여일견, 하늘의 별 따기, 등잔 밑이 어둡다, 아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 날까 and 누워서 침 뱉기. Then add 가는 말이 고와야 오는 말이 곱다 and 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다.

Do Korean People Use Proverbs in Everyday Conversation?

Yes, but usually in short pieces. Speakers often say only the first half of a long proverb and let the listener finish it, as in 호랑이도 제 말 하면… The short proverbs on this page are heard daily. A few, marked as bookish, appear more in writing, speeches and school lessons.

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