Korean is rich with vivid expressions that don’t always have a literal meaning—but that’s exactly why idioms are great. Knowing a few will take you from textbook Korean to real-life fluent. Whether you’re texting friends, watching K-dramas, or navigating daily life in Korea, these idioms will help you sound natural and precise.
Here are 20 useful Korean idioms for everyday life—each with a literal gloss, meaning, usage note, and example.
1 식은 죽 먹기 (sigeun juk meokgi)
Literal: like eating cold porridge
Meaning: a piece of cake / super easy
Use: When something is ridiculously simple.
예: 이 시험은 식은 죽 먹기야. (This test is a breeze.)
2 눈이 높다 (nuni nopda)
Literal: high eyes
Meaning: to have high standards
Use: Often about dating or shopping taste.
예: 그녀는 눈이 너무 높아. (She’s too picky.)
3 발이 넓다 (bari neolbda)
Literal: wide feet
Meaning: well-connected; knows many people
Use: For social butterflies or networkers.
예: 그는 발이 넓어서 아는 사람이 많아. (He knows everyone.)
4 입이 가볍다 (ibi gabyeopda)
Literal: light mouth
Meaning: can’t keep a secret
Use: Someone who spills the tea.
예: 그 사람한테 말하지 마. 입이 가벼워. (Don’t tell him. He can’t keep it quiet.)
5 귀가 얇다 (gwiga yalbda)
Literal: thin ears
Meaning: easily influenced / gullible
Use: Swayed by what others say.
예: 그녀는 귀가 얇아서 사람들 말만 들으면 바로 사. (She’s so easily swayed she buys things right away.)
6 손이 크다 (soni keuda)
Literal: big hands
Meaning: very generous (esp. with food)
Use: Compliment for generous cooks/hosts.
예: 우리 엄마는 손이 커서 항상 음식을 많이 해. (My mom always cooks a ton of food.)
7 가슴이 찡하다 (gaseumi jjinghada)
Literal: chest tightens
Meaning: to be emotionally touched
Use: Tear-jerking scenes or farewells.
예: 그 장면, 가슴이 찡했어. (That scene really got to me.)
8 물불 가리지 않다 (mulbul gariji anta)
Literal: not distinguish between water and fire
Meaning: stop at nothing; go through anything
Use: For relentless determination.
예: 그는 물불 가리지 않고 일해. (He works without letting anything stop him.)
9 배가 아프다 (baega apeuda)
Literal: my stomach hurts
Meaning: (secretly) jealous
Use: When someone’s eaten up with envy.
예: 친구가 당첨됐다니까 배 아파 죽겠어. (I’m insanely jealous that my friend won.)
10 머리가 좋다 (meoriga jota)
Literal: good head
Meaning: smart; quick-witted
Use: For sharp thinkers or clever kids.
예: 걔는 머리가 진짜 좋아. (She’s really clever.)
11 하늘이 노래지다 (haneuri norejida)
Literal: the sky turns yellow
Meaning: to feel faint/dizzy from shock or fatigue
Use: After bad news or overexertion.
예: 너무 놀라서 하늘이 노래졌다. (I was so shocked I nearly fainted.)
12 입에 침이 마르다 (ibe chimi mareuda)
Literal: your mouth goes dry (from talking)
Meaning: to praise endlessly
Use: When someone can’t stop complimenting.
예: 선생님을 입에 침이 마르도록 칭찬했어. (They praised the teacher nonstop.)
13 날개 돋친 듯이 팔리다 (nalgae dochin deusi pallida)
Literal: sell as if wings have sprouted
Meaning: sell like hotcakes
Use: For bestsellers.
예: 그 신발은 날개 돋친 듯이 팔려. (Those shoes are selling like hotcakes.)
14 제 눈에 안경 (je nune angyeong)
Literal: glasses in my own eyes
Meaning: beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Use: To defend unusual taste.
예: 제 눈에 안경이지 뭐. (It’s beautiful to me, and that’s what matters.)
15 금강산도 식후경 (geumgangsando sikhugyeong)
Literal: even Mt. Geumgang is best viewed after eating
Meaning: food comes first
Use: When you’re too hungry for anything else.
예: 금강산도 식후경이니까 밥부터 먹자. (Let’s eat first—everything else can wait.)
16 갈수록 태산 (galsurok taesan)
Literal: the farther you go, the bigger the mountain
Meaning: things keep getting harder
Use: When problems snowball.
예: 이번 프로젝트는 갈수록 태산이야. (This project just keeps getting worse.)
17 고생 끝에 낙이 온다 (gosaeng kkeute nagi onda)
Literal: after hardship comes joy
Meaning: no pain, no gain; payoff after struggle
Use: To encourage perseverance.
예: 고생 끝에 낙이 온다는 말이 맞네. (It was worth the struggle.)
18 닭 잡아먹고 오리발 내민다 (dak jabameokgo oribal naeminda)
Literal: eat a chicken, then stick out a duck’s foot
Meaning: make a flimsy excuse / play innocent after wrongdoing
Use: Calling out someone acting dumb after a misdeed.
예: 닭 잡아먹고 오리발 내미는 거 아니야? (Don’t play dumb after what you did.)
19 도둑이 제 발 저리다 (dodugi je bal jeorida)
Literal: the thief’s own foot goes numb
Meaning: a guilty conscience gives you away
Use: When someone overreacts defensively.
예: 왜 이렇게 예민해? 도둑이 제 발 저린 거 아냐? (Why so defensive—feeling guilty?)
20 바늘 도둑이 소도둑 된다 (baneul dodugi sododuk doenda)
Literal: a needle thief becomes a cow thief
Meaning: small wrongs lead to bigger ones
Use: Warning about letting bad habits slide.
예: 바늘 도둑이 소도둑 된다고, 조심해. (Small bad habits grow—be careful.)
