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Korean Idioms

This document provides definitions and examples for 5 common Korean idiomatic expressions: 1. "불난 데 부채질하다" means adding fuel to the fire or making a problem worse by bringing it up again. 2. "붕어빵이다" describes two people who look exactly the same, like identical fish-shaped buns. 3. "분위기에 휩쓸리다" means getting swept up in the moment and doing something unusual or regrettable. 4. "생각이 짧다" refers to acting or speaking without thinking through the consequences. 5.

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409 views6 pages

Korean Idioms

This document provides definitions and examples for 5 common Korean idiomatic expressions: 1. "불난 데 부채질하다" means adding fuel to the fire or making a problem worse by bringing it up again. 2. "붕어빵이다" describes two people who look exactly the same, like identical fish-shaped buns. 3. "분위기에 휩쓸리다" means getting swept up in the moment and doing something unusual or regrettable. 4. "생각이 짧다" refers to acting or speaking without thinking through the consequences. 5.

Uploaded by

Karla Mae
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© © All Rights Reserved
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COLLECTION OF KOREAN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

1. 불난 데 부채질하다

Literal Translation

to use a hand fan at the fire

Note :

불= fire

불 나다 = A fire breaks out/starts

부채질 하다 = to use a hand fan

Actual Usage

fan the flame; to add fuel to the fire

Note : This expression is derived from the action of building a fire: once the kindling is lit, the fire needs
to spread in order to be useable. In order to make the fire larger, one must 1) blow onto the fire to make
it spread, 2) use a fan to spread the flames, 3) pour gasoline onto a larger area. Sometimes, if there is too
much wind or gasoline, the fire may become too big and cause damage. Idiomatically, "불난 데 부채
질 하다" refers to making a problem worse by talking about it or bringing it up. For example, a friend of
yours recently broke up with his girlfriend and is trying to move on, but you keep bringing up the subject
of the break up in an effort to comfort your friend. Your words of comfort are "fanning the flames" and
actually making matters worse.

Example situations:

Situation #1

🧑 : 아.. 주식이 또 떨어졌어.. 아.. 내 주식... (Oh, my stocks have dropped again. My stocks...)

🧑 : 지난 번에 펀드해서 손해 보더니 이번에는 주식이야? (You've lost money by investing in some trust
fund last time, and now it's stocks?)

🧑 : 불난 데 부채질하지 말고 조용히 해. (Don't add fuel to the fire. Just be quiet.)


Situation #2

🧑 : 지난 주말에 소개팅 했는데 전화를 안 받아. (I went on a blind date last weekend, but the girl is not
answering my phone calls.)

🧑 : 소개팅 또 했어? (You went on a blind date again?)

🧑 : 응. 근데 오늘 전화했는데 전화를 안 받아. 왜 그러지? (Yeah, and I called her today, but she doesn't
answer. Why is that?)

🧑 : 그 여자는 니가 싫은 거야. 너 소개팅만 하면 여자가 항상 전화 안 받잖아. (It's because she


doesn’t like you. Whenever you go on a blind date, a girl always avoids your calls.)

🧑 : 또 또... 불난데 부채질 한다. (You’re doing it again...adding insult to injury.)

2. 붕어빵이다

Literal Translation

a bun/bread shaped like a carp (fish) and stuffed with red bean paste

Actual Usage

two people look exactly the same

Note: 붕어빵 is a carp (fish)-shaped bun stuffed with sweet red bean paste. Often times, you will see
these tasty and popular winter treats made by street vendors using a machine that has several fish-
shaped molds. Each mold is identical in shape, size, and detail so the 붕어빵 will all look the same.
When you describe two people, usually a parent and his/her child, as "붕어빵이다", you are implying
that they resemble each other or act and talk in the same way, just as all 붕어빵 tend to look the same.
A similar English expression is "chip off the old block".

Example Situations:

Situation #1

🧑 : 태은이 엄마랑 진짜 똑같이 생겼지? (Tae-eun really looks like her mom, right?)
🧑 : 진짜 엄마 닮았네. 붕어빵이다. (She really looks like her mom. She's like a carbon copy.)

🧑 : 그치? 너무 신기해. (Right? It's amazing)

Situation #2

🧑 : 윤아 동생 봤어요? (Did you see Yoona's younger sister?)

🧑 : 아니요. 둘이 닮았어요? (No. Do they look alike?)

🧑 : 네. 둘이 완전 붕어빵이에요. (Yeah. They are complete carbon copies.)

3. 분위기에 휩쓸리다

Literal Translation

to be swept away by the atmosphere

분위기 - atmosphere; ambience

휩쓸리다 - to be swept

Actual Usage

caught up in the moment; to do something that one wouldn't usually do by being swept up by the
atmosphere

Note: If someone is caught up in the moment, that person tends to get carried away or do/ say things
which are out of the ordinary. In Korean, this is referred to as “분위기에 휩쓸리다,” or “being swept
away by the atmosphere.” For example, you are at a baseball game and someone on the team you are
cheering for scored a home run to tie the game. You are so excited that you turn to the stranger next to
you and give him/her a hug. Following the awkward realization that you hugged a stranger, you can say,
“분위기에 휩쓸렸어요.”

Example Situations:
Situation #1:

🧑 : 두 분은 어떻게 사귀게 됐어요? (How did you two end up dating each other?)

🧑 : 원래 그냥 직장 동료였는데 월드컵 응원 갔다가 사귀게 됐어요. (We were just coworkers at


first, but we ended up dating after we went to cheer for a World Cup game.)

🧑: 네? 어떻게 그래요? (What? How?)

🧑 : 월드컵 응원하다가 한국이 이기고 있었거든요. 그 분위기에 휩쓸려서 사귀자고 했죠. (We
were cheering together and Korea was winning. We were caught up in the moment and I asked her to
date with me.)

Situation #2:

🧑 : 여보, 어제 친구들 만나서 술 값을 다 당신이 냈어요? (Honey, did you pay for all the drinks when
you met your friends last night?)

🧑 : 아, 어쩔 수가 없었어. (I couldn’t help it.)

🧑 : 왜 자꾸 분위기에 휩쓸려서 돈을 다 내는 거예요?(Why do you always get caught up in the moment


and pay for everything?)

🧑 : 미안해. 나 승진해서 모인 자리라서 어쩔 수가 없었어. (’m sorry. They were there because of my
promotion, so I had no choice.)

4. 생각이 짧다

Literal Translation

One's thought is short.

생각 - thought; idea

짧다 - to be short

Actual Usage

to act/speak without thinking; to be unintentionally inconsiderate


Note : If someone speaks or acts without thinking, that person can be described as “생각이 짧다,”
meaning that their thought process was short or non-existent, not literally that their thoughts are short.
Even if a person is unintentionally rude because he/she did not think things through, and he/she
regrettably said or did something, this idiom can still be used to describe that person.

Example Situations :

Situation #1

🧑 : 아, 내가 생각이 짧았어. (That was a mistake.)

🧑: 왜? (Why?)

🧑 : 사장님한테 잘 보이려고 와인을 사 갔는데 사장님이 와인은 안 드신다고 하시네. (I wanted to


win the boss' favor, so I bought some wine for him, but he says he doesn't drink wine.)

Situation #2

🧑 : 너 왜 이렇게 생각이 짧아? (Why are you so thoughtless?)

🧑 : 왜? 무슨 말이야? (Why? What do you mean?)

🧑 : 내가 어제 한 얘기 수정이한테 말했다며. (I heard you told Sujeong what I told you yesterday.)

🧑 : 아, 비밀이었어? 난 몰랐어. (Was that a secret? I didn't know.)

5. 가슴에 못을 박다

Literal Translation
to drive a nail into one's chest

가슴 - heart; chest

못 - nail

박다 - to drive/to hammer in (a nail)

Actual Usage

to say something very hurtful to someone; to do something that makes someone feel deeply hurt

Note : 가슴에 못을 박다 describes the intense feeling one gets when something is said or done that
causes a person to feel as if someone is stabbing him/her in the heart. This expression can be used when
talking about heart ache or a relationship breakup, but it is used more when someone is very direct,
harsh, and unfiltered when speaking to another, or when a child does something and the parent
responds "가슴에 못을 박다". A related English colloquialism is, "stab me in the heart, why don't you?!"

Example Situations:

Situation #1

🧑 : 울지 마세요. (Don't cry.)

🧑 : 내가 너를 어떻게 키웠는데. 내 가슴에 못을 박는구나. (I've worked so hard to raise you and you
are breaking my heart.)

🧑 : 앞으로 효도하면서 살면 되잖아요. 죄송해요. (I will be a good child from now on. I'm sorry.)

Situation #2

🧑 : 헤어져. 나 다른 여자 생겼어. (Let's break up. I am seeing another girl.)

🧑 : 뭐라고? 니가 내 가슴에 못을 박고 행복할 것 같아? (What? Do you think you can be happy after
breaking my heart?)

🧑 : 미안해. 나도 어쩔 수가 없었어. (I'm sorry. I couldn't help it.)

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