If you are learning Korean, you will inevitably come across some proverbs, known as 속담 [sokdam]. They are an integral part of learning the Korean language so why not learn some proverbs while also learning a little about Korean foods?
1. 누워서 떡 먹기 [nuwoseo tteok meokki]
눕다 [nup-tta] = to lie down
떡 [tteok] = rice cake
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
Literal translation: eating rice cakes lying down
This Korean proverb is used in situations where something is really easy to do. It’s ‘a cinch’, as easy as lying down and eating rice cakes. It’s similar to the English saying “it’s a piece of cake!”
2. 수박 겉 핥기 [subak geot hal-kki]
수박 [subak]= watermelon
겉 [geot] = outside
핥다 [haltta] = to lick
Literal translation: licking the outside of a watermelon
If you were to lick the outside of a watermelon, what would you taste? Hopefully the watermelon has been washed, so you’d likely not taste much of anything! You have to cut the melon open to get to the sweet flesh inside. So when you use this proverb, you’re saying that you’ve only scratched the surface of something.
3. 싼 게 비지떡이다 [ssan ge bijitteogida]
싸다 [ssada] = to be cheap
게 [ge] = thing(s)
비지떡 [bijitteok]= Soy pulp rice cake
Literal translation: cheap things are soy pulp rice cakes
비지떡 [bijieok] is a type of rice cake that is made with the pulp, or leftovers of soybeans from the process of making other foods such as tofu. It is mixed with flour or starch and formed into a sort of cake that in reality is not much like a regular rice cake. So the meaning of this Korean proverb is that you get what you pay for. If you don’t spend much on something, you’re going to get something that is as low quality as a soy pulp rice cake.
4. 남의 떡이 더 커 보인다 [name tteogi deo keo bo-inda]
남 [nam] = another (person)
떡 [tteok] = rice cake
더 [deo] = more
커 [keo] = big
보이다 [bo-inda] = to look
Literal translation: Another person’s rice cake looks bigger
When you’re really hungry and someone gives out snacks, you might feel that your portion isn’t big enough, and that other peoples’ portions are bigger than yours even if that’s not actually the case. The English equivalent of this proverb is ‘the grass is not always greener on the other side’. It means you should be careful about coveting what other people have and be thankful for what you already have.
5. 식은 죽 먹기 [sigeun juk meo-kki]
식은 [sigeun] = cooled
죽 [juk] = porridge
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
Literal translation: eating cooled porridge
If you have two bowls of porridge, one that is boiling hot and one that has had time to cool down, which one would be easier to eat? The cooled one, of course! Porridge is also an easy-to-eat food since there is no chewing necessary, which is why it’s a common Korean comfort food when people are ill. When you use this proverb in Korean, you’re saying that something is a breeze, as easy as eating cooled porridge. It can be used interchangeably with the first proverb in this list, eating rice cakes while lying down.
Easy, right?
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