11.3 Verbs of playing
Unlike in English where the verb ‘play’ is used for all sorts of sports, games, and music, several different verbs are used in Korean. It is very important to note
that 놀다 is an intransitive verb that means only ‘play around without doing any type of purposeful activity’ – the opposite of work. So, it cannot be used to
describe participation in sports or games with the exception of 윷놀다 ‘play yut sticks’ – a traditional Korean game. Instead, as the next examples show, you
must choose from a variety of other verbs based on the type of activity that is involved.
• Activities that involve hitting – keyboards, a ball, cards, etc.: 치다
드럼 drum Korean drum
장구 hour-glass-shaped drum 기타 guitar
피아노 piano 탁구 table tennis
테니스 tennis 배드민턴 badminton
골프 golf 볼링 bowling
화투 hwat’ucards 트럼프 western cards
피아노는 좀 치는데 기타는 못 쳐요. I can play the piano a little bit, but I can’t play the guitar.
화투칠 때는 장불입이죠.
When you play hwat’u, you cannot take your card back once you put it out.
• Activities that involve plucking strings: 켜다
바이올린 violin 첼로 cello
가야금 Kayag
ŭm
바이올린 켜는 소리가 정말 아름 다.
The violin sound is really beautiful.
• Activities that involve blowing: 불다
플룻 flute 피리 pipe
트럼펫 trumpet 색소폰 saxophone
나팔 bugle 호루라기 whistle
밤에 피리 부는 소리가 처량하게 들린다. The sound of playing a pipe at night is sad.
• Playing musical instruments formally or professionally: 연주하다 다음 달에 국립
장에서 첼로를 연주할 예정입니다. I will be performing cello at the National Theater next month.
• Activities that involve placing a piece in a board game: 두다 바
은 좀 두는데 장기는 못 둡니다. I can play paduk, but I don’t know how to play chess.
• Activities involving various actions running, kicking, hitting, etc.: 하다
농구 basketball 배구 volleyball
야구 baseball 구 soccer
윷놀이 yut-stick game 게임 game
볼링 bowling 탁구 table tennis
테니스 tennis 골프 golf
배드민턴 badminton 화투 hwat’ucards
NOTE: The words in the bottom two rows can also be used with 치다. 심심한데 농구하러 갈까?
We are bored; shall we go play basketball? 우리 화투하지 말고 윷놀이 하는 게 어때요?
How about playing yut-stick game instead of hwat’u? • 윷: 놀다
저는 설날때마다 가 끼리 모여서 윷을 노는 게 참 재미 있어요.
I really love playing yut sticks with my family every New Year’s Day.
11.4 Verbs of cleaning
Students in first-year Korean language classes often incorrectly say 얼굴을 청소했습니다 to mean ‘I cleaned my face’ As we will see, verbs of cleaning
are somewhat more specialized in Korean than in English.
• Surface washing or cleaning with water: 씻다 or 닦다 과일 fruit
채소 vegetables 쌀 rice
손 hands 얼굴 face
몸 body 과일은 깨끗이 씻어서 먹어야 돼요.
You should thoroughly wash fruit before eating it.
• Surface cleaning by wiping, brushing, scraping: 닦다
거울 mirror 차 car
유리창 window glass 탁 dining table
접시 plates 책상 desk
과일 fruit 손 hands
얼굴 face 몸 body
이 teeth 요즘 알바로
당에서 접시 닦고 있습니다. These days, I wash dishes in a restaurant as my part-time job.
• Cleaning of horizontal surfaces by wiping or mopping with a cloth: 훔치다
방 room 마루 wooden floors
책상 desk 탁 dining table
마른 걸레로 여기 마루 좀 훔쳐라. Wipe this floor with a dry cleaning cloth.
• Gentle washing with hair soaked in water: 감다 샤워하면서 머리를 안 감는 사람도 있어요?
Are there people who don’t wash their hair while taking a shower?
• Washing face and hands: 세수하다
A: 세수 좀 해라. 얼굴이 그게 뭐니?
B: 어, 얼굴 닦았는데…
A: Wash your face, please. Look at yourself. B: That’s strange, I washed it…
• Washing automobiles: 세차하다
A: 세차 좀 해라. 차가 그게 뭐니?
B: 네, 그렇지 않아도 지금 차 닦으러 가는 길이에요.
A: Why don’t you wash your car? It’s really bad. B: Yes, I’m actually on my way to get the car washed.
• Sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, etc.: 청소하다 or 치우다
집 house 방 room
도 hallway 마당 yard
화장실 bathroom 실 bathing room
교실 classroom 계단 stairs
방 청소는 내가 할테니까 너는 화장실 좀 깨끗하게 치워라. I’ll clean the room, so you make the bathroom sparkly clean.
• Extracting smeared-in dirt, usually from a fabric, by squeezing or suctioning with the help of water by hand or by machine: 빨다 or 세탁하다
옷 clothes 이불 comforter
담요 blanket 수건 towel
모자 hatcap 운동화 sneakers
걸레 cleaning cloth 주 dish cloth
운동화를 어떻게 세탁기에 고 빠니? 손으로 빨아야지.
How can you wash the sneakers in the washer? You should wash them by hand. NOTE: 세탁하다 is usually used for professional dry cleaning while 빨래하다 is
used for ‘do laundry.’ • Doing the dishes by hand: 설거지하다
설거지하기 너무 싫은데 우리 기 세 기 하나 살까요?
We hate doing dishes; shall we buy a dish washer? • Cleansing by means of detergents or medicine: 세 하다
건강을 위해 위와 장을 세 하기도 한다.
People sometimes have their stomach and intestines cleansed for their health.
12 Proverbs and idioms
Languages are made more lively and interesting by proverbs and idioms. Learning to use these sorts of items is especially important in Korean because
they are very popular and very frequently employed.
12.1 Proverbs
Proverbs offer nuggets of advice that reflect a culture’s practices and wisdom – whether it’s ‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,’ or the
Korean equivalent ⋾㦮 ⟷㧊 䄺 ⽊㧎┺ ‘The other person’s rice cake looks bigger.’
The following expressions are among the most commonly used. They are presented in Korean alphabetical order Ṗ⋮┺⧒㑲, followed by their English
equivalent and, when appropriate, by their literal meaning in brackets. Helpful tips on how to use the proverbs can be found in 12.1.4.
12.1.1 Proverbs with identical English equivalents
ῂ⯊⓪ ☢㠦⓪ 㧊⋒Ṗ ⋒㰖 㞠⓪┺. A rolling stone gathers no moss. 㠦⓪ 㧊㠦⓪ 㧊.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. ⓼㠞┺ἶ ㌳ṗ䞶 ➢Ṗ Ṗ㧻 ザ⯊┺. It’s never too late to mend one’s ways.
⦑㧊 㧞⓪ Ὁ㠦 ₎㧊 㧞┺. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
⪲Ⱎ⓪ 䞮⬾ 㞚䂾㠦 㧊⬾㠊㰖㰖 Rome was not built in a day.
㞠㞮┺. ⳾⯊⓪ Ợ 㟓㧊┺.
Ignorance is bliss. ⶊ㏢㔳㧊 䧂㏢㔳㧊┺.
No news is good news. ク㌆㦮 㧒ṗ
the tip of the iceberg ㈢Ⰶ ╖⪲ Ệ⚪┺.
You reap what you sow. 㔲㧧㧊 㧊┺.
Beginning is half done. 㔲㧻㧊 㺂㧊┺.
Hunger is the best sauce. 㞚⓪ Ợ 䧮㧊┺.
Knowledge is power. 㡺⓮ 䞶 㧒㦚 ⌊㧒⪲ ⹎⬾㰖 Ⱖ⧒.
Don’t put off until tomorrow things that should be done today.