Body-Part Idioms
A 관용구 (gwanyonggu) is a fixed, figurative expression whose meaning isn't the literal sum of its words. Korean is full of idioms built from body parts.
Foot (발) idioms
발이 넓다 literally means 'to have wide feet,' but it really means to know lots of people — to be well-connected.
그 사람은 발이 넓어서 모르는 사람이 없어요.
Geu sarameun bari neolbeoseo moreuneun sarami eopseoyo.
He's so well-connected that there's hardly anyone he doesn't know.
Hand (손) idioms
손이 크다 ('big hands') means generous or open-handed, while 손이 모자라다 means short-handed, lacking enough people to do the work.
어머니는 손이 커서 항상 음식을 많이 하세요.
Eomeonineun soni keoseo hangsang eumsigeul mani haseyo.
My mother has a generous hand, so she always cooks plenty of food.
주말이라 손이 모자라서 정신이 없었어요.
Jumarira soni mojaraseo jeongsini eopseosseoyo.
It was the weekend and we were short-handed, so things were chaotic.
그 일에서 이제 손을 뗐어요.
Geu ireseo ije soneul ttesseoyo.
I've washed my hands of that work — I'm out of it now.
Mouth (입) and ear (귀) idioms
입이 무겁다 ('heavy mouth') means good at keeping secrets, while 귀가 얇다 ('thin ears') means easily swayed by what others say.
그분은 입이 무거워서 비밀을 믿고 맡길 수 있어요.
Geubuneun ibi mugeowoseo bimireul mitgo matgil su isseoyo.
He keeps secrets well, so you can safely trust him with one.
귀가 얇아서 광고만 보면 자꾸 사게 돼요.
Gwiga yalbaseo gwanggoman bomyeon jakku sage dwaeyo.
I'm easily swayed, so I keep buying things the moment I see an ad.
발이 넓은 친구 덕분에 일자리를 구했어요.
Bari neolbeun chingu deokbune iljarireul guhaesseoyo.
Thanks to my well-connected friend, I landed a job.
그 가게는 입소문을 타서 발 디딜 틈이 없어요.
Geu gageneun ipsomuneul taseo bal didil teumi eopseoyo.
That shop blew up by word of mouth, and now it's packed wall to wall.
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 발이 넓다 | Well-connected, knows many people |
| 손이 크다 | Generous, lavish |
| 손이 모자라다 | Short-handed |
| 손을 떼다 | Stop being involved, wash one's hands of |
| 입이 무겁다 | Good at keeping secrets |
| 입이 가볍다 | Can't keep secrets, talks too much |
| 귀가 얇다 | Easily swayed, gullible |
| 발 디딜 틈이 없다 | Packed, no room to move |
💡 Tip: Body idioms fall apart if you translate them word for word, so commit them to memory as whole chunks.