KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Friends & social media › 그 사진을 보니까 옛날 생각이 나서 울컥하더라
“Seeing that photo made me think…” in Korean
그 사진을 보니까 옛날 생각이 나서 울컥하더라
geu sajineul bonikka yennal saenggagi naseo ulkeokadeora
Meaning
Seeing that photo made me think of the old days and I got choked up.
Usage note
[Casual] 울컥하다 describes emotion welling up suddenly, almost to tears. -더라 reports something you personally experienced or observed, and is natural in casual talk.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.
How to pronounce it
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 그 | ㄱ+ㅡ | geu |
| 사진을 | ||
| 사 | ㅅ+ㅏ | sa |
| 진 | ㅈ+ㅣ+ㄴ | [지] ji |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [늘] neul |
| 보니까 | ||
| 보 | ㅂ+ㅗ | bo |
| 니 | ㄴ+ㅣ | ni |
| 까 | ㄲ+ㅏ | kka |
| 옛날 | ||
| 옛 | ㅇ+ㅖ+ㅅ | [옌] yen |
| 날 | ㄴ+ㅏ+ㄹ | nal |
| 생각이 | ||
| 생 | ㅅ+ㅐ+ㅇ | saeng |
| 각 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄱ | [가] ga |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [기] gi |
| 나서 | ||
| 나 | ㄴ+ㅏ | na |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 울컥하더라 | ||
| 울 | ㅇ+ㅜ+ㄹ | ul |
| 컥 | ㅋ+ㅓ+ㄱ | [커] keo |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | [카] ka |
| 더 | ㄷ+ㅓ | deo |
| 라 | ㄹ+ㅏ | ra |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 진을 → [지늘]
- Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 옛날 → [옌날]
- Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 컥하 → [커카]
Speech style
No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 사진 | noun | photo | TOPIK level 1 |
| 생각 | noun | thought, idea | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “나서”
- 발 벗고 나서 주셔서 감사할 따름입니다I can’t thank you enough for stepping in so willingly
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “그 사진을 보니까 옛날 생각이 나서 울컥하더라” mean?
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Answer: Seeing that photo made me think of the old days and I got choked up
Question 2 How do you say “Seeing that photo made me think of the old days and I got choked up” in Korean?
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Answer: 그 사진을 보니까 옛날 생각이 나서 울컥하더라 geu sajineul bonikka yennal saenggagi naseo ulkeokadeora
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네We’ve been all talk, and before we knew it a whole year has slipped by
- 내가 한 말 때문에 오해가 생겼다면 풀고 싶은데 시간 괜찮아?If my words caused a misunderstanding, I want to clear it up. Got time
- 눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어Sorry if I was being tactless. I didn’t mean any harm
- 단톡방 분위기가 싸해져서 말을 꺼내기 어려웠어The group chat got awkward, so it was hard to bring it up
- 읽고도 답이 없으면 솔직히 좀 서운하지Honestly, it stings a bit when you read it and don’t reply
- 서로 바빠도 가끔은 안부를 전하자Even when we’re both busy, let’s check in with each other now and then
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