“Many hands make light work” in Korean: 백지장도 맞들면 낫다

백지장도 맞들면 낫다

baekjijangdo matdeulmyeon natda

Situation: Proverbs & idiomsLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

Many hands make light work.

Literally “even a sheet of blank paper is better lifted together.” Even an easy task goes better when people cooperate, so it encourages teamwork.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 9 · Words: 3

Said aloud, it sounds like [백찌장도 맏뜰면 낟따].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
백지장도
백	ㅂ+ㅐ+ㄱ	baek
지	ㅈ+ㅣ	[찌] ji
장	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㅇ	jang
도	ㄷ+ㅗ	do
맞들면
맞	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㅈ	[맏] mat
들	ㄷ+ㅡ+ㄹ	[뜰] deul
면	ㅁ+ㅕ+ㄴ	myeon
낫다
낫	ㄴ+ㅏ+ㅅ	[낟] nat
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	[따] da

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 백지 → [백찌]

Style: Plain form (-다)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -다. Common in proverbs, writing and the news, but not how you normally speak to the person in front of you.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “백지장도 맞들면 낫다” mean?

Show the answer

Answer: Many hands make light work

Question 2 How do you say “Many hands make light work” in Korean?

Show the answer

Answer: 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 baekjijangdo matdeulmyeon natda

Question 3 How is “백지장도 맞들면 낫다” pronounced?

Show the answer

Answer: [백찌장도 맏뜰면 낟따]

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.