KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 발 없는 말이 천 리 간다

How to Say “Words travel fast, even without feet” in Korean

발 없는 말이 천 리 간다

bal eomneun mari cheon ri ganda

Situation: Proverbs & idiomsLevel: Intermediate (TOPIK 3–4)

Meaning

Words travel fast, even without feet.

Literally “words without feet travel a thousand ri (an old distance unit).” Even a casual remark spreads far, so watch your tongue.

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

Syllables: 9 · Words: 6

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
발	ㅂ+ㅏ+ㄹ	bal
없는
없	ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ	[엄] eom
는	ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ	neun
말이
말	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄹ	[마] ma
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[리] ri
천	ㅊ+ㅓ+ㄴ	cheon
리	ㄹ+ㅣ	ri
간다
간	ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄴ	gan
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

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

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). 없는 → [엄는]
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. 말이 → [마리]

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.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
발	noun	foot	TOPIK level 1
없다	adjective	to not exist, to not have	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “발 없는 말이 천 리 간다” mean?

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Answer: Words travel fast, even without feet

Question 2 How do you say “Words travel fast, even without feet” in Korean?

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Answer: 발 없는 말이 천 리 간다 bal eomneun mari cheon ri ganda

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