“It’s darkest under the lamp” in Korean: 등잔 밑이 어둡다

등잔 밑이 어둡다

deungjan michi eodupda

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

Meaning

It’s darkest under the lamp.

Literally “under the lamp is dark.” What is closest is hardest to notice. English has a similar saying: “the darkest place is under the candlestick.”

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

Syllables: 7 · Words: 3

Said aloud, it sounds like [등잔 미치 어둡따].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
등잔
등	ㄷ+ㅡ+ㅇ	deung
잔	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㄴ	jan
밑이
밑	ㅁ+ㅣ+ㅌ	[미] mi
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[치] chi
어둡다
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	eo
둡	ㄷ+ㅜ+ㅂ	dup
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”.

Palatalization: a final ㄷ or ㅌ followed by 이 or 히 is pronounced ㅈ or ㅊ. 밑이 → [미치]
Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 둡다 → [둡따]

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 “등잔 밑이 어둡다” mean?

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Answer: It’s darkest under the lamp

Question 2 How do you say “It’s darkest under the lamp” in Korean?

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Answer: 등잔 밑이 어둡다 deungjan michi eodupda

Question 3 How is “등잔 밑이 어둡다” pronounced?

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Answer: [등잔 미치 어둡따]

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