KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다
“Once people succeed, they…” in Korean
개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다
gaeguri olchaengi jeok saenggak mot handa
Meaning
Once people succeed, they forget their humble beginnings.
Usage note
Literally “a frog can’t remember when it was a tadpole”. It criticizes people who, once successful, forget their poor or struggling days and become arrogant.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 개구리 | ||
| 개 | ㄱ+ㅐ | gae |
| 구 | ㄱ+ㅜ | gu |
| 리 | ㄹ+ㅣ | ri |
| 올챙이 | ||
| 올 | ㅇ+ㅗ+ㄹ | ol |
| 챙 | ㅊ+ㅐ+ㅇ | chaeng |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | i |
| 적 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄱ | jeok |
| 생각 | ||
| 생 | ㅅ+ㅐ+ㅇ | saeng |
| 각 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄱ | gak |
| 못 | ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ | [몯] mot |
| 한다 | ||
| 한 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ | han |
| 다 | ㄷ+ㅏ | da |
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
- Final-sound reduction: every final consonant is pronounced as one of seven sounds — ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ or ㅇ. 못 → [몯]
Speech style
Ends in -다. Common in proverbs, writing and the news, but not how you normally speak to the person in front of you.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 생각 | noun | thought, idea | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “개구리”
- 우물 안 개구리Like a frog in a well, unaware of the wider world
Quick self-check
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Question 1 What does “개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다” mean?
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Answer: Once people succeed, they forget their humble beginnings
Question 2 How do you say “Once people succeed, they forget their humble beginnings” in Korean?
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Answer: 개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다 gaeguri olchaengi jeok saenggak mot handa
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 바늘 도둑이 소 도둑 된다Small wrongs, left alone, grow into big ones
- 공든 탑이 무너지랴A tower built with devotion won’t crumble
- 믿는 도끼에 발등 찍힌다Betrayed by the very person you trusted
- 발등에 불이 떨어졌다Things have gotten urgent. The heat is on
- 낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다Can’t even recognize the letter ㄱ with a sickle in hand. (Totally illiterate.)
- 어깨가 무겁다I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders
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