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How to Say “When whales fight, the shrimp suffer” in Korean

고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다

gorae ssaume saeu deung teojinda

Situation: Proverbs & idiomsLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

When whales fight, the shrimp suffer.

Literally “when whales fight, the shrimp’s back bursts.” Weak bystanders get hurt when the powerful clash.

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

Syllables: 11 · Words: 5

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
고래
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
래	ㄹ+ㅐ	rae
싸움에
싸	ㅆ+ㅏ	ssa
움	ㅇ+ㅜ+ㅁ	[우] u
에	ㅇ+ㅔ	[메] me
새우
새	ㅅ+ㅐ	sae
우	ㅇ+ㅜ	u
등	ㄷ+ㅡ+ㅇ	deung
터진다
터	ㅌ+ㅓ	teo
진	ㅈ+ㅣ+ㄴ	jin
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

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

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. 움에 → [우메]

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.

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Question 1 What does “고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다” mean?

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Answer: When whales fight, the shrimp suffer

Question 2 How do you say “When whales fight, the shrimp suffer” in Korean?

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Answer: 고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다 gorae ssaume saeu deung teojinda

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