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“Speak of the devil” in Korean: 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다

호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다

horangido je mal hamyeon onda

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

Meaning

Speak of the devil.

Literally “even a tiger comes if you talk about it.” A set phrase said with a smile when the person you were discussing shows up.

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

Syllables: 10 · 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
호랑이도
호	ㅎ+ㅗ	ho
랑	ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅇ	rang
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	i
도	ㄷ+ㅗ	do
제	ㅈ+ㅔ	je
말	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄹ	mal
하면
하	ㅎ+ㅏ	ha
면	ㅁ+ㅕ+ㄴ	myeon
온다
온	ㅇ+ㅗ+ㄴ	on
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

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

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
하다	verb	to do	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다” mean?

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Answer: Speak of the devil

Question 2 How do you say “Speak of the devil” in Korean?

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Answer: 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 horangido je mal hamyeon onda

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

낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다Walls have ears. (Birds hear what you say by day, and mice by night.)
세 살 버릇 여든까지 간다Habits formed young last a lifetime
아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 날까There’s no smoke without fire
아는 길도 물어 가라Even if you know the way, ask
소 잃고 외양간 고친다Closing the barn door after the horse is gone
원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다Even a monkey falls from a tree. (Even experts make mistakes.)