“To be good at keeping secrets” in Korean: 입이 무겁다

입이 무겁다

ibi mugeopda

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

Meaning

To be good at keeping secrets.

Literally “mouth is heavy.” It describes someone who keeps secrets. The opposite is 입이 가볍다 (“loose-lipped”), so learn them together.

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

Syllables: 5 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [이비 무겁따].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
입이
입	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅂ	[이] i
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[비] bi
무겁다
무	ㅁ+ㅜ	mu
겁	ㄱ+ㅓ+ㅂ	geop
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”.

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. 입이 → [이비]
Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 겁다 → [겁따]

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
입	noun	mouth	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “입이 무겁다” mean?

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Answer: To be good at keeping secrets

Question 2 How do you say “To be good at keeping secrets” in Korean?

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Answer: 입이 무겁다 ibi mugeopda

Question 3 How is “입이 무겁다” pronounced?

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Answer: [이비 무겁따]

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귀가 얇다To be easily swayed by others
소 잃고 외양간 고친다Closing the barn door after the horse is gone
눈이 높다To have high standards
아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 날까There’s no smoke without fire
손이 크다To be generous
낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다Walls have ears. (Birds hear what you say by day, and mice by night.)