KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다
“Can’t even recognize the letter…” in Korean
낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다
nat noko giyeok jado moreunda
Meaning
Can’t even recognize the letter ㄱ with a sickle in hand. (Totally illiterate.)
Usage note
Literally “not knowing the letter ㄱ even with a sickle right there”, since a sickle looks like ㄱ. It describes someone illiterate, or hopelessly ignorant of a subject.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 낫 | ㄴ+ㅏ+ㅅ | [낟] nat |
| 놓고 | ||
| 놓 | ㄴ+ㅗ+ㅎ | [노] no |
| 고 | ㄱ+ㅗ | [코] ko |
| 기역 | ||
| 기 | ㄱ+ㅣ | gi |
| 역 | ㅇ+ㅕ+ㄱ | yeok |
| 자도 | ||
| 자 | ㅈ+ㅏ | ja |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 모른다 | ||
| 모 | ㅁ+ㅗ | mo |
| 른 | ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄴ | reun |
| 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. 낫 → [낟]
- Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 놓고 → [노코]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 자다 | verb | to sleep | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “놓고”
- 자리 잡아 놓고 주문하러 갈게요I’ll save a seat and go order
Phrases with “모른다”
- 하룻강아지 범 무서운 줄 모른다A young pup doesn’t know enough to fear the tiger
- 열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다You can fathom deep water, but not a person’s heart
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다” mean?
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Answer: Can’t even recognize the letter ㄱ with a sickle in hand. (Totally illiterate.)
Question 2 How do you say “Can’t even recognize the letter ㄱ with a sickle in hand. (Totally illiterate.)” in Korean?
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Answer: 낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다 nat noko giyeok jado moreunda
Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.
Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
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- 바늘 도둑이 소 도둑 된다Small wrongs, left alone, grow into big ones
- 개구리 올챙이 적 생각 못 한다Once people succeed, they forget their humble beginnings
- 공든 탑이 무너지랴A tower built with devotion won’t crumble
- 발등에 불이 떨어졌다Things have gotten urgent. The heat is on
- 어깨가 무겁다I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders
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