“To have high standards” in Korean: 눈이 높다 (nuni nopda)

눈이 높다

nuni nopda

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

Meaning

To have high standards.

Literally “eyes are high.” It means being picky about things or partners, much like “having high standards.”

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

Syllables: 4 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [누니 놉따].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
눈이
눈	ㄴ+ㅜ+ㄴ	[누] nu
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[니] ni
높다
높	ㄴ+ㅗ+ㅍ	[놉] nop
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. 눈이 → [누니]
Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 높다 → [놉따]

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.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “눈이 높다” mean?

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Answer: To have high standards

Question 2 How do you say “To have high standards” in Korean?

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Answer: 눈이 높다 nuni nopda

Question 3 How is “눈이 높다” pronounced?

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Answer: [누니 놉따]

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