KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다
How to Say “Too busy to even catch a breath” in Korean
눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다
nunko tteul sae eopsi bappeuda
Meaning
Too busy to even catch a breath.
Usage note
눈코 뜰 새 literally means “time to open eyes and nose”. The idiom stresses that you are too busy to even look around, used in peak seasons or before deadlines.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 눈코 | ||
| 눈 | ㄴ+ㅜ+ㄴ | nun |
| 코 | ㅋ+ㅗ | ko |
| 뜰 | ㄸ+ㅡ+ㄹ | tteul |
| 새 | ㅅ+ㅐ | sae |
| 없이 | ||
| 없 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ | [업] eop |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [씨] si |
| 바쁘다 | ||
| 바 | ㅂ+ㅏ | ba |
| 쁘 | ㅃ+ㅡ | ppeu |
| 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
- 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. 없이 → [업씨]
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.
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “없이”
- 눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어Sorry if I was being tactless. I didn’t mean any harm
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다” mean?
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Answer: Too busy to even catch a breath
Question 2 How do you say “Too busy to even catch a breath” in Korean?
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Answer: 눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다 nunko tteul sae eopsi bappeuda
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 까마귀 날자 배 떨어진다A coincidence that makes you look guilty
- 우이독경Preaching to deaf ears
- 어깨가 무겁다I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders
- 동병상련People in the same plight sympathize with each other
- 발등에 불이 떨어졌다Things have gotten urgent. The heat is on
- 설상가상To make matters worse, one misfortune follows another
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