KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다

How to Say “Too many cooks spoil the broth” in Korean

사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다

sagongi maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda

Situation: Proverbs & idiomsLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Literally “with many boatmen, the boat goes up the mountain.” Too many people giving orders keeps things from coming together.

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

Syllables: 13 · 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
사공이
사	ㅅ+ㅏ	sa
공	ㄱ+ㅗ+ㅇ	gong
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	i
많으면
많	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄶ	[마] ma
으	ㅇ+ㅡ	[느] neu
면	ㅁ+ㅕ+ㄴ	myeon
배가
배	ㅂ+ㅐ	bae
가	ㄱ+ㅏ	ga
산으로
산	ㅅ+ㅏ+ㄴ	[사] sa
으	ㅇ+ㅡ	[느] neu
로	ㄹ+ㅗ	ro
간다
간	ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄴ	gan
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

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

Silent ㅎ: a final ㅎ (including the ㅎ inside ㄶ and ㅀ) is not pronounced before a vowel. 많으 → [마느]
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. 산으 → [사느]

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 “사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다” mean?

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Answer: Too many cooks spoil the broth

Question 2 How do you say “Too many cooks spoil the broth” in Korean?

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Answer: 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다 sagongi maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda

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