“Every little bit adds up” in Korean: 티끌 모아 태산

티끌 모아 태산

tikkeul moa taesan

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

Meaning

Every little bit adds up.

Literally “gather dust and you get Mount Tai.” Used for saving money, studying, and any steady accumulation.

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

Syllables: 6 · Words: 3

It is pronounced just as it is written.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
티끌
티	ㅌ+ㅣ	ti
끌	ㄲ+ㅡ+ㄹ	kkeul
모아
모	ㅁ+ㅗ	mo
아	ㅇ+ㅏ	a
태산
태	ㅌ+ㅐ	tae
산	ㅅ+ㅏ+ㄴ	san

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

Style: Set expressionSentence type: Statement or set phrase

There is no verb ending, so the phrase has no politeness level of its own: it is a short fixed expression or a noun phrase.

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Question 1 What does “티끌 모아 태산” mean?

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Answer: Every little bit adds up

Question 2 How do you say “Every little bit adds up” in Korean?

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Answer: 티끌 모아 태산 tikkeul moa taesan

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