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How to Say “There’s always someone better” in Korean

뛰는 놈 위에 나는 놈 있다

ttwineun nom wie naneun nom itda

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

Meaning

There’s always someone better.

Literally “above the one who runs, there is one who flies.” However good you are, there is always someone even better.

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

Syllables: 10 · Words: 6

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
뛰는
뛰	ㄸ+ㅟ	ttwi
는	ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ	neun
놈	ㄴ+ㅗ+ㅁ	nom
위에
위	ㅇ+ㅟ	wi
에	ㅇ+ㅔ	e
나는
나	ㄴ+ㅏ	na
는	ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ	neun
놈	ㄴ+ㅗ+ㅁ	nom
있다
있	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅆ	[읻] it
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”.

Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 있다 → [읻따]

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.

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Question 1 What does “뛰는 놈 위에 나는 놈 있다” mean?

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Answer: There’s always someone better

Question 2 How do you say “There’s always someone better” in Korean?

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Answer: 뛰는 놈 위에 나는 놈 있다 ttwineun nom wie naneun nom itda

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