KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Proverbs & idioms › 열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다
“You can fathom deep water, but…” in Korean
열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다
yeol gil mulsogeun arado han gil saram sogeun moreunda
Meaning
You can fathom deep water, but not a person’s heart.
Usage note
Literally “You can know the depth of water ten fathoms deep, but not the heart of a person only one fathom tall.” A person’s true thoughts are hard to read.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 열 | ㅇ+ㅕ+ㄹ | yeol |
| 길 | ㄱ+ㅣ+ㄹ | gil |
| 물속은 | ||
| 물 | ㅁ+ㅜ+ㄹ | mul |
| 속 | ㅅ+ㅗ+ㄱ | sok |
| 은 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄴ | eun |
| 알아도 | ||
| 알 | ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄹ | [아] a |
| 아 | ㅇ+ㅏ | [라] ra |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 한 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ | han |
| 길 | ㄱ+ㅣ+ㄹ | gil |
| 사람 | ||
| 사 | ㅅ+ㅏ | sa |
| 람 | ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅁ | ram |
| 속은 | ||
| 속 | ㅅ+ㅗ+ㄱ | [소] so |
| 은 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄴ | [근] geun |
| 모른다 | ||
| 모 | ㅁ+ㅗ | mo |
| 른 | ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄴ | reun |
| 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. 알아 → [아라]
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.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 길 | noun | road, way | TOPIK level 1 |
| 알다 | verb | to know | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “모른다”
- 낫 놓고 기역 자도 모른다Can’t even recognize the letter ㄱ with a sickle in hand. (Totally illiterate.)
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다” mean?
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Answer: You can fathom deep water, but not a person’s heart
Question 2 How do you say “You can fathom deep water, but not a person’s heart” in Korean?
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Answer: 열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다 yeol gil mulsogeun arado han gil saram sogeun moreunda
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
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- 뛰는 놈 위에 나는 놈 있다There’s always someone better
- 말 한마디로 천 냥 빚을 갚는다A single word can repay a huge debt
- 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다Too many cooks spoil the broth
- 백문이 불여일견Seeing is believing
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