Sound and Manner Words
Korean Grammar 4
Course 4 · Chapter 6 · Onomatopoeia and Mimetics
✨ Onomatopoeia and Mimetics — 의성어와 의태어
Korean is rich in words that imitate sounds (의성어) and words that paint a manner, movement, shape or feeling (의태어). English has "bang" and "twinkle"; Korean has hundreds more, and uses them constantly in conversation, stories, comics, adverts and children's talk. They are cheap to learn, because most are a doubled syllable, and they make your Korean sound much more natural.
Sound words — 의성어
| Word | Sound | Word | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 멍멍 | dog barking | 야옹 | cat meowing |
| 꿀꿀 | pig oinking | 짹짹 | bird chirping |
| 똑똑 | knocking | 딩동 | doorbell |
| 쿵 | thud | 쾅 | bang, slam |
| 펑 | pop, boom | 쨍그랑 | glass shattering |
| 똑딱똑딱 | ticking clock | 콜록콜록 | coughing |
| 꼬르륵 | stomach rumbling | 후루룩 | slurping noodles |
| 깔깔 | laughing aloud | 엉엉 | sobbing loudly |
Manner words — 의태어
Movement
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 살금살금 | stealthily, on tiptoe | 엉금엉금 | crawling slowly |
| 깡충깡충 | hopping | 성큼성큼 | striding |
| 데굴데굴 | rolling | 빙글빙글 | spinning around |
| 흔들흔들 | swaying, wobbling | 어슬렁어슬렁 | strolling about idly |
| 허둥지둥 | in a flustered rush |
Light and feeling
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 반짝반짝 | twinkling, sparkling | 번쩍번쩍 | flashing, glaring |
| 깜빡깜빡 | blinking | 두근두근 | heart pounding |
| 싱글벙글 | beaming with smiles |
Texture and appearance
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 울퉁불퉁 | bumpy, uneven | 반들반들 | smooth and shiny |
| 끈적끈적 | sticky | 말랑말랑 | soft and springy |
| 푹신푹신 | soft and cushiony | 알록달록 | colourful, multi-coloured |
Order and progress
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 차곡차곡 | neatly piled up | 뒤죽박죽 | jumbled, in a mess |
| 쑥쑥 | growing fast | 술술 | smoothly, fluently |
That makes 16 sound words and 24 manner words: the commonest 40 to start with.
How the sound changes the feeling
Mimetics come in families that differ by a vowel or consonant. As a rule of thumb, light vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ) give a smaller, lighter, brighter feel and dark vowels (ㅓ, ㅜ) a bigger, heavier, duller one; tense or aspirated consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅊ…) are usually stronger than plain ones.
| Light / small | Dark / big |
|---|---|
| 반짝반짝 twinkling | 번쩍번쩍 flashing |
| 깡충깡충 small hops | 껑충껑충 big leaps |
| 졸졸 a thin trickle | 줄줄 a heavier flow |
Using them in a sentence
| Form | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| word alone | adverb before a verb | 토끼가 깡충깡충 뛰어간다. The rabbit hops away. |
| word + -하다 | adjective or verb; before a noun: -한 | 울퉁불퉁한 길 a bumpy road; 푹신푹신한 침대 a cushiony bed |
| word + -거리다 | verb meaning "keep doing it" | 심장이 두근거린다. My heart is pounding. |
| a few verbs | before a noun: -는 | 반짝이는 별 a twinkling star |
🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문
Three short examples.
① Night sky
② Nerves
③ Kitchen
📋 Quick Reference — 요약표
| Need | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb | word + verb | 살금살금 걷다 |
| Adjective / before noun | word + -한 | 끈적끈적한 손 |
| "Keep doing" | word + -거리다 | 흔들거리다 |
| Bigger or duller | dark vowels | 번쩍번쩍 |
✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습
Work out the answer first, then click to check.
1. Which is a sound word and which a manner word: 멍멍, 반짝반짝?
Show answer
멍멍 is a sound word (의성어); 반짝반짝 is a manner word (의태어).
2. Say "The cat is meowing."
Show answer
고양이가 야옹야옹 운다.
3. Say "The child crawls slowly."
Show answer
아이가 엉금엉금 기어간다.
4. Say "a bumpy road" with a mimetic.
Show answer
울퉁불퉁한 길.
5. How does 깡충깡충 differ from 껑충껑충?
Show answer
The light vowels of 깡충깡충 give small hops; the dark vowels of 껑충껑충 give bigger leaps.
6. Make a verb meaning "to keep pounding" (heart) from 두근두근.
Show answer
두근거리다.
7. Say "a sticky hand".
Show answer
끈적끈적한 손.
8. Which fits "The room is a mess": 차곡차곡 or 뒤죽박죽?
Show answer
뒤죽박죽: 방이 뒤죽박죽이다.
9. Should you use mimetics in a news report? Why?
Show answer
Normally not: they belong to speech, stories and comics, while news uses plain descriptive words.