Bedeutung
Expresses a strong feeling of thirst.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Korean restaurants, water is almost always self-service (물은 셀프). If you say '목이 말라요', your friends might point you to the water dispenser. In Hanbang (traditional Korean medicine), a dry throat is often linked to 'internal heat'. Drinking warm ginger tea or pear juice is a common remedy. When drinking with elders, if they say their throat is dry, it's a sign for you to check if their glass is empty and refill it immediately. Younger Koreans often use '목말라' as a standalone noun-like expression in texting, even though it's technically a verb phrase.
Add '좀'
Adding '좀' (a little) before '말라요' makes you sound more polite and less demanding.
Don't say '나는'
Korean rarely uses 'I' (나는/저는) when describing bodily states. Just say '목이 말라요'.
Bedeutung
Expresses a strong feeling of thirst.
Add '좀'
Adding '좀' (a little) before '말라요' makes you sound more polite and less demanding.
Don't say '나는'
Korean rarely uses 'I' (나는/저는) when describing bodily states. Just say '목이 말라요'.
Use '타다' for emphasis
If you are dying of thirst, say '목이 타요' (My throat is burning) for a more dramatic effect.
Free Refills
In Korea, water is free. Don't be afraid to ask for more if your '목이 말라요'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '마르다'.
날씨가 너무 더워서 목이 ____.
'마르다' is a '르' irregular verb, so it becomes '말라요' in the polite present tense.
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'I am thirsty' in a restaurant?
식당에서 물을 마시고 싶을 때 뭐라고 할까요?
'목이 너무 말라요' is the standard, natural expression.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 운동 많이 했네요! B: 네, 그래서 지금 ____.
After exercising, being thirsty is the most logical consequence.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You have been talking for 3 hours without water.
Talking for a long time causes the throat to dry out.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 Aufgaben날씨가 너무 더워서 목이 ____.
'마르다' is a '르' irregular verb, so it becomes '말라요' in the polite present tense.
식당에서 물을 마시고 싶을 때 뭐라고 할까요?
'목이 너무 말라요' is the standard, natural expression.
A: 운동 많이 했네요! B: 네, 그래서 지금 ____.
After exercising, being thirsty is the most logical consequence.
Situation: You have been talking for 3 hours without water.
Talking for a long time causes the throat to dry out.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenYes, '목말라요' is just a contracted version. It's very common in casual conversation.
No, use '목이 아파요' for pain. '목이 말라요' is only for thirst.
Say '목이 좀 마르네요' or '물을 좀 마셔도 될까요?'.
It literally means 'throat is burning' and is used for extreme thirst.
Because '마르다' is a '르' irregular verb. The 'ㅡ' drops and 'ㄹ' is added.
No, for skin we usually use '건조하다'. '마르다' is for things that were wet but are now dry (like laundry or throats).
Historically yes, but in modern Korean it's used just like 'very' or 'really'.
It is {渴|갈}, found in words like {갈증|渴症} (thirst).
Ask '목 안 마르세요?' or '목 마르세요?'.
No, for hunger use '배고파요'.
People often say '목말라 죽겠다' (I'm dying of thirst).
In Gyeongsang dialect, it might sound like '목마르다 안 카나' (Aren't I saying I'm thirsty?), but the core phrase is standard.
Verwandte Redewendungen
갈증을 해소하다
specialized formTo quench one's thirst
목이 타다
similarTo be parched / throat is burning
입이 마르다
similarMouth is dry
수분을 보충하다
builds onTo replenish moisture/hydrate
목을 축이다
similarTo wet one's whistle / moisten the throat
