A2 Collocation Informal

코 묻은 돈.

ko mudeun don.

Snot-stained money.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

A colorful way to describe a child's tiny savings or a very small, hard-earned amount of money.

  • Means: A child's small pocket money or a pittance.
  • Used in: Criticizing someone for taking money from the weak or poor.
  • Don't confuse: It's not literally about dirty money, but about the owner's vulnerability.
👶 + 🤧 + 💰 = 🍭

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'a child's small money.' '코' is nose, '묻은' means stained, and '돈' is money. It is like the small coins a child has. We use it when a child saves money to buy something small.
It's a common idiom for 'pocket money.' Literally, it means 'money with snot on it' because kids used to have messy noses. We use it to talk about a very small amount of money that belongs to someone young or poor. It's often used when an adult shouldn't take that money.
This collocation describes a pittance or a child's meager savings. While the literal translation sounds a bit gross, it's actually a very expressive way to highlight the innocence of the money's owner. It's frequently used in social critiques to shame people or companies that profit from those who have very little, such as students or the underprivileged.
This idiomatic expression functions as a social commentary on greed and ethics. By invoking the image of 'snot-stained money,' the speaker emphasizes the vulnerability of the source. It is most commonly employed in journalistic writing or heated discussions to criticize predatory business models that target the small change of the masses, suggesting that such profits are morally beneath a person of integrity.
This phrase serves as a poignant linguistic relic of Korea's socio-economic history, encapsulating the transition from a developing nation to a modern economy. Linguistically, it operates as a metonym for the 'meager resources of the vulnerable.' In advanced discourse, it's used to analyze the 'moral hazard' of corporations that prioritize 'petty profits' over social responsibility, often appearing in editorials regarding consumer rights and economic justice.
The idiom '코 묻은 돈' functions as a powerful socio-linguistic marker of ethical boundaries within the Korean collective consciousness. It juxtaposes the visceral, almost pathetic imagery of childhood poverty with the cold mechanics of financial exploitation. Mastery of this phrase involves understanding its dual nature: its ability to evoke nostalgic warmth in personal anecdotes and its capacity for sharp, biting irony in political and economic critiques of late-stage capitalism.

Significado

Refers to a child's small savings or pocket money.

🌍

Contexto cultural

The phrase reflects the 'Gung-sang' (poverty) era of the 1950s-70s. It's a linguistic fossil of a time when children's health and hygiene were poor, but their small joys were fiercely protected by the community. In the age of YouTube and Twitch, '코 묻은 돈' is frequently used to describe small donations (donas) from younger viewers to streamers, often with a mix of humor and concern. Korean media uses this phrase as a 'moral barometer.' If a company is accused of targeting '코 묻은 돈,' it faces a much harsher public backlash than if it were just accused of being 'expensive.'

🎯

Use with '뺏다'

If you want to sound like a native, use it with '뺏다' (to take away) when you see something unfair.

⚠️

Not for your boss

Never describe your salary as '코 묻은 돈' to your employer; it sounds like you're calling your work 'child's play.'

Significado

Refers to a child's small savings or pocket money.

🎯

Use with '뺏다'

If you want to sound like a native, use it with '뺏다' (to take away) when you see something unfair.

⚠️

Not for your boss

Never describe your salary as '코 묻은 돈' to your employer; it sounds like you're calling your work 'child's play.'

💬

Heartwarming usage

Don't forget it can be positive! Use it when a child does something big with their small savings.

Ponte a prueba

Choose the most appropriate situation to use '코 묻은 돈'.

어떤 상황에서 이 표현을 쓸까요?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 대기업이 가난한 사람들의 작은 돈을 뺏을 때

The phrase is used to criticize taking small amounts of money from the vulnerable.

Fill in the blank to complete the sentence.

어떻게 아이들 ( ) 돈을 뺏을 수 있니?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 코 묻은

The fixed idiom is '코 묻은 돈'.

Complete the dialogue naturally.

A: 이번에 새로 나온 게임, 아이템이 너무 비싸요. B: 맞아요. 학생들 ( ) 것 같아요.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 코 묻은 돈을 노리는

In this context, B is agreeing that the game is targeting students' small savings.

🎉 Puntuación: /3

Ayudas visuales

When to use '코 묻은 돈'

❤️

Positive

  • • Child's gift
  • • First savings
  • • Charity donation
💢

Negative

  • • Corporate greed
  • • Scams
  • • Bullying

Preguntas frecuentes

4 preguntas

In this specific idiom, no. It's a standard cultural expression that even news anchors use.

Yes, it's often used for students (middle/high school) to emphasize their lack of income.

There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but '거금' (a large sum of money) is the factual opposite.

Yes, similar expressions exist across the peninsula due to shared history.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

푼돈

similar

Petty cash / small change

🔗

쌈짓돈

similar

Pocket money kept in a pouch

🔗

껌값

similar

Dirt cheap (price of gum)

🔗

피 같은 돈

contrast

Money like blood (very hard-earned)

Dónde usarla

😠

Scolding a greedy sibling

Older Sister: 야, 너 왜 동생 저금통에서 돈을 꺼내?

Brother: 그냥 천 원만 빌리는 거야.

Older Sister: 애 코 묻은 돈을 뺏고 싶냐? 당장 넣어 놔!

informal
🎮

Discussing a new mobile game

User A: 이 게임 아이템 너무 비싸지 않아?

User B: 맞아. 초등학생들 코 묻은 돈 노리는 게 너무 심해.

neutral
🎁

A child's sweet gesture

Mother: 이게 뭐야? 나한테 주는 선물이야?

Son: 응, 1년 동안 모은 돈으로 샀어.

Mother: 세상에, 우리 아들 코 묻은 돈을 어떻게 써~ 고마워!

neutral
🏦

Complaining about bank fees

Person A: 은행 수수료가 또 올랐대.

Person B: 진짜 너무하네. 서민들 코 묻은 돈 뜯어서 뭐 하려고.

informal
🚕

Refusing a tip from someone struggling

Passenger: 기사님, 잔돈은 가지세요.

Driver: 아니에요, 학생 코 묻은 돈을 제가 어떻게 받아요. 가져가요.

neutral
🏛️

Political debate about taxes

Politician A: 이번 세금 인상은 불가피합니다.

Politician B: 국민들의 코 묻은 돈을 아껴 쓸 생각부터 하십시오!

formal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a kid with a 'Cold' (코) who has 'Mud' (묻은) on their 'Dough' (돈). It's messy, small, but it's theirs!

Visual Association

Imagine a 7-year-old boy with a runny nose, holding a single, sticky 100-won coin in his dirty hand, looking longingly at a candy jar.

Rhyme

코 묻은 돈, 뺏으면 나쁜 놈! (Snotty money, if you take it, you're a bad guy!)

Story

Little Min-su saved his 'snotty money' for a year in a piggy bank. When a thief tried to take it, the whole neighborhood was angry because taking 'snotty money' is the lowest thing a person can do.

Word Web

푼돈쌈짓돈용돈저금통뺏다노리다아끼다서민

Desafío

Try to find a news article about a scam or a company fee and see if you can use '코 묻은 돈' to describe the money they are taking.

In Other Languages

English moderate

Taking candy from a baby / Pittance

English focuses on the 'candy' (reward) while Korean focuses on the 'snot' (the messy state of the owner).

Spanish partial

El dinero de los dulces

Spanish is more positive/neutral; Korean can be very critical.

French low

Des clopinettes / L'argent de poche

French lacks the visceral 'bodily fluid' imagery found in the Korean idiom.

German low

Groschen / Taschengeld

German focuses on the denomination of the currency.

Japanese high

子供の小遣い / 鼻たれ小僧の金

The usage in Korean is much more frequent in social and political criticism.

Arabic moderate

فلوس اليتامى

Arabic focuses on the 'orphan' status; Korean focuses on the 'childish/messy' status.

Chinese partial

血汗钱 / 零花钱

Chinese emphasizes the effort (sweat); Korean emphasizes the owner's age/state (snot).

Portuguese low

Dinheiro de pinga

Portuguese refers to what the money buys (booze); Korean refers to who owns it (a child).

Easily Confused

코 묻은 돈. vs 검은 돈

Both sound like 'dirty' money.

'검은 돈' is illegal/corrupt money (bribes). '코 묻은 돈' is innocent but small money.

코 묻은 돈. vs 눈먼 돈

Both refer to money in a specific state.

'눈먼 돈' is ownerless money that anyone can take. '코 묻은 돈' has a very clear, vulnerable owner.

Preguntas frecuentes (4)

In this specific idiom, no. It's a standard cultural expression that even news anchors use.

Yes, it's often used for students (middle/high school) to emphasize their lack of income.

There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but '거금' (a large sum of money) is the factual opposite.

Yes, similar expressions exist across the peninsula due to shared history.

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