A2 Idiom Neutral

입에 대다

ib-e daeda

Put to one's mouth/Eat or drink

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use '입에 대다' to describe tasting or consuming something, usually to emphasize that someone is (or isn't) eating or drinking.

  • Means: To taste, eat, or drink even a small amount.
  • Used in: Discussing picky eaters, allergies, or quitting habits like drinking.
  • Don't confuse: With '입에 맞다' which means food tastes good/suits your palate.
👄 + 🍲 = 😋 (or 🚫👄 + 🍺 = 🙅‍♂️)

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'to eat' or 'to drink'. We use it to say someone does not eat something at all. For example, 'I don't eat meat' can be '고기를 입에 안 대요'. It is like saying 'I don't even touch it with my mouth'. It is very simple and useful for picky eaters.
At the A2 level, you can use '입에 대다' to talk about habits and preferences. It literally means 'to put to the mouth'. It is often used with '안' (not) or '못' (cannot). If you are allergic to something or if you are on a diet, you can say you don't 'put it to your mouth'. It sounds more natural than just saying 'I don't eat'.
In intermediate Korean, '입에 대다' is used to emphasize a total lack of consumption. It's particularly common when discussing abstinence from substances like alcohol or cigarettes. Using the particle '도' (입에도 안 대다) makes the refusal sound much stronger. It implies a firm boundary or a strict habit, such as a vegetarian who doesn't even taste meat broth.
At this level, you should recognize the nuance of '입에 대다' in social contexts, such as the 'respectful sip' in Korean drinking culture. It's not just about the biological act of eating but about the social implication of accepting what is offered. You might see this in literature or dramas to describe a character's stubbornness or their extreme physical state (e.g., being too depressed to eat).
C1 learners should analyze '입에 대다' as a volitional marker. The phrase often highlights the subject's agency in choosing to avoid or engage with a substance. It contrasts with passive verbs of consumption. Furthermore, it can be used metaphorically in broader contexts of 'tasting' or 'experiencing' something for the first time, though its primary domain remains food and drink. Understanding the pragmatic weight of this phrase in a refusal is key to sounding native.
From a cognitive linguistics perspective, '입에 대다' represents the metonymic relationship between the initial contact with food and the entire process of ingestion. Mastery involves understanding how this idiom interacts with Korean honorifics and social hierarchy—specifically how '입에 대다' can be used to humbly describe one's own abstinence while using more elevated forms for others. It also involves recognizing its use in historical or dialectal variations where the 'mouth' serves as the gateway to the soul or character.

Significado

To taste or consume food or drink.

🌍

Contexto cultural

In Korean drinking culture, if an elder offers you a drink, it is polite to accept it with two hands and at least 'touch it to your lips' (입에 대다) even if you don't drink it, to show respect for the gesture. The phrase is often used by parents when complaining about their children's 'pyeonsik' (picky eating), which is a common topic of social conversation among Korean mothers. During traditional 'Jesa' (ancestral rites), family members might 'touch their lips' to the offered wine as a way of receiving the ancestors' blessings. With the rise of health-consciousness, many young Koreans use this phrase to proudly declare they don't 'touch' soda, fast food, or alcohol.

💡

Use with '도'

To sound more like a native, use '입에도 안 대다' when you want to emphasize you really don't eat something.

⚠️

Not for normal eating

Don't say 'I put rice to my mouth' for a normal lunch. Use '먹다' instead.

Significado

To taste or consume food or drink.

💡

Use with '도'

To sound more like a native, use '입에도 안 대다' when you want to emphasize you really don't eat something.

⚠️

Not for normal eating

Don't say 'I put rice to my mouth' for a normal lunch. Use '먹다' instead.

💬

Respectful Refusal

In Korea, using this phrase to explain why you don't drink (e.g., for health or religion) is a very clear and respected way to refuse alcohol.

Ponte a prueba

Fill in the blank with the correct form of '입에 대다'.

저는 매운 음식을 전혀 ( ).

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 입에 안 대요

The word '전혀' (at all) requires a negative form. '입에 안 대요' means 'don't even touch/eat'.

Complete the dialogue naturally.

A: 이 술 한 잔 마셔봐. 진짜 맛있어. B: 미안해, 나 ( ).

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 술을 입에 안 대

B is refusing the drink, so '입에 안 대' (I don't drink/touch it) is the correct idiomatic refusal.

Which situation best fits the phrase '입에도 안 대다'?

Which person would say this?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Someone who is a picky eater and refuses broccoli.

'입에도 안 대다' is used for total refusal of food.

Choose the most natural sentence.

Which sentence is correct?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 너무 배가 불러서 디저트는 입에도 안 댔어요.

This correctly uses the idiom to show that because they were full, they didn't even taste the dessert.

🎉 Puntuación: /4

Ayudas visuales

When to use '입에 대다'

🚫

Refusal

  • • Allergies
  • • Picky eating
  • • Dieting
🚬

Habits

  • • Alcohol
  • • Smoking
  • • Coffee
🤒

Physical State

  • • Too full
  • • Too sick
  • • Too nervous

Preguntas frecuentes

6 preguntas

Yes, it is very common for drinks, including water. '물도 입에 못 대겠어요' (I can't even drink water).

It can be a bit blunt. If a host offers food, it's better to say '제가 [음식]을 잘 못 먹어서요' rather than '입에도 안 대요' unless you have a strong reason.

'맛보다' simply means to taste. '입에 대다' is more about the act of starting to consume or the refusal to do so.

Usually no. For medicine, we use '복용하다' or '먹다'.

It is neutral. You can use it in formal settings with the correct endings (대지 않습니다).

Yes, you can say a dog 'won't touch' its food using this phrase.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

입에 맞다

similar

To suit one's taste

🔗

손을 대다

similar

To touch with hands / To start something

🔗

입을 맞추다

contrast

To kiss / To coordinate stories

🔗

입에 풀칠하다

specialized form

To barely make a living (literally: to put paste on the mouth)

🔗

입도 안 대다

variation

To not even touch (food)

Dónde usarla

🍲

At a Restaurant

Friend A: 이 김치찌개 진짜 매운데 먹어볼래?

Friend B: 아니, 나는 매운 거 못 먹어서 입에도 안 대.

informal
🍺

Company Dinner (Hoesik)

Boss: 김 대리, 술 한 잔 받아.

Employee: 죄송합니다, 부장님. 제가 건강 때문에 술을 입에 대지 않습니다.

formal
🏥

Doctor's Office

Doctor: 당분간은 기름진 음식을 입에 대시면 안 됩니다.

Patient: 네, 알겠습니다. 조심할게요.

formal
👶

Talking about Kids

Mother A: 우리 애는 편식이 심해서 걱정이에요.

Mother B: 우리 애도 시금치는 입에도 안 대요.

neutral
📅

New Year's Resolution

Person A: 올해 목표가 뭐야?

Person B: 오늘부터 담배는 절대 입에 안 대기로 했어.

neutral
🍷

First Date

Man: 와인 좀 드실래요?

Woman: 아, 제가 술을 전혀 입에 못 대서요. 주스 마실게요.

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Lip' (입) and 'Dare' (대). Do you 'Dare' to put it to your 'Lip'?

Visual Association

Imagine a person holding a glass of bright green juice. They are pushing it away with their hand while their lips are tightly sealed. This represents '입에도 안 대다'.

Rhyme

입에 대면 맛을 알아, 입에 안 대면 배가 고파. (If you taste it, you know the flavor; if you don't, you stay hungry.)

Story

Min-su is a very picky eater. At a party, there was a plate of broccoli. Min-su didn't even want to look at it. He said, 'I won't even let it touch my mouth!' (입에도 안 댈 거예요!). He kept his promise and only ate the fried chicken.

Word Web

먹다마시다맛보다거절하다술담배식사입술

Desafío

Try to list 3 things you never '입에 대다' (e.g., specific vegetables, types of alcohol) and say them out loud in Korean.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Probar / Ni probar bocado

Spanish focuses on the 'mouthful' (bocado), while Korean focuses on the 'mouth' (입) itself.

French moderate

Ne pas toucher à

French doesn't explicitly mention the 'mouth' in the common version.

German moderate

Etwas nicht anrühren

It lacks the specific 'mouth' imagery found in the Korean idiom.

Japanese high

口にする (Kuchi ni suru)

Japanese 'kuchi ni suru' can also mean 'to mention' something, which Korean '입에 대다' does not.

Arabic partial

لم يذقه (Lam yadhuqhu)

It is a standard verb rather than a 'mouth + touch' idiomatic construction.

Chinese high

沾口 (Zhān kǒu)

The character 沾 implies 'moistening' or 'touching lightly'.

Korean (Dialect) low

입에 처넣다 (Slang)

It is extremely vulgar and focuses on the act of shoving rather than touching.

Portuguese moderate

Nem tocar

Focuses on the hand/general touch rather than the mouth.

Easily Confused

입에 대다 vs 입에 맞다

Both involve 'mouth' and 'food'.

Remember: '대다' is the action (touching), '맞다' is the result (fitting/tasting good).

입에 대다 vs 입을 대다

The particle '에' is missing.

While sometimes used interchangeably, '입을 대다' can sometimes mean to criticize or meddle in something.

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

Yes, it is very common for drinks, including water. '물도 입에 못 대겠어요' (I can't even drink water).

It can be a bit blunt. If a host offers food, it's better to say '제가 [음식]을 잘 못 먹어서요' rather than '입에도 안 대요' unless you have a strong reason.

'맛보다' simply means to taste. '입에 대다' is more about the act of starting to consume or the refusal to do so.

Usually no. For medicine, we use '복용하다' or '먹다'.

It is neutral. You can use it in formal settings with the correct endings (대지 않습니다).

Yes, you can say a dog 'won't touch' its food using this phrase.

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