A1 Idiom Neutral

눈 감아 주다

nun gama juda

Overlook a mistake

Phrase in 30 Seconds

A friendly way to say you'll overlook a small mistake or rule-breaking for someone's sake.

  • Means: To intentionally ignore a mistake or wrongdoing to be kind.
  • Used in: Forgiving friends, small work errors, or minor rule-breaking.
  • Don't confuse: Not for physical sleep; it's about social 'blindness'.
🙈 (Seeing a mistake) + 🤝 (Kindness) = 😌 (Peaceful resolution)

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'to forgive a small mistake.' You use it when a friend does something wrong, but you are nice and say 'It's okay.' It literally means 'close eyes and give.' It is a very kind thing to do for a friend or a younger person.
In Korean, '눈 감아 주다' is an idiom used when you see someone make a mistake but decide to ignore it. It's like 'turning a blind eye.' You can use it with the grammar '-아/어 주다' to show you are doing a favor for someone. It's common in daily life.
This idiom is used to describe the act of overlooking a fault or a minor infraction. While '용서하다' means to forgive, '눈 감아 주다' specifically implies that you saw the act but chose to pretend you didn't. It's frequently used in social situations to maintain harmony and avoid making someone feel embarrassed.
Beyond simple forgiveness, '눈 감아 주다' carries a nuance of social discretion. It reflects the Korean cultural emphasis on 'Chemyeon' (saving face). By intentionally overlooking a lapse in judgment, the observer grants the perpetrator a chance to rectify the situation quietly. However, in professional or legal contexts, it can imply a problematic lack of accountability or even corruption.
Linguistically, this phrase functions as a metaphorical extension of physical perception. The 'giving' of one's closed eyes symbolizes a voluntary relinquishing of the right to criticize or punish. It is a quintessential example of high-context communication where the silence (the closed eyes) conveys more than a verbal reprimand. Analysts often use this phrase to describe systemic 'blind spots' in corporate or political structures.
The idiom '눈 감아 주다' encapsulates the tension between 'Jeong' (affective attachment) and 'Beop' (the law). From a cognitive linguistics perspective, it utilizes the 'SEEING IS KNOWING' metaphor; by negating the 'seeing,' the speaker performatively negates the 'knowing' of the transgression. This allows for a state of 'plausible deniability' that is crucial for navigating the intricate hierarchical and social webs of Korean society, where rigid adherence to rules often yields to the preservation of interpersonal equilibrium.

Significado

To forgive or ignore someone's wrongdoing or error, often intentionally.

🌍

Contexto cultural

In Korean workplaces, '눈 감아 주다' is often a sign of a 'humanistic' boss. A boss who never overlooks anything is often criticized as being too 'cold' or 'dry' (딱딱하다). The emphasis on hierarchy means that a superior has the 'right' to 눈 감아 주다 for a subordinate, but a subordinate can rarely do the same for a superior without it feeling like a cover-up. Recently, there has been a strong social movement against '눈 감아 주기' in cases of school bullying or corporate embezzlement, as people demand more transparency. A common trope is the 'contract' where one character agrees to '눈 감아 주다' a secret in exchange for a date or a favor, driving the plot forward.

💡

The 'Favor' Particle

Always remember to use the '-아/어 주다' form. Just saying '눈 감다' doesn't convey the meaning of letting someone off the hook.

⚠️

Don't use for serious crimes

If you use this for a serious crime, you might sound like you are part of the crime or don't care about justice.

Significado

To forgive or ignore someone's wrongdoing or error, often intentionally.

💡

The 'Favor' Particle

Always remember to use the '-아/어 주다' form. Just saying '눈 감다' doesn't convey the meaning of letting someone off the hook.

⚠️

Don't use for serious crimes

If you use this for a serious crime, you might sound like you are part of the crime or don't care about justice.

🎯

Combine with '이번만'

To sound very natural, add '이번만' (only this time) before the phrase: '이번만 눈 감아 줄게.'

💬

Nunchi and Eyes

Since Korean culture relies heavily on 'Nunchi' (eye-measure), many idioms about social behavior involve the eyes. Pay attention to other '눈' idioms!

Ponte a prueba

Complete the sentence using the correct form of '눈 감아 주다'.

선생님, 이번 한 번만 제 실수를 (____ ____ ____).

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 눈 감아 주세요

The speaker is asking for a favor (overlooking a mistake), so the '-아/어 주세요' form is correct.

Which situation best fits the phrase '눈 감아 주다'?

Which of these is a '눈 감아 주다' moment?

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

Ignoring a small typo is a classic example of overlooking a minor mistake.

Choose the most natural response.

A: 미안해, 약속 시간을 깜빡했어. B: (____________________)

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 괜찮아, 이번만 눈 감아 줄게.

B is forgiving A for forgetting the appointment time.

Select the sentence where the phrase is used NEGATIVELY (implying corruption).

Which sentence sounds like a news report about a crime?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 공무원이 뇌물을 받고 불법 건축을 눈 감아 주었다.

This sentence involves a government official, a bribe, and an illegal act, showing the negative side of the idiom.

🎉 Puntuación: /4

Ayudas visuales

Forgiveness Levels

Casual
봐주다 Let it slide
Idiomatic
눈 감아 주다 Turn a blind eye
Formal
묵인하다 Tacitly approve

Preguntas frecuentes

10 preguntas

It is neutral. To make it polite, use '눈 감아 주세요' or '눈 감아 주십시오'.

Usually, you ask others to do it for you ('눈 감아 주세요') or you do it for others. You don't 'close your own eyes' for your own mistake.

'봐주다' is more common and casual. '눈 감아 주다' is slightly more idiomatic and can be used in more serious (negative) contexts too.

Yes, '눈을 감다' (without 주다) is a common euphemism for dying, similar to 'closing one's eyes forever.'

Yes, if a boss is being lenient with a subordinate, it's very common.

Usually, yes. You are overlooking a person's action.

No, you don't 'overlook' a broken chair with this phrase. It's for human errors.

You can say '눈 감아 줄 수 없어요' or '못 봐줘요'.

Yes, the idiom is understood and used in both North and South Korea.

Yes, children often use it when they've done something wrong: '엄마, 한 번만 눈 감아 줘!'

Frases relacionadas

🔄

봐주다

synonym

To let someone off the hook.

🔗

묵인하다

specialized form

To tacitly approve or connive.

🔗

모른 척하다

similar

To pretend not to know.

🔗

용서하다

similar

To forgive.

🔗

엄격하다

contrast

To be strict.

Dónde usarla

⏰

Late for a date

A: 미안해! 10분 늦었어. 차가 너무 막혔어.

B: 괜찮아. 이번 한 번만 눈 감아 줄게.

informal
💻

Workplace error

Manager: 이 보고서에 오타가 있네요.

Staff: 죄송합니다. 바로 수정하겠습니다.

Manager: 중요한 건 아니니까 이번엔 눈 감아 줄게요.

neutral
🤫

Sibling secret

Brother: 나 몰래 게임한 거 엄마한테 말하지 마.

Sister: 그럼 내 숙제 대신 해줘. 그럼 눈 감아 줄게.

informal
🚔

Traffic violation

Driver: 정말 급한 일이 있어서 그랬습니다. 한 번만 눈 감아 주십시오.

Officer: 안 됩니다. 법은 지키셔야 합니다.

formal
🍕

Breaking a diet

Friend A: 너 다이어트 중 아니야? 왜 피자 먹어?

Friend B: 오늘 너무 힘들었어. 그냥 좀 눈 감아 주라!

informal
📱

Social Media Typo

User: 포스팅에 오타가 너무 많네요 ㅋㅋㅋ

Poster: 졸면서 써서 그래요. 눈 감아 주세요! ㅠㅠ

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

When you 'Close' (감다) your 'Eyes' (눈) to 'Give' (주다) someone a second chance, you are 'Giving' them the gift of your blindness.

Visual Association

Imagine a giant referee on a soccer field who sees a player trip another, but instead of blowing the whistle, he slowly puts on a pair of dark sunglasses and smiles.

Rhyme

눈을 감아, 마음을 담아, 한 번만 봐줘! (Close your eyes, put your heart in it, let it slide once!)

Story

Min-su forgot his homework for the third time. His teacher, who knew Min-su was working a part-time job to help his family, saw the empty desk. The teacher looked at Min-su, slowly closed his eyes for three seconds, and then walked away without saying a word. He decided to '눈 감아 주다' for Min-su's difficult situation.

Word Web

눈 (Eye)감다 (To close)주다 (To give)용서 (Forgiveness)실수 (Mistake)비리 (Corruption)봐주다 (To let slide)모른 척하다 (To pretend not to know)

Desafío

Try to find one small mistake a friend or colleague makes today. Instead of correcting them, think to yourself: '이번은 눈 감아 줄게' (I'll let it slide this time).

In Other Languages

English high

To turn a blind eye

Korean uses the 'giving' (주다) auxiliary to emphasize it's a favor.

Spanish moderate

Hacer la vista gorda

Spanish focuses on the quality of the sight (thick), Korean on the action (closing).

French high

Fermer les yeux sur quelque chose

French uses the preposition 'sur' (on), Korean uses the 'giving' auxiliary.

German high

Ein Auge zudrücken

German specifies 'one eye,' Korean implies both or is general.

Japanese high

目をつぶる (Me o tsuburu)

Japanese doesn't always require the 'giving' auxiliary equivalent to be understood as a favor.

Arabic moderate

يغض الطرف (Yaghudu al-tarf)

Arabic focuses on 'lowering' the gaze rather than 'closing' the eyes.

Chinese moderate

睁一只眼闭一只眼 (Zhēng yīzhī yǎn bì yīzhī yǎn)

Chinese emphasizes the 'half-awake' state of seeing and not seeing.

Portuguese moderate

Fazer vista grossa

Focuses on the 'coarseness' of the vision.

Easily Confused

눈 감아 주다 vs 눈을 붙이다

Both involve eyes and closing them.

눈을 붙이다 (to stick eyes together) means to take a short nap. 눈 감아 주다 is about forgiveness.

눈 감아 주다 vs 눈을 감다

The idiom contains this phrase.

Without '주다', '눈을 감다' can literally mean to close eyes, or euphemistically, to pass away (die).

Preguntas frecuentes (10)

It is neutral. To make it polite, use '눈 감아 주세요' or '눈 감아 주십시오'.

Usually, you ask others to do it for you ('눈 감아 주세요') or you do it for others. You don't 'close your own eyes' for your own mistake.

'봐주다' is more common and casual. '눈 감아 주다' is slightly more idiomatic and can be used in more serious (negative) contexts too.

Yes, '눈을 감다' (without 주다) is a common euphemism for dying, similar to 'closing one's eyes forever.'

Yes, if a boss is being lenient with a subordinate, it's very common.

Usually, yes. You are overlooking a person's action.

No, you don't 'overlook' a broken chair with this phrase. It's for human errors.

You can say '눈 감아 줄 수 없어요' or '못 봐줘요'.

Yes, the idiom is understood and used in both North and South Korea.

Yes, children often use it when they've done something wrong: '엄마, 한 번만 눈 감아 줘!'

¿Te ha servido?

Comentarios (0)

Inicia Sesión para Comentar
¡No hay comentarios todavía. Sé el primero en compartir tus ideas!