귀가 따갑다.
gwiga ttagapda.
To have ringing/sore ears.
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use this when you're tired of hearing someone nag or a very loud noise is bothering you.
- Means: Your ears feel a stinging sensation from noise or nagging.
- Used in: Family arguments, loud environments, or hearing the same advice repeatedly.
- Don't confuse: With '귀가 얇다' which means being easily persuaded or gullible.
Explanation at your level:
Signification
To feel an irritating sensation in the ears, often from loud noise or scolding.
Contexte culturel
Nagging (잔소리) is often seen as a parental duty. Parents believe that if they don't nag, they aren't caring for their children's future. This phrase is the child's typical response. In online gaming or group chats, if someone 'spams' messages or uses voice chat too loudly, Koreans will use '귀 따갑다' to tell them to stop. Korean hierarchy means bosses often give long 'reprimands' (훈계). Employees use this phrase among themselves to vent about the experience. The concept of 'stinging' is often linked to 'fire' energy (화기) in traditional thought. Excessive noise is seen as a form of 'fire' that irritates the sensory organs.
Use with '-도록'
To sound more like a native, use '귀가 따갑도록'. It adds a dramatic flair to your complaint.
Don't use with your boss
Telling your boss '귀가 따가워요' while they are talking to you is a quick way to get fired!
Signification
To feel an irritating sensation in the ears, often from loud noise or scolding.
Use with '-도록'
To sound more like a native, use '귀가 따갑도록'. It adds a dramatic flair to your complaint.
Don't use with your boss
Telling your boss '귀가 따가워요' while they are talking to you is a quick way to get fired!
Jansori is Love
Remember that in Korea, nagging is often a sign of affection. Don't take the 'stinging' too seriously!
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '귀가 따갑다'.
어제 엄마한테 한 시간 동안 잔소리를 들어서 ______.
The context is nagging (잔소리), so '귀가 따갑다' is the correct idiom.
Which situation is NOT appropriate for '귀가 따갑다'?
다음 중 '귀가 따갑다'를 쓰기에 적절하지 않은 상황은?
When you think someone is talking behind your back, you use '귀가 간지럽다' (ears are itchy).
Complete the dialogue.
A: 음악 소리 좀 줄여 줄래? B: 왜? 별로 안 큰데. A: 아니야, 너무 커서 ______.
The speaker is complaining about the volume, so '귀가 따가울 정도야' (to the point my ears sting) is natural.
🎉 Score : /3
Aides visuelles
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, high-pitched sounds are the most likely to cause a 'stinging' sensation literally.
Yes, it's very common among friends to complain about others or even to jokingly tell a friend they are being too loud.
'따갑다' is a sharp, pricking pain. '쓰리다' is a burning, aching pain (like a stomach ache or a deep cut).
Yes, if you have a physical stinging sensation in your ear, you should use this phrase.
Idioms are generally informal. In a formal report, you would say '청각적 불쾌감을 느끼다' (to feel auditory discomfort).
No, it can be literal noise, repetitive praise, or even just a very long, boring story.
Use '귀가 가렵다' (ears are itchy) instead.
Yes, if the music is painfully loud, '귀가 따갑다' is perfect.
Usually, yes. It implies discomfort or annoyance.
There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but '귀가 즐겁다' (ears are joyful) is used for pleasant sounds.
Expressions liées
귀에 못이 박히다
similarTo have calluses in one's ears.
귀가 얇다
contrastTo have thin ears.
귀를 의심하다
relatedTo doubt one's ears.
귀가 가렵다
confusingEars are itchy.
Où l'utiliser
At home with a nagging parent
엄마: 방 청소 좀 해! 공부는 언제 할 거니?
아들: 아, 진짜 귀가 따가워 죽겠어요. 알았다고요!
Walking past a construction site
친구 A: 와, 저 기계 소리 진짜 크다.
친구 B: 그러게. 너무 시끄러워서 귀가 따가울 정도야.
Hearing the same gossip at work
동료 A: 김 대리님 결혼한다는 소식 들었어요?
동료 B: 네, 오늘만 열 번 넘게 들어서 귀가 따가워요.
After a long scolding from a boss
직원 A: 부장님한테 한 시간 동안 혼났다면서요?
직원 B: 네, 귀가 따갑게 혼나서 정신이 하나도 없어요.
At a loud concert
지수: 스피커 바로 옆이라 소리가 너무 커!
민호: 나도! 귀가 따가워서 잠깐 나갔다 오자.
Receiving too many compliments
친구: 너 오늘 진짜 예쁘다! 옷도 잘 어울려!
나: 고마워, 근데 그 말 너무 많이 들어서 귀가 따갑다 야~
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of a 'stinging' (따갑다) bee flying into your 'ear' (귀) because it's attracted to the loud noise of nagging.
Visual Association
Imagine your ears turning bright red and sparking like they've been pricked by a thousand tiny needles while someone is shouting through a megaphone.
Rhyme
귀가 따갑다, 잔소리 싫다! (Gwi-ga ttagap-da, jansori sil-ta!)
Story
Min-su's mom was worried about his grades. She talked for three hours. Min-su felt a sharp, stinging pain in his ears. He told his friend, 'My ears sting (귀가 따가워) from all that nagging!'
Word Web
Défi
Try to use '귀가 따갑다' in a sentence today when you hear a loud noise or when a friend tells you the same story twice.
In Other Languages
Me zumban los oídos / Dar la lata
Spanish focuses on the 'buzzing' or the 'annoyance' itself rather than a stinging sensation.
Casser les oreilles
French uses 'breaking' (destruction) while Korean uses 'stinging' (surface pain).
Jemandem die Ohren vollquatschen
German is about the volume of words; Korean is about the painful sensation of those words.
耳にたこができる (Mimi ni tako ga dekiru)
Japanese focuses on the long-term result (callus), while Korean focuses on the immediate sensation (stinging).
صدعت لي راسي (Sada't li rasi)
Arabic shifts the pain from the ears to the entire head.
耳朵都起茧子了 (Ěrduo dōu qǐ jiǎnzi le)
Like Japanese, it emphasizes the 'thickening' of the ear rather than the 'stinging'.
To get an earful / My ears are burning
English uses 'burning' for being talked about, whereas Korean uses 'stinging' for being talked *to*.
Alugar o ouvido
Portuguese focuses on the social 'cost' of listening.
Easily Confused
Both involve a physical sensation in the ear caused by others' words.
If you are *hearing* the words, it's '따갑다'. If you *suspect* people are talking elsewhere, it's '가렵다'.
Both mean the ears hurt.
Use '아프다' for medical pain or general aches. Use '따갑다' for stinging noise or nagging.
FAQ (10)
Yes, high-pitched sounds are the most likely to cause a 'stinging' sensation literally.
Yes, it's very common among friends to complain about others or even to jokingly tell a friend they are being too loud.
'따갑다' is a sharp, pricking pain. '쓰리다' is a burning, aching pain (like a stomach ache or a deep cut).
Yes, if you have a physical stinging sensation in your ear, you should use this phrase.
Idioms are generally informal. In a formal report, you would say '청각적 불쾌감을 느끼다' (to feel auditory discomfort).
No, it can be literal noise, repetitive praise, or even just a very long, boring story.
Use '귀가 가렵다' (ears are itchy) instead.
Yes, if the music is painfully loud, '귀가 따갑다' is perfect.
Usually, yes. It implies discomfort or annoyance.
There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but '귀가 즐겁다' (ears are joyful) is used for pleasant sounds.
