When you feel sad, happy, or overwhelmed, sometimes your eyes produce water, and this is what we call '눈물 흘리다' (nunmul heullida). This phrase literally means 'to shed tears'.
You might use this expression when you're talking about someone crying at a movie, or when you're discussing a situation where emotions are running high.
For example, if a child is upset because they lost their toy, you could say '아이가 장난감을 잃어버려서 눈물 흘렸어요' (Aiga jangnangameul ileobeoryeoseo nunmul heullyeosseoyo), meaning 'The child shed tears because they lost their toy'.
It's a very common way to express the act of crying in Korean.
When Koreans say they are “shedding tears,” the verb most often used is 흘리다 (heullida), which means “to flow” or “to spill.” You can use this verb in many contexts related to liquids. For example, a runny nose is 콧물 흘리다 (konmul heullida), which literally means “to shed snot.”
While 울다 (ulda) also means “to cry,” it has a slightly different nuance. 울다 refers to the act of crying itself, the sounds and expressions made when one cries. 눈물 흘리다 specifically refers to the tears flowing from one’s eyes. So, you can 울다 without 눈물 흘리다, like when you’re pretending to cry. Similarly, you can shed tears (눈물 흘리다) without making crying sounds (울다), for instance, when silently weeping.
Le savais-tu ?
Many Korean verbs related to physical actions like 'shedding' or 'flowing' are quite literal, making them easier to understand once you know the individual components.
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Exemples par niveau
그녀는 슬픈 영화를 보면서 눈물 흘렸어요.
She shed tears while watching a sad movie.
아이가 넘어져서 무릎을 다쳤을 때 눈물 흘렸습니다.
The child shed tears when they fell and hurt their knee.
기쁜 소식을 듣고 엄마는 행복의 눈물 흘렸어요.
Hearing the good news, mom shed tears of joy.
이별의 순간에 두 사람은 말없이 눈물 흘렸습니다.
At the moment of parting, the two shed tears silently.
너무 감동 받아서 저도 모르게 눈물 흘렸어요.
I was so touched that I shed tears without realizing it.
힘든 시간을 보내면서 혼자 많이 눈물 흘렸어요.
While going through a difficult time, I shed many tears alone.
오랜만에 가족을 만나서 아버지는 눈물 흘리셨습니다.
Meeting his family after a long time, father shed tears.
그녀는 불공평한 상황에 분노하며 눈물 흘렸습니다.
She shed tears, enraged by the unfair situation.
Souvent confondu avec
The general term for crying, often with sound.
Tears welling up or coming out, often involuntarily.
To sob or whimper, implying a specific kind of crying sound.
Expressions idiomatiques
"눈물을 보이다"
To show tears; to be on the verge of crying
그녀는 슬픈 영화를 보고 눈물을 보였다. (She showed tears after watching a sad movie.)
neutral"눈물 콧물 다 빼다"
To cry one's eyes out; to cry very hard
아이들은 엄마가 떠나자 눈물 콧물 다 뺐다. (The children cried their eyes out when their mother left.)
informal"눈물이 마르다"
To stop crying; to dry one's tears
오랜 시간이 지나서야 그의 눈물이 말랐다. (It took a long time for his tears to dry.)
neutral"눈물샘이 마르다"
To be unable to cry; to have no more tears left
너무 슬퍼서 이제는 눈물샘이 말랐다. (I'm so sad that I can't cry anymore.)
neutral"눈물을 삼키다"
To hold back tears; to suppress crying
그는 사람들 앞에서 눈물을 삼켰다. (He held back his tears in front of people.)
neutral"눈물을 닦다"
To wipe away tears; to comfort someone crying
친구는 내 눈물을 닦아주었다. (My friend wiped away my tears.)
neutral"눈물겹다"
To be tearful; to be moving to tears
그의 성공 스토리는 눈물겹다. (His success story is tearful.)
neutral"눈물 바다"
A sea of tears; a scene of widespread crying
이별 파티는 눈물 바다가 되었다. (The farewell party became a sea of tears.)
neutral"눈물을 머금다"
To have tears in one's eyes; to be on the verge of crying
그는 슬픈 소식에 눈물을 머금었다. (He had tears in his eyes at the sad news.)
formal"눈물방울"
A teardrop; a single tear
그의 뺨에 눈물방울이 흘러내렸다. (A teardrop rolled down his cheek.)
neutralFacile à confondre
Both '울다' and '눈물 흘리다' mean 'to cry.' The nuance is important.
'울다' is the general verb for crying, making sounds, and showing distress. '눈물 흘리다' specifically refers to the act of tears falling, regardless of sound or visible distress.
아기가 울어요. (The baby is crying loudly.) 그녀는 슬퍼서 눈물만 흘렸어요. (She was so sad that she only shed tears quietly.)
Similar to '눈물 흘리다' in meaning, as both involve tears.
'눈물 나다' means 'tears well up' or 'tears come out,' often implying a spontaneous or involuntary reaction. '눈물 흘리다' is a more active description of the tears actually flowing down.
양파를 썰면 눈물이 나요. (When I cut onions, tears come out.) 영화를 보면서 눈물을 흘렸어요. (I shed tears while watching the movie.)
Sadness often leads to crying, so learners might conflate the two.
'슬프다' is an adjective meaning 'to be sad.' '눈물 흘리다' is a verb describing the physical act of crying. One is an emotion, the other is an action.
저는 슬퍼요. (I am sad.) 슬퍼서 눈물을 흘렸어요. (I shed tears because I was sad.)
This verb is part of '눈물 흘리다' and means 'to flow,' but it has a broader usage.
'흐르다' means 'to flow' generally (e.g., water, time). In '눈물 흘리다,' it specifically describes the flow of tears. Using '흐르다' alone for crying would be incomplete.
강물이 흘러요. (The river water flows.) 그의 얼굴에 눈물이 흘렀어요. (Tears flowed down his face.)
It shares '눈물 흘리다' but adds '피' (blood), creating a different intensity.
While '눈물 흘리다' means to shed ordinary tears, '피눈물 흘리다' literally means 'to shed blood tears' and is a strong idiom for crying bitterly or suffering intensely.
그는 실패 후 피눈물을 흘렸습니다. (He shed bitter tears after the failure.)
Comment l'utiliser
눈물 흘리다 (nunmul heullida) literally means "to shed tears." It's a common and natural way to express crying in Korean. You can use it in various situations where someone is shedding tears, whether from sadness, joy, or pain. It's often used when describing the act of tears coming down, rather than a general state of crying. For a more general "to cry," you might use 울다 (ulda).
A common mistake is to overthink the difference between 눈물 흘리다 and 울다. While 눈물 흘리다 focuses on the tears themselves, 울다 is a broader term for crying. Don't try to use 눈물 흘리다 if you just want to say someone is generally crying without specifically mentioning the tears. For instance, saying "아기가 눈물 흘려요" (The baby is shedding tears) is correct, but if you just want to say "The baby is crying," "아기가 울어요" (Agiga ureoyo) is more natural.
Origine du mot
눈물 (nun-mul) means 'tear,' and 흘리다 (heul-li-da) means 'to flow' or 'to shed.'
Sens originel : The combination directly describes the action of tears flowing.
KoreanContexte culturel
In Korean culture, expressing emotions like sadness or joy through tears is considered natural and isn't usually seen as a sign of weakness. It's common to see people openly weep during emotional moments, whether it's at a funeral, a dramatic K-drama, or a reunion with loved ones.
Teste-toi 30 questions
슬픈 영화를 볼 때마다 저는 항상 ___ (shed tears).
The object marker '을/를' is often used with '눈물' (tears) when combined with '흘리다' (to shed). '흘려요' is the present tense polite form.
아이가 넘어져서 ___ (shed tears) 시작했어요.
'~기 시작하다' (to start ~ing) requires the verb stem plus '-기'. Again, '눈물을' is more natural.
기쁨의 ___ (shed tears) 때도 있어요.
'~ㄹ 때' (when ~ing) requires the future tense modifier. '눈물을 흘릴 때' means 'when shedding tears'.
친구가 힘들 때 저는 같이 ___ (shed tears) 주었어요.
'~아/어 주다' means 'to do something for someone'. '눈물을 흘려주고' means 'shed tears for them'.
이야기가 너무 슬퍼서 다들 ___ (shed tears).
This sentence is in the past tense, so '흘렸어요' is appropriate. The object marker '을/를' is used with '눈물'.
영화 주인공이 죽었을 때 관객들은 모두 ___ (shed tears).
This sentence describes a past event, so the past tense '흘렸어요' is correct. '눈물을' makes the phrase sound more natural.
Choose the correct Korean phrase for 'to shed tears'.
눈물 흘리다 (nunmul heullida) literally means 'tears flow', which is the Korean expression for 'to shed tears' or 'to cry'.
What is the most natural way to say 'I cried a lot'?
To express 'I cried a lot', you would use '눈물을 많이 흘렸어요' (nunmureul mani heullyeosseoyo), combining '눈물 흘리다' with '많이' (mani - a lot) and the past tense ending.
Which sentence correctly uses '눈물 흘리다'?
'눈물 흘리다' is used when someone is crying due to emotions like sadness. Watching a sad movie is a common reason to cry.
The phrase '눈물 흘리다' means 'to laugh out loud'.
The phrase '눈물 흘리다' means 'to shed tears' or 'to cry', not 'to laugh out loud'.
You can use '눈물 흘리다' to describe someone crying from sadness.
'눈물 흘리다' is commonly used to express crying due to sadness or other strong emotions.
The verb '흘리다' in '눈물 흘리다' means 'to flow' or 'to spill'.
In '눈물 흘리다', '흘리다' (heullida) means 'to flow' or 'to spill', so when combined with '눈물' (nunmul - tears), it means 'tears flow'.
슬픈 영화를 볼 때마다 저는 항상 ___ (shed tears).
The correct grammatical structure for 'to shed tears' is '눈물을 흘리다'. '흘리다' is the verb, and '눈물' is the object, marked by the object particle '을/를'. In present tense, it becomes '눈물을 흘려요'.
그 소식을 듣고 그녀는 하염없이 ___ (cried endlessly).
To express 'shed tears' in past tense formal polite speech, '눈물을 흘렸어요' is used. '하염없이' means endlessly or incessantly.
아이가 넘어져서 아파서 ___ (shed tears).
The child fell and was hurt, so they cried. '눈물을 흘렸어요' is the correct past tense form.
감동적인 이야기를 들을 때면 저도 모르게 ___ (shed tears without realizing it).
'저도 모르게' means 'without even realizing it'. When hearing a touching story, one sheds tears without realizing it. '눈물을 흘려요' is the correct present tense form.
그녀는 기쁨의 ___ (shed tears of joy).
Here, '기쁨의' indicates 'of joy'. To express shedding tears of joy in a formal polite way, '눈물을 흘렸습니다' is appropriate.
너무 슬퍼서 아무 말도 할 수 없이 ___ (shed tears).
In an informal setting or when narrating a story, '눈물을 흘렸다' is a common way to say 'shed tears' in the past tense. '아무 말도 할 수 없이' means 'without being able to say anything'.
Imagine you're watching a sad movie. Describe how you might react, using '눈물 흘리다'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
슬픈 영화를 보다가 저도 모르게 눈물을 흘렸어요. (While watching a sad movie, I unknowingly shed tears.)
Write a short sentence about why someone might '눈물 흘리다' out of happiness.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
오랜만에 가족을 만나 너무 기뻐서 눈물을 흘렸어요. (I was so happy to see my family after a long time that I shed tears.)
Describe a situation where a child might '눈물 흘리다' because they lost something.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
아이가 장난감을 잃어버려서 눈물을 흘렸어요. (The child shed tears because they lost their toy.)
왜 그녀는 눈물을 흘렸습니까?
Read this passage:
그녀는 오랫동안 기다려온 소식을 듣고 기쁨의 눈물을 흘렸습니다. 이 소식은 그녀의 삶에 큰 변화를 가져올 것이었습니다.
왜 그녀는 눈물을 흘렸습니까?
문장에서 '기쁨의 눈물'이라는 표현을 통해 좋은 소식을 듣고 눈물을 흘렸다는 것을 알 수 있습니다. (The phrase 'tears of joy' in the sentence indicates that she shed tears after hearing good news.)
문장에서 '기쁨의 눈물'이라는 표현을 통해 좋은 소식을 듣고 눈물을 흘렸다는 것을 알 수 있습니다. (The phrase 'tears of joy' in the sentence indicates that she shed tears after hearing good news.)
아이들이 눈물을 흘린 이유는 무엇입니까?
Read this passage:
아이들은 엄마가 떠나는 모습을 보며 눈물을 흘렸습니다. 엄마는 곧 돌아오겠다고 약속했지만, 아이들의 눈물은 멈추지 않았습니다.
아이들이 눈물을 흘린 이유는 무엇입니까?
문장에 '엄마가 떠나는 모습을 보며 눈물을 흘렸습니다'라고 명시되어 있습니다. (It is explicitly stated in the sentence, 'They shed tears watching their mother leave.')
문장에 '엄마가 떠나는 모습을 보며 눈물을 흘렸습니다'라고 명시되어 있습니다. (It is explicitly stated in the sentence, 'They shed tears watching their mother leave.')
그는 왜 눈물을 흘렸습니까?
Read this passage:
그는 힘들었던 과거를 회상하며 조용히 눈물을 흘렸습니다. 비록 지금은 행복했지만, 그 시간들은 여전히 그의 마음속에 남아 있었습니다.
그는 왜 눈물을 흘렸습니까?
문장에서 '힘들었던 과거를 회상하며 조용히 눈물을 흘렸습니다'라고 직접적으로 언급됩니다. (The sentence directly states, 'He quietly shed tears recalling his difficult past.')
문장에서 '힘들었던 과거를 회상하며 조용히 눈물을 흘렸습니다'라고 직접적으로 언급됩니다. (The sentence directly states, 'He quietly shed tears recalling his difficult past.')
Choose the most natural way to say 'She shed tears after hearing the sad news.'
To 'shed tears' or 'cry' in Korean is '눈물을 흘리다'. The other options don't fit the context of sad news.
Which sentence correctly uses '눈물 흘리다' in a past tense context?
The sentence '그는 기쁨의 눈물을 흘리며 아기를 안았습니다.' (He shed tears of joy while holding the baby.) correctly uses the past tense form of '눈물 흘리다' ('흘렸습니다'). The other options are future or present tense.
Which of the following situations would most likely cause someone to '눈물 흘리다'?
Meeting someone you've waited for a long time can bring about strong emotions, often leading to tears of joy or relief. The other options are less likely to cause someone to shed tears.
'눈물 흘리다' is only used to express sadness.
'눈물 흘리다' can be used to express a variety of strong emotions, including joy, relief, and anger, not just sadness.
It is grammatically correct to say '그는 눈물을 흘리고 있었다' to describe someone who was crying.
'그는 눈물을 흘리고 있었다' is a correct grammatical construction using the past continuous tense to describe someone in the act of crying.
When someone '눈물 흘리다', it always means they are crying silently.
'눈물 흘리다' simply means to shed tears; it doesn't specify whether the crying is silent or involves sobbing or other sounds.
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감탄
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감탄하다
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충고
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살갑다
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