Korean Idioms: 김칫국 마시다

Miri Choi
Miri Choi
Sep 7, 2018 · 2 min read

김칫국 마시다 [gimchitguk masida]

Literal meaning: to drink Kimchi broth

Translation: to count one’s chickens before they hatch

김칫국 [gimchitguk]: Kimchi soup

마시다 [masida]: to drink

This idiom comes from the saying:

떡 줄 사람은 생각도 않는데 김칫국부터 마신다

[tteok jul sarameun senggakdo anneunde gimchitgukbuteo masinda]

Meaning: Someone doesn’t even think about giving you a rice cake, but you already have drunk Kimchi soup.

If you eat a rice cake too quickly, you may choke. To prevent this, you should drink some water first, or in this case, Kimchi broth.

떡 [tteok]: rice cake

김칫국 [gimchitguk]: Kimchi soup

Nowadays, the first chunk 떡 줄 사람은 생각도 않는데 is frequently omitted, so Koreans only use 김칫국부터 마신다 to describe the situation.

It would be equivalent to the English expression ‘to count one’s chickens before they hatch’, which means to assume success before it is actually achieved.

A: 나 종국이랑 사귀기로 했어! 음.. 웨딩 드레스는 어떤 디자인으로 할까?

[na jonggugirang sagwigiro hesseo eum weding deureseuneun eotteon dijaineuro halgga]

I just started dating Jongguk! Hm.. what wedding dress should I choose?

B: 야.. 프로포즈를 아직 받은 것도 아니잖아.. 김칫국 마시지마!

[ya peuropojeureul ajik badeun geotdo anijana gimchitguk masijima]

Hey.. he hasn’t even proposed yet.. Don’t count your chickens!

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Miri Choi

Written by

Miri Choi

Korean teacher and content creator @ Organic Korean http://organickorean.com

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