말 그대로
mal geudaero
The English word "literally" is translated into Korean as 말 그대로 (mal geudaero).
말 그대로 is used to emphasize that a statement is exactly true to the words used, rather than being a metaphor or exaggeration.
Meaning: in a literal manner (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 말 (mal), meaning 'words' or 'speech' and 그대로 (geudaero), meaning 'as it is' or 'in its original state'.
Which one should you use?
You can use 글자 그대로 to mean "as the word implies" when you want to emphasize that something should be interpreted exactly as it is written or stated. In informal situations, you might use 거의 그대로 to mean "almost literally", which stresses that something is very close to its literal meaning.
How do you pronounce it?
mal geudaero
Did you know?
- Because 말 is used for both 'speech' and 'horse', the phrase 말 그대로 could be jokingly misinterpreted as 'exactly as the horse is'.
- While 말 meaning 'speech' sounds like the word for 'horse', the word for 'horse' shares an ancient root with words in Manchu, Mongolian and even Old Tamil.
- Because Korean is a language with many homophones, the sound 말 can refer to 'speech', 'horse', 'end', or even a 'stake' depending on the context and Hanja.
Examples in context
- 이 글은 사전의 의미를 글자 그대로 설명하고 있다.This article is explaining the meaning as it is literally written in the dictionary.
- 그는 말 그대로 천사예요.geuneun mal geu-dae-ro cheon-sa-ye-yo.He is literally an angel.
- 말 그대로 모든 게 바뀌었어요.mal geu-dae-ro mo-deun ge ba-kkwi-eo-sseo-yo.Literally everything has changed.
- 그 영화는 말 그대로 공포 그 자체였어요.geu yeong-hwa-neun mal geu-dae-ro gong-po geu ja-che-yeoss-eo-yo.That movie was literally the definition of horror.
Example conversation
Subin and Dohyun are talking about a very crowded subway.
- 수빈 Su-bin오늘 지하철에 사람이 정말 많아요.oneul jihacheore saram-i jeongmal manayo.There are so many people on the subway today.
- 도현 Do-hyeon말 그대로 발 디딜 틈이 없네요.mal geudeuro bal didil teumi eomneyo.Literally, there is no room to step.
- 수빈 Su-bin맞아요, 너무 답답해요.majayo, neomu dapdaphaeyo.You're right, it's so suffocating.
- 도현 Do-hyeon빨리 내리고 싶어요.ppalli naerigo sipeoyo.I want to get off quickly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 그대로, 말, CC BY-SA 4.0.
