말
mal
Why Koreans say words become seeds
The picture A lump that leaves your mouth and crosses over to someone else. Once it lands, you can't take it back — and it starts working.
Where the picture shows up in 말
-
how fast the lumps come out
말이 너무 빨라요.
ma-ri neo-mu ppal-la-yo
You're speaking too fast.
-
the lumps one people trades in
한국말 조금 해요.
han-gung-mal jo-geum hae-yo
I speak a little Korean.
Far more common in daily life than the formal word 한국어.
-
one lump that crossed over
그 말은 못 들은 걸로 할게요.
geu ma-reun mot deu-reun geol-lo hal-kke-yo
I'll pretend I didn't hear that.
-
the lump I'm sending over
제 말 좀 들어 보세요.
je mal jom deu-reo bo-se-yo
Please hear me out.
-
the landed lump grows
말이 씨가 된다고 하잖아요.
ma-ri ssi-ga doen-da-go ha-ja-na-yo
What you say tends to come true.
The picture: a word planted in the ground and sprouting.