- Words
- Hard to translate
- 시원하다
번역되지 않는 말 · Hard to translate
시원하다 siwonhada
literally “cool, refreshing”
relief, when something blocked finally clears
A breeze is 시원하다, and so is a cold drink. Then a Korean finishes a bowl of boiling soup and says it too, because 시원하다 is really about relief: something blocked has cleared, in the throat, in the shoulders or in a long argument finally settled. "Cool" covers the breeze and the drink, and none of the rest.
The closest English
“cool”
Only the temperature. Nobody calls hot soup cool.
“refreshing”
Closer, but it doesn't fit a back rub or a settled argument.
“what a relief”
Gets the settled argument, but not the breeze.
In a sentence
와, 바람이 시원하네요.
Oh, the wind is cool.
Hoya says it
Hoya
와, 국물이 뜨거운데 시원해요!
Wow, the soup is piping hot, and yet it really hits the spot!
What food feels 시원해 to you?
시원하다 is one of the seven word wallpapers for launch-list members.