Lesson 11

This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to 마음, the heart or mind. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related TTMIK lessons.

Keyword:
마음 = heart, mind

1. 마음을 먹다 = to make up one's mind
▷ 먹다 = to eat

Literally translated, 마음을 먹다 means "to eat one's mind" but the actual meaning is to determine or make up one's mind. You can use this expression when you are talking about your determination to do something, although it does not necessarily guarantee that you will actually do it. This expression is used so often that it has become one word, so you can drop the object marker, 을, and write it without a space, 마음먹다.

Ex)
이번에는 정말로 운동을 매일 하기로 마음먹었어요.
= I have made up my mind this time to really exercise every day.
* 마음먹다 is often used with “verb stem + -기로”.

2. 마음대로 하다 = to do as one wants

You can use this phrase to describe how one does things the way they want to, or how one can choose to do whatever they want to do. You can say “마음대로 하세요” to someone to say, "Do whatever you want" or, "Do as you please" but if you want to be more polite you can say “편하신 대로 하세요”, which literally means, "Do it the way that is comfortable for you."

Ex)
저는 그 책 필요 없으니까 마음대로 하세요.
= I do not need that book so do whatever you want with it.

3. 마음에 들다 = to like, to find something likeable
▷ 들다 = to go in

마음에 들다 is literally translated as "to enter one's heart" and means that you find something likeable. The difference between 좋아하다 and 마음에 들다 is that you say 좋아하다 about something that you have already liked for some time, whereas 마음에 들다 is usually used for things that you see for the first time and decide that you like. 마음에 들다 can be used for people as well as things.

Ex)
마음에 드는 가방 있어요?
= Is there a bag that you like?
* Based on the difference between 좋아하다 and 마음에 들다 that was mentioned earlier, Korean speakers immediately know that this person is talking about a bag to buy rather than choosing one that they like among the bags that they already own.

4. 마음에 걸리다 = to weigh upon one's mind, to trouble one's mind
▷ 걸리다 = to be stuck, to be hung

걸다 means to hang something up or to lock a door, and 걸리다 is the passive voice of 걸다. So when you say that something is hung or hooked in your mind, it means that something is stuck in your head and is troubling you because you are either worried or feel bad about it.

Ex)
어제 있었던 일이 마음에 걸려요.
= I keep thinking about what happened yesterday because I feel bad about it.

5. 마음에 두다 = to have something/someone on one's mind
▷ 두다 = to put something somewhere

When used in a negative way, this phrase is similar to 마음에 걸리다, but it has less of a feeling of being worried and can also refer to many other types of emotions too. You can be worried, upset, or even distracted by something. It is often used in the form 마음에 두지 마세요 to tell someone to forget about what happened or what someone said, mainly because it will not help to think about it or because it was unimportant. When used in a positive way, on the other hand, this phrase is often used when you have someone or something on your mind because you are interested in it.

Ex)
예지 씨가 한 말은 너무 마음에 두지 마세요.
= Do not think about what Yeji said.
= Pay no attention to what Yeji said.

6. 마음에 없는 말을 하다 = to say something without meaning it
▷ 없다 = to not exist, to not have
▷ 말 = words, language, speech

When you say something that is not "in your heart" or "in your mind", it means that you are saying something that you do not really mean or are not serious about. You can hear this expression often when someone is offering too many compliments, or when someone offers to do something they probably will not follow through with.

Ex)
마음에도 없는 말 하지 마세요.
= Do not say what you do not even mean.
* People often say 마음에도 없는 말 instead of 마음에 없는 말 for emphasis, similar to how the word “even” is used in English.

7. 마음은 굴뚝 같다 = to wish one could do something right now, to want to do something right but be unable to do it
▷ 굴뚝 = chimney
▷ 같다 = to be like

When you say that your heart is like a chimney, it does not mean that you are tough, hot-tempered, or warm. In this context, you can think of the 굴뚝 as a place where the result of something comes out. In this case, smoke is the result, and is caused by boiling water or burning wood. So by saying 마음은 굴뚝 같다, you are implying that your mind is already focused on results, even though you have not started, or will not be able to start d oing something. You can say this when you really want to do something but you cannot, or when you want to be polite about something you cannot do.

Ex)
도와주고 싶은 마음은 굴뚝 같지만, 오늘은 너무 바빠요.
= I would love to help you, but I am really busy today.

8. 마음이 놓이다 = to feel relieved
▷ 놓다 = to put down, to let go
▷ 놓이다 = (for something) to be let go

When you are worried about something, your mind is not at ease and cannot fully rest. So 마음이 놓이다 describes how one’s mind is finally put to rest, instead of being filled with anxiety.

Ex)
그 말을 들으니까 마음이 놓이네요.
= I feel relieved to hear that.

9. 마음이 통하다 = to understand each other well
▷ 통하다 = to go through, to flow through, to circulate

When two people have a strong connection with each other, they know each other well and are comfortable around one another. You can use the verb 통하다 for languages as well, like when you ask if English is spoken/understood in Korea. "한국에서 영어 통해요?” means, “Is English understood in Korea?”

Ex)
마음이 통하는 친구들이랑 여행하면 너무 재미있어요.
= Traveling with friends that you connect with and relate well to is a lot of fun.

10. 마음이 무겁다 = to have a heavy heart, to feel bad
▷ 무겁다 = to be heavy

This expression is similar in English as well. When you have a heavy heart, you feel bad about someone's situation, or about what you said or did to someone.

Ex)
저 때문에 경기에서 진 것 같아서 마음이 무겁습니다.
= I feel bad because it looks like we lost the game because of me.