Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
귀가 얇다 gwiga yalda
Easily persuaded by sales pitches, advertising, or trendy financial advice to part with your money.
What does 귀가 얇다 mean?
귀가 얇다 (gwiga yalda) means: Easily persuaded by sales pitches, advertising, or trendy financial advice to part with your money.
Natives don't just use this to mean 'gullible' in a general sense; they pull it out right when someone is about to buy useless junk on a late-night shopping channel or dump their savings into a sketchy cryptocurrency. It carries a fond exasperation mixed with a silent warning: 'This fool is about to get scammed again.' Learners often treat it as a clinical synonym for naive, but in the wild, it's the ultimate diagnosis for a walking target of modern marketing.
Other sides of 귀가 얇다
◆ The Parental Worry — When a Korean parent says this, they aren't just calling you gullible; they are expressing a mix of protective anxiety and frustration that you aren't more 'stubborn' or firm in your convictions. Learners often mistake this for a simple insult, but in this context, it’s a lament about your vulnerability to 'bad influences' or peer pressure. It signals that you are someone who listens to the loudest voice in the room rather than holding your ground.
🎙️ 귀가 얇다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [귀가 얄따]로 소리나요 (경음화, 자음군단순화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 너 또 홈쇼핑 보고 샀지? 진짜 귀가 얇다니까.
Neo tto hom-syoping bogo sat-ji? Jin-jja gwiga yalda-nikka.
You bought something off the home shopping channel again, didn't you? Man, you really are easily swayed.
💡 Exposes the classic pairing of home shopping addiction and affectionate peer judgment. - 귀가 얇아서 그런 주식 추천 같은 거 믿으면 안 돼요.
Gwiga yal-aseo geureon jusik chu-cheon gateun geo mideumyeon an dwaeyo.
Since you're easily influenced by that kind of thing, you shouldn't trust stock recommendations like that.
💡 Shows the polite-register warning used to protect someone from financial disaster. - 내가 귀만 안 얇았어도 코인으로 날린 돈이 얼마야.
Naega gwiman an yaran-asseodo koin-euro nallin doni eolmaya.
If only I weren't so easily swayed, just look at all the money I wasted on crypto.
💡 Demonstrates self-deprecating reflection on financial regret.
Related words in Social Situations
한방 han-bang한눈을 팔다 hannuneul palda호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 Horangido je mal hamyeon onda환승 hwan-seung이리저리 i-ri-jeo-ri