Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 Horangido je mal hamyeon onda
Speak of the devil: deployed the exact millisecond someone appears or texts right as you're talking about them.
What does 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 mean?
호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 (Horangido je mal hamyeon onda) means: Speak of the devil: deployed the exact millisecond someone appears or texts right as you're talking about them.
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How it's actually used
- 야, 민수야! 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다더니 딱 맞네.
Ya, Minsu-ya! Horangido je mal hamyeon onda-deoni ttak matne.
Hey, Minsu! Talk of the devil, you really do show up.
💡 The classic, punchy greeting used the second the target enters the room. - 방금 네 얘기 하고 있었는데! 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다니까.
Banggeum ne yaegi hago isseonneunde! Horangido je mal hamyeon onda-nikka.
We were literally just talking about you! Talk of the devil.
💡 Ending with '-nikka' emphasizes the uncanny timing with mild disbelief. - 와, 카톡 오는 타이밍 봐라. 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다더니.
Wa, Katok oneun taiming bwara. Horangido je mal hamyeon onda-deoni.
Wow, look at the Kakao timing. Speak of the devil.
💡 Proving that this idiom works just as well for sudden digital intrusions as physical ones.
Related words in Social Situations
환승 hwan-seung입에 맞다 Ib-e matda입에 침이 마르도록 ibe chimi mareudorok입이 짧다 Ibi chalda입찰 ip-chal