What does 눈물 mean?
눈물 (nun-mul) means: Tears (The physical manifestation of sorrow).
'눈물이 나다' (Tears fall). Whether shedding tears over a lost love or crying out of sheer frustration, '눈물' is a vital keyword representing the emotional climax of a story.
Other sides of 눈물
◆ fake-tears — Textbooks teach you that 눈물 means 'tears,' leaving you entirely unprepared for the moment someone looks you dead in the eye and weaponizes them. Natives don't just use this for genuine grief; they use it to describe tactical waterworks deployed to win an argument or play the victim. If someone tells you your anger is making them cry, or if you spot a performance that belongs on a stage rather than in a real apology, you're dealing with this specific, calculated flavor of the word.
◆ dramatic-metaphor — Textbooks teach you 'nun-mul' as the biological saline leaking from your tear ducts, but natives weaponize it for extreme exaggeration. When you're wringing out a sponge until it begs for mercy, pulling an all-nighter for a report, or trying to get a refund from a notoriously stingy company, you use this facet. It’s never literal here; it’s theatrical exhaustion and relentless extraction personified.
◆ dramatic-metaphor — Textbooks teach you 'nun-mul' as the biological saline leaking from your tear ducts, but natives weaponize it for extreme exaggeration. When you're wringing out a sponge until it begs for mercy, pulling an all-nighter for a report, or trying to get a refund from a notoriously stingy company, you use this facet. It’s never literal here; it’s theatrical exhaustion and relentless extraction personified.
How it's actually used
- 감동적인 영화를 보고 나니까 눈물이 왈칵 쏟아졌어.
gamdongjeogin yeonghwareul bogo nanikka nunmuri walkak ssodajyeosseo.
After watching the touching movie, tears suddenly burst out.
💡 '왈칵 쏟아지다' is a vivid adverbial phrase for tears welling up and spilling over suddenly. - 그동안 고생했던 기억이 나서 혼자 몰래 눈물을 훔쳤어.
geudongan gosaenghaetdeon gieogi naseo honja mollae nunmureul humcheosseo.
Memories of how hard things had been came back, so I secretly wiped away my tears alone.
💡 '눈물을 훔치다' is a poetic yet common idiom meaning to wipe away tears quietly. - 슬픈 영화를 보다가 나도 모르게 눈물이 핑돌았다.
seulpeun yeonghwareul bodaga nado moreuge nunmuri pingdorassda.
While watching a sad movie, tears welled up in my eyes without me realizing it.
💡 The phrase '눈물이 핑돌다' vividly describes tears welling up.