Nuance Dictionary / People & Relationships
속을 썩이다 Sogeul sseogida
To suffer prolonged emotional exhaustion and worry caused by a child's continuous misbehavior or failure to meet expectations.
What does 속을 썩이다 mean?
속을 썩이다 (Sogeul sseogida) means: To suffer prolonged emotional exhaustion and worry caused by a child's continuous misbehavior or failure to meet expectations.
Textbooks translate this as 'to worry someone,' missing the heavy, rotting weight implied by 썩이다 (to cause to rot or decay). When natives use this regarding children, it doesn't mean a parent was stressed for a weekend; it describes years of silent heartache, sleepless nights, and the bitter feeling of pouring your life into someone who keeps going off the rails. Learners often overuse it for standard anxiety or minor inconveniences, completely missing the deep, sacrificial lineage of parental grief embedded in the phrase.
Other sides of 속을 썩이다
◆ Interpersonal Frustration — While most textbooks tie this strictly to parental worry over rebellious kids, professionals and peers reach for it when someone's incompetence or flaky behavior quietly erodes their team's sanity. It doesn't mean a loud shouting match; it captures the slow-burn, stomach-churning frustration of dealing with someone who constantly drops the ball. Learners often misuse it as a generic 'he makes me angry,' missing that the 'rot' (썩다) happens entirely inside *your* gut because of *their* actions.
◆ Self-Directed Regret — While textbooks focus on others making you worry, natives use the reflexive undertone of '속을 썩이다' to confess a heavy, private remorse. It is the sinking feeling in your chest when you realize your own recklessness or selfishness broke the heart of a parent, partner, or friend who deserved better. Learners often treat it as a clinical synonym for 'stressing out,' missing the deep moral weight of having actively caused someone else's suffering through your own foolish choices.
◆ Self-Directed Regret — While textbooks focus on others making you worry, natives use the reflexive undertone of '속을 썩이다' to confess a heavy, private remorse. It is the sinking feeling in your chest when you realize your own recklessness or selfishness broke the heart of a parent, partner, or friend who deserved better. Learners often treat it as a clinical synonym for 'stressing out,' missing the deep moral weight of having actively caused someone else's suffering through your own foolish choices.
🎙️ 속을 썩이다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [소글 써기다]로 소리나요 (연음법칙). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 우리 큰딸이 요즘 나를 아주 속을 썩여.
Uri keun-ttari yojeum nareul aju sogeul sseogyeo.
My eldest daughter has been driving me up the wall with worry lately.
💡 Reveals how casually parents vent years of accumulated frustration about a specific child. - 자식 속 안 썩이고 자라는 부모가 어디 있겠어?
Jasik sok an sseogigo jaraneun bumoga eodi isseosseo?
Where is the parent whose child grows up without giving them grief?
💡 Shows the phrase used philosophically to normalize the shared suffering of parenthood. - 그렇게 속을 썩이더니, 철이 좀 들었는지 요즘은 효도해요.
Geureoke sogeul sseogideoni, cheori jom deureonneunji yojeum-eun hyodohaeyo.
After giving me so much grief for years, he's finally showing some sense and being filial lately.
💡 Captures the classic narrative arc of looking back at a child's turbulent rebellion.
Related words in People & Relationships
손발이 맞다 sonbari majda썸남 sseom-nam썸녀 sseom-nyeo여사친 yeo-sa-chin손길 son-gil