Korean word

눈앞

Pronunciation

Romanizationnunap

Meaning

  • nounright in front of you

Example

우리는 눈앞에 있는 카페에 갔다.u ri neun nu na pe in neun ka pe e kat tta

We went to the cafe right in front of us.

Illustration for 눈앞 (right in front of you)

More examples

그 광경이 눈앞에 펼쳐졌다.keu kwang gyeong i nu na pe pyeol cheo jeot tta

The scene unfolded right before our eyes.

Core concept

A space directly before a person's eyes, or a situation so close that it seems ready to happen.

Common phrases

  • 눈앞에nu na pe

    right in front of you

  • 눈앞이 캄캄하다nu na pi kam kam ha da

    feel utterly hopeless

  • 눈앞에 펼쳐지다nu na pe pyeol cheo ji da

    unfold before one's eyes

Similar words

앞ap: The front position of a person or thing, in space or order.
코앞koap: A position extremely close, almost within reach.
바로 앞paro ap: A spot directly ahead with almost no space between.
근처keuncheo: A close area surrounding a particular place.

Definition in Korean

눈으로 직접 확인할 수 있는 바로 앞의 공간이나, 일이 매우 임박해 곧 현실로 닥칠 것 같은 상태를 일컫는 말.nu neu ro chik jjeop hwa gin hal ssu in neun pa ro a pui kong ga ni na i ri mae u im ba kae kot hyeon sil lo tak chil kkeot ka teun sang tae reul il keon neun mal

Word origin

눈앞 (nunap, "in front of the eyes") combines 눈 (nu, "eye") and 앞 (nap, "front"), extending from physical closeness to an approaching event.

Usage tips

  • In TOPIK reading, let the surrounding noun show whether this word points to a place or to an event approaching in time, since Korean uses one expression for both kinds of closeness.

Other meanings

  • before one's eyesnoun
  • imminentnoun

Opposites

  • 먼곳meongotdistant placenoun

Word lists with this word