Korean word

한눈팔다

Pronunciation

Romanizationhannunpalda

Meaning

  • verbget distracted

Example

공부할 때 한눈팔다는 습관이 있으면 집중하기 힘들어요.kong bu hal ttae han nun pal da neun seup kkwa ni i sseu myeon chip jjung ha gi him deu reo yo

If you have a habit of getting distracted while studying, it is hard to concentrate.

Illustration for 한눈팔다 (get distracted)

More examples

회의 중에 한눈을 팔다면 중요한 내용을 놓칠 수 있어요.hoe ui chung e han nu neul pal da myeon chung yo han nae yong eul no chil ssu i sseo yo

If you get distracted during a meeting, you may miss important information.

Core concept

A person momentarily looks away or lets attention turn to something else instead of the current task.

Common phrases

  • 한눈을 팔다han nu neul pal da

    get distracted

Similar words

딴생각하다ttansaenggakada: Thinking about something unrelated and losing focus on the task at hand.
집중을 잃다chipjjungeul ilta: Losing concentration so attention no longer stays on the task.
눈길을 돌리다nungireul tollida: Turning the eyes or attention toward a different place or subject.
딴짓하다ttanjitada: Doing something else instead of the task that needs to be done.

Definition in Korean

잠깐 다른 것에 마음이나 눈길이 가서 지금 하고 있는 일에 집중하지 못하게 되다.cham kkan ta reun keo se ma eu mi na nun gi ri ka seo chi geum ha go in neun i re chip jjung ha ji mo ta ge toe da

Word origin

The idiom combines 한눈 (hannun, "a glance") with 팔다 (palda, "to sell"), imagining attention being given away to something else.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this often describes a small lapse while studying or working, not a deliberate decision to stop the task.

Other meanings

  • look awayverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 한눈팔기hannunpalgidistractionnoun

Word lists with this word