Korean word

흉내

Pronunciation

Romanizationhyungnae

Meaning

  • nounimitation

Example

아이들이 서로의 흉내를 낸다.a i deu ri seo ro ui hyung nae reul naen da

The children imitate each other.

Illustration for 흉내 (imitation)

More examples

그녀는 동물 흉내를 잘 낸다.keu nyeo neun tong mul hyung nae reul chal naen da

She is good at imitating animals.

Core concept

A person's voice, manner, or movement copied and acted out to resemble the original.

Common phrases

  • 흉내를 잘 내다hyung nae reul chal nae da

    make a good imitation

  • 흉내만 내다hyung nae man nae da

    only imitate

Similar words

따라하기ttarahagi: Doing something by copying another person's method or action.
흉내내기hyungnaenaegi: Imitating a person's voice or movement for other people to see.

Definition in Korean

사람의 말소리나 몸짓을 흉내 내어 재현하는 상태나 행동을 뜻하는 명사.sa ra mui mal so ri na mom ji seul hyung nae nae eo chae hyeon ha neun sang tae na haeng dong eul tteu ta neun myeong sa

Word origin

The word is a native Korean noun with no securely established deeper etymology, and it serves as the base of a related verb meaning to imitate.

Usage tips

  • Because 흉내 (hyungnae, "imitation") is a noun, Korean often places it in a verb phrase where English uses imitate, so translating the noun alone as a verb can lead to awkward sentences.

Other meanings

  • impersonationnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 흉내내다hyungnaenaedaimitateverb
  • 흉내쟁이hyungnaejaengiimitatornoun

Word lists with this word