Let's talk about 마음 🫶

Nov 2, 2025 Ian & 지혜

One topic that we have been wanting to talk about for a while is near and dear to our hearts: 마음 (the metaphorical heart). Okay, sorry for the lame joke to start off the post, but it's true that this word followed by a ton of different adjectives can result in a flurry of new phrases for a wide variety of situations.

Instead of giving you a list of words and their meaning this week, we think it'd be fun to send around a little fill-in-the-blank challenge that can let you try to use the words yourself and see how they work!

We'll give you a list (I know I just said we wouldn't but it's just a word bank for the rest) and then you'll have to fill in each of the blanks with the correct word. There are a variety of different situations presented below, each of which make use of one of the words in the word bank.

This is a bit of an experiment and if you like it, please let us know! 😊

📚 Word Bank

Choose from these expressions:

마음에 들다 = to like / be satisfied with

마음을 열다 = to open one's heart

마음이 넓다 = to be generous / broad-minded

마음이 편하다 = to feel easy / comfortable

마음이 급하다 = to be in a hurry / anxious

마음을 먹다 = to make up one's mind / decide

마음을 비우다 = to clear one's mind / let go

마음이 아프다 = to be heartbroken / feel sorrow

마음이 따뜻하다 = to be warm-hearted / kind

마음이 좁다 = to be petty / narrow-minded

마음을 쓰다 = to be considerate / care about

마음이 놓이다 = to feel relieved / at ease

Scenario 1: 문자 메시지 (Text Message)

Situation: Your friend borrowed your favorite mug three months ago and just broke it

야, 네 머그컵... 미안해. 깨졌어 😭
(Hey, your mug... I'm sorry. It's broken.)

괜찮아! 나 (1)__________ 사람이야. 물건보다 우리 우정이 더 중요하지!
(It's okay! I'm a [blank] person. Our friendship is more important than objects!)

Scenario 2: 일기 (Diary Entry)

Situation: You've been learning Korean for 2 years but still can't order coffee without panicking

오늘도 카페에서 떨었다. 바리스타가 뭐라고 물어봤는데 너무 (2)__________ 아무 말도 못 했다.
(I froze at the cafe again today. The barista asked me something but I was too [blank] and couldn't say anything.)

이제 진짜 (3)__________! 내일부터 매일 한국어로 주문한다!
(Now I really [blank]! Starting tomorrow, I'll order in Korean every day!)

Scenario 3: 카톡 (KakaoTalk)

Situation: You finally finished binge-watching that 16-episode drama at 4am

헐... 드디어 끝났어

(It's finally over...)

어떻게 끝났어??? 😭
(How did it end???)

응... 주인공 죽었어 ㅠㅠ 진짜 (4)__________
(Yeah... the main character died ㅠㅠ I really [blank])

Scenario 4: 포스트잇 (Post-it Note)

Situation: You left a note for your roommate who stress-cleans at 2am

민수야,

시험 걱정하는 거 알아. 근데 새벽 2시에 청소하지 마 😅
(I know you're worried about the exam. But don't clean at 2am.)

(5)__________ 푹 자.
([blank] and get some good sleep.)

넌 충분히 공부했어. 이제 (6)__________ 있어.
(You studied enough. Now you can [blank].)

Scenario 5: 인스타 댓글 (Instagram Comment)

Situation: Your friend posted their terrible homemade pottery

@jisu_kim

와... 독특하다 😂 근데 솔직히 (7)__________!
(Wow... unique 😂 But honestly, [blank]!)

ㅋㅋㅋ 아니 안 예쁜 거 알아 ㅋㅋ 그래도 만드는 게 재미있어!
(lololol no I know it's not pretty lol but making it is fun!)

✅ Answer Key (정답)

1. 마음이 넓은 (generous/broad-minded)

2. 마음이 급해서 (in a hurry/anxious)

3. 마음을 먹었다 (made up my mind/decided firmly)

4. 마음이 아프다 (my heart aches/I feel sorrow)

5. 마음을 비우고 (Clear your mind/let go and)

6. 마음 편하게 (feel easy/comfortable)

7. 마음에 들어 (like it/are satisfied with it)

Daily Tokki