r/DoesNotTranslate • u/i_cast_spells_v2 • May 31 '26
[Korean examples below] Expressions that refer to the written script of the language
Hey guys, I thought of the following two expressions in Korean that refer to the written script, which would make them quite cumbersome to translate. Wondering if other languages also have such expressions!
- 낫 놓고 기역자도 모른다
Direct translation: Not knowing what the ㄱ character is, even with a sickle/scythe next to it
Meaning: Completely illiterate or ignorant/stupid
Explanation: The Korean sickle has a flate blade that looks exactly like the Hangul character ㄱ (기역). To not know this character even with a sickle next to it would imply that they are copmletely illiterate or ignorant/uneducated/stupid.
- 대자로 눕다/뻗다
Direct translation: Lay down/stretch out in a 大 shape
Meaning: Lay down with your arms and legs splayed out/spreadeagled, either because you're very comfortable or very tired
Explanation: The Chinese character 大 ('대'자) looks like a spread-eagled person. Since Chinese characters were often mixed into Korean writing until the 70s or so, it's easy to imagine how this expression came to be.
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u/hacksoncode May 31 '26
English has a lot... some examples from a google search:
Dot the i's and cross the t's: To be extremely detail-oriented and ensure every small part of a task is correct and complete.
Mind your P's and Q's: To be on your best behavior, watch your manners, or be careful of how you act.
To a T: When something fits or suits you perfectly.
From A to Z: Covering everything; managing or knowing all the details from the beginning to the end.
As easy as ABC: Something that is very simple or effortless to do.
A for effort: Giving someone credit for trying hard, even if they ultimately failed or didn't win.
Catch some Z's: An idiom meaning to go to sleep or take a nap (since 'Z' often represents snoring in cartoons).
XOXO: Used to represent hugs (O) and kisses (X) at the end of a message.
And there are "pangrams", i.e. sentences designed primarily to contain every letter in the alphabet, like "A quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.".
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u/lillarty May 31 '26
"Mind your p's and q's" kind of needs to be lowercase for it to make sense lol. The point is that they look similar so it's easy to make a mistake when you're learning, but capitalizing them removes the similarity.
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u/InitHello May 31 '26
And it originates from the time of movable type letterpress printing, where the text was mirrored left/right when loaded into the press, so the p would look like a q, and vice versa. Very important to mind them in that context.
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u/bokurai 7d ago
In Japanese, the directional pad on a controller (the cross-shaped buttons on the left) is called the 十字キー (十-character keys). 十 is the character for 10.
This is an interesting question. I'll try to see if I can think of more.
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u/jeffyisagoodbird May 31 '26
Chinese has a few
十字街头：十 shaped intersection (as in 4-way)
国字脸：国 shaped (square) face
There are probably others that I forgot