하트 vs 마음 vs 심장 vs 가슴 | Different Ways To Say “Heart” In Korean

안녕하세요~ KoreanStudyJunkie입니다! In Korean there are a ton of words that have the same translation, but their meanings and when they should be used are very different. Today, we're going to quickly look at one - heart. But there's actually 4 versions of it?!

The 4 Ways To Say "Heart" and The Differences Between Them

하트 = Heart (shape)

마음 = Feeling, Mind, Interest

심장 = Heart

가슴 = Chest; Heart

1.) 하트

Most commonly used to talk about the shape of something (in a heart)

Examples:

코트에 하트 무늬가 있어요. = There are hearts on the coat.

그 수영장은 하트 모양이었어요. = The pool was in the shape of a heart.

그녀가 포 하트를 불렀어요. = She bid four hearts.

그의 어깨에는 하트 모양의 문신이 새겨져 있었어. = His shoulder was tattooed with a heart.

커다란 빨간색 하트 안에 ‘사랑해’라는 글자가 쓰여 있었어. = The words ‘I love you’ were written inside a big red heart.

2.) 심장

This is used to refer to your actual organ - Heart. Most commonly used in medical situations and when referring to your actual heart. Can also be used to talk about one's mind.

Examples:

짠 음식은 심장이나 신장에 좋지 않아요. = Salty food is not good for your heart or kidneys.

규칙적인 운동은 심장에 좋아요. = Regular exercise is good for the heart.

심장이 빠르게 뛰었어 = My heart was pounding.

비명 소리에 심장이 멎는 것 같았어 = My heart skipped a beat when I heard the scream.

심장이식수술을 하다 = Perform a heart transplant (operation)

유민이는 많은 사람들을 돕고자 하는 따뜻한 심장을 가진 학생이었어요. = Yumin was a student with a warm heart who wanted to help many people.

3.) 마음

This doesn't refer to your actual tangible heart, but rather your feelings. This more refers to things that affect you emotionally. Notice in the examples, your "physical" heart is not being affected.

Examples:

그녀는 쉽게 마음을 주지 않았어요. = She wouldn't give away her heart easily.

당신 마음을 아프게 하려던 건 아니었어요. = I didn't mean to break your heart. (= I didn't mean to hurt you.)

선생님의 말씀이 정말 마음에 와 닿았어요. =The teacher's talk really touched my heart.

이제 마음이 한결 가벼워요. = My heart feels much lighter now.

4.) 가슴

This can be used to mean a few things: one's chest, breast, or heart. When using this word to refer to your heart it can be used to either mean the actual organ or just your feelings.

Examples:

그녀만 보면 가슴이 뛰어요 = Whenever I see her, my heart races[beats faster].

너무나 조용해서 친구의 가슴 뛰는 소리까지 들리는 듯했어. = It was so quiet that I could even hear my friend's heart beating.

그녀는 슬픔으로 가슴이 미어졌어요 = She was heartbroken.

서울은 공기가 안 좋아서 가슴이 답답해 못 살겠다. = I can't live because the air in Seoul is not good.

그의 말에 가슴이 찡했어요 = His words pulled at my heartstrings.

That's all for this post! I've been sitting on thus one for awhile waiting for valentines day to come around! Leave a heart on this post, because... It's very fitting haha. If you scroll to the bottom you should see recommendations of more posts that are similar to this one.. who knows you may learn som