“죽” Korean Tongue Twister
앞 집 팥죽은 붉은 팥 풋팥죽이고, 뒷집 콩죽은 햇콩단콩 콩죽, 우리집 깨죽은 검은깨 깨죽인데 사람들은 햇콩 단콩 콩죽 깨죽 죽먹기를 싫어하더라.
Translation: The neighbour’s red bean porridge is fresh red bean porridge; the back neighbour’s bean porridge is new-harvest bean porridge; our house’s sesame porridge is black sesame porridge, but people dislike eating new-harvest bean porridge, sesame porridge, and all kinds of porridge.
Why Is It Hard?
This is considered one of the hardest Korean tongue twisters. The word 죽 (porridge) anchors six different compound porridge names: 팥죽 (red bean porridge), 풋팥죽 (fresh red bean porridge), 콩죽 (bean porridge), 깨죽 (sesame porridge). Each contains 죽 at the end preceded by a different ingredient name, and the ingredients themselves — 팥 (red bean), 풋팥 (fresh red bean), 콩 (bean), 깨 (sesame) — are all short, similar-sounding syllables. The final clause stacks three porridge types back-to-back before the conclusion, creating a porridge avalanche.
History
죽 is a classic Korean tongue twister rooted in the country’s deep porridge culture. Porridge (죽) has been a staple Korean food for centuries, eaten for breakfast, as comfort food, and during illness. The specific porridges named — red bean, bean, sesame — are all traditional varieties that would have been familiar in any Korean household. The tongue twister likely originated as a market vendor’s call, listing available porridge types, and evolved into a diction game. It remains one of the most frequently cited examples of Korean tongue twisters in linguistics research.
Tips for Saying It
- Learn the three porridge types separately: 팥죽 / 콩죽 / 깨죽 — master each name before combining them.
- 풋팥죽 (fresh red bean porridge) is the hardest compound — 풋 is a tensed consonant that many speakers drop under pressure; keep it crisp.
- The final clause 풇콩 단콩 콩죽 깨죽 is a sprint finish — slow down slightly going into it rather than speeding up.
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