더럽다와 깨끗하다, 세탁과 청소 표현 배우기

What does “eopjireuda” mean in Korean?

Korean splits “spill” in two. 쏟다 is liquid leaving its container in a rush, however it happens: 바다에 기름을 쏟다, an oil spill. 엎지르다 puts the focus on the container going over — you tip the cup and the milk follows: 컵에 우유를 엎질렀어요. A toddler knocking a glass sideways is 엎지르다; emptying a bucket on purpose is 쏟다.

The verb survives in one of Korea’s best-known sayings: 엎지른 물은 다시 담을 수 없다, “you can’t gather up spilt water,” the local version of crying over spilt milk. The clip is a vocabulary lesson that runs both verbs past 더럽다 (dirty) and 깨끗하다 (clean), which is what you deal with next.