🇺🇸 Translation
Take off your innocent mask and reveal your rabbit 🐇🐇
📙 Lesson point
How to say “innocent mask” in Korean
Hello, everyone! We’re going to learn four Korean words that have similar meaning today. We’ll learn about the words ‘순진하다,’ ‘순수하다,’ ‘순결하다,’ and ‘결백하다.’ We’ll take a look at the Chinese character ‘순’ that is used in most of these words and compare the specific nuances and how they are differently used.
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “naive/innocent” in Korean, but you’ll also understand the differences in their nuance. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Yujin of IVE used for her Instagram post. Let’s begin!
What does ‘순진하다’ mean?
First, let’s take a look at the word ‘순진하다.’ To understand the whole meaning of this word, we’ll first learn about the Chinese character ‘순.’
‘순’ (純) is a Chinese character that pertains to the meaning of ‘purity.’ Many Korean adjectives are made out of this Chinese character. They have similar meanings but they’re different in nuance and usage.
‘순진하다’ means “to be innocent, to be naive.” When this word is used in a positive manner, it has the meaning of “to be innocent, to be pure, to be childlike. to be untainted.” On the other hand, when it is used with a negative nuance, it would have the meaning of “to be naive, to be gullible.” It is often used in a neutral or negative sense rather than in a positive sense. Let’s look at some examples.
어제도 19금 영화 봤으면서 순진한 척 하지 마!
= Don't pretend to be naive when you saw a X-rated movie just yesterday!
겉모습은 순진해 보이지만 사실 앨리스는 괴물입니다.
= She looks innocent on the outside, but in fact, Alice is a monster.
너는 그 거짓말을 믿었어? 너무 순진하다.
= Did you believe that lie? You're too naive.
Korean word ‘순수하다’
Now, let’s look at the word ‘순수하다,’ which has a similar but different meaning. ‘순수하다’ means “to be pure, to be unadulterated. to be without ill-intention.” It can be used for both material nouns and non-material ideas. Let’s look at some examples.
100% 순수한 오렌지 주스입니다. 물은 한 방울도 없어요.
= This is a 100% pure orange juice. There is not a single drop of water in it.
아이들의 영혼은 대체적으로 순수합니다.
= Children's souls are generally pure.
비난하려는 의도는 없습니다. 그냥 순수한 궁금증이에요.
= I don't mean to blame you. It's just pure curiosity.
Korean word ‘순결하다’
Moving on, let’s take a look at the word ‘순결하다.’ It means “to be clean and unmixed with any filth,” or “to be pure-hearted and be free from any bad feelings or thoughts.”
It is mainly used as an adjective ‘순결하다’ or ‘순결한’ to describe ideal nouns. However, when used independently as the noun ‘순결,’ it is almost always used as the meaning of ‘Chastity, Virginity.’
순결한 사랑을 이길 수 있는 건 아무것도 없다.
= Nothing can beat pure love.
그날 밤 지우는 순결을 잃었다.
= That night, Jiwoo lost her virginity.
오오, 순결한 피를 바칩니다.
= Oh, I'm giving you untainted blood.
Korean word ‘결백하다’
Lastly, let’s learn about the word ‘결백하다.’ The English words ‘innocent’ or ‘innocence’ usually have the meaning of ‘guiltless,’ or the ‘state of not being guilty.’ In this case, instead of using ‘순수하다,’ you need to use ‘결백하다.’
순수 - innocence, purity
결백 - innocence, guiltlessness
Let’s look at some example sentences to see how it is used.
나는 법정에서 나의 결백을 증명했다.
= I proved my innocence in court.
미카는 에릭을 죽이지 않았다. 그녀는 결백했다.
= Mika didn't kill Eric. She was innocent.
결백한 사람은 거짓말을 할 이유가 없습니다.
= There is no reason for an innocent person to lie.
Yujin says: “순진한 가면을 벗고 토끼를 드러내봐🐇🐇”
To conclude, let’s look at the post Yujin of IVE posted on Instagram. She used the word ‘순진하다’ in her post. She seems to be saying to reveal the rabbit, taking of the “naive” mask. Through the use of the word ‘순진하다,’ we can infer that the rabbit that is under the mask is not innocent or naive!