What Does 마음 (Maeum) Mean in Korean? Heart, Mind, and 마음 vs 가슴
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
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After this page, you can choose between 마음 and 가슴 when talking about feelings, decisions and the body's reaction to emotion.
10-second answer
What Does 마음 (Maeum) Mean in Korean?
마음 (maeum) is your mind and heart in one word: thoughts, feelings, mood and will, as in 마음을 먹다 (maeumeul meokda, "to make up one's mind"). 가슴 (gaseum) is the chest, and it appears when a feeling hits your body: 가슴이 뛰다 (gaseumi ttwida, "your heart pounds"). Use 마음 for what you think or decide, 가슴 for what you feel physically.
Quick check — did that land?
1. Which word fits: 나는 합격하겠다고 굳게 ___을 먹었다?
One Word for Mind and Heart
English splits "mind" and "heart" into two words. Korean mostly uses one: 마음 (maeum). It is the invisible inner place where you think, feel, decide and hold a stance toward other people. A 마음 can be warm, heavy, firm or restless, but you cannot point to it on the body.
The official learner's dictionary of Korea's National Institute of Korean Language lists several senses of 마음: an inborn nature, the part of a person where mental activity such as feeling and thinking happens, mood or feeling, affection or interest in something or someone, and the intention or will to do something. That list explains why one word covers so much ground. 마음 is the usual word whenever the topic is a person's inner state, attitude or decision.
See also: 정 (jeong): Korea's untranslatable bond
마음 in Four Everyday Sentences
These four sentences show the range. Notice that every one is about a mental state, a decision or an attitude, not a physical sensation.
나는 이번 시험에 반드시 합격하겠다고 굳게 마음을 먹었다.
naneun ibeon siheome bandeusi hapgyeokhagetdago gutge maeumeul meogeotda.
I firmly made up my mind that I would definitely pass this exam.
Literally: 마음을 먹다 (maeumeul meokda) is the set phrase for resolving to do something. The dictionary defines the one-word form 마음먹다 (maeummeokda) as 무엇을 하겠다는 생각을 하다, "to have the thought that you will do something."
"I firmly ate a mind"
그 사람은 겉으로는 무뚝뚝해 보여도 알고 보면 마음이 아주 따뜻하다.
geu sarameun geoteuroneun muttukttukhae boyeodo algo bomyeon maeumi aju ttatteuthada.
That person may look blunt on the outside, but if you get to know them, they are very warm-hearted.
Literally: Here 마음 is a person's character and attitude toward others.
"that person's mind is very warm"
속상해하는 친구의 이야기를 들으니 내 마음도 같이 안 좋아졌다.
soksanghaneun chinguui iyagireul deureuni nae maeumdo gachi an johajyeotda.
Hearing my upset friend's story made me feel bad too.
Literally: 마음이 안 좋다 (maeumi an jota) is a mild, common way to say your mood or feelings are not good.
"my mind also became not good together"
오랜 고민 끝에 드디어 내 가야 할 길을 마음속으로 정했다.
oraen gomin kkeute deudieo nae gaya hal gireul maeumsugeuro jeonghaetda.
After a long time worrying, I finally settled in my own mind on the path I should take.
Literally: 마음속 (maeumsok) means "inside the mind": thoughts and decisions kept inward, not said aloud.
"decided in the inside of the mind"
가슴: When the Feeling Reaches the Body
가슴 (gaseum) is first of all a body part. The standard dictionary defines it as 배와 목 사이의 앞부분, "the front part between the belly and the neck": the chest. Koreans also use 가슴 for feelings, but the feeling is one you can sense in the chest: pounding, swelling, aching, tightness. The learner's dictionary even lists "mind or feeling" as a sense of 가슴, so the two words overlap. In practice the difference is where the speaker puts the feeling: 마음 for the inner state, 가슴 for the strong emotion that makes itself felt in the body.
면접장에 들어가기 직전, 너무 긴장돼서 가슴이 콩닥콩닥 뛰기 시작했다.
myeonjeopjange deureogagi jikjeon, neomu ginjangdwaeseo gaseumi kongdakkongdak ttwigi sijakhaetda.
Just before walking into the interview room, I was so nervous that my heart started pounding.
Literally: 가슴이 뛰다 (gaseumi ttwida) is "the chest jumps." 콩닥콩닥 (kongdakkongdak) is the sound of a fast heartbeat. For the same feeling in a romantic moment, see [심쿵 (simkung)](simkung-meaning).
"my chest started to jump kongdak-kongdak"
영화의 마지막 장면이 너무 감동적이어서 가슴이 뭉클해졌다.
yeonghwaui majimak jangmyeoni neomu gamdongjeogieoseo gaseumi mungkeulhaejyeotda.
The final scene of the movie was so moving that my heart swelled with emotion.
Literally: 가슴이 뭉클하다 (gaseumi mungkeulhada) is a lump-in-the-chest feeling of being deeply touched.
"my chest became mungkeul"
억울한 누명을 썼지만 하소연할 곳이 없어 가슴을 치며 답답해했다.
eogulhan nugmyeongeul sseotjiman hasoyeonhal gosi eopseo gaseumeul chimyeo dapdaphaetda.
Falsely accused and unfairly blamed, with nowhere to take the complaint, he beat his chest in frustration.
Literally: 가슴을 치다 (gaseumeul chida) is beating your chest: the body acting out frustration.
"hit the chest and felt stifled"
자식을 먼저 보낸 부모는 평생 가슴에 묻고 살아간다고 한다.
jasigeul meonjeo bonaen bomoneun pyeongsaeng gaseume mutgo saragandago handa.
They say that parents who lose a child before themselves live the rest of their lives with that child buried in their heart.
Literally: 가슴에 묻다 (gaseume mutda) is to keep a grief or a person inside for life. It is deep, heavy and not something you say lightly.
"bury it in the chest and live"
마음 vs 가슴 at a Glance
| 마음 (maeum) | 가슴 (gaseum) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic idea | Mind and heart: thoughts, feelings, will | The chest, and strong feeling felt in it |
| Best for | Decisions, attitude toward someone, mood | Nerves, being moved, grief, frustration: feeling with a physical echo |
| Feels like | Mental, rational, inward | Pounding, swelling, aching, tightness |
| Typical phrases | 마음을 먹다 (maeumeul meokda), 마음이 따뜻하다 (maeumi ttatteuthada), 마음속 (maeumsok) | 가슴이 뛰다 (gaseumi ttwida), 가슴이 뭉클하다 (gaseumi mungkeulhada), 가슴을 치다 (gaseumeul chida), 가슴에 묻다 (gaseume mutda) |
| Question to ask | Is this a thought, decision or attitude? | Would my body react to this? |
Native-speaker rule of thumb
마음 is the mind that remembers, thinks and feels. 가슴 is the body part, and it comes in when feeling is strong enough to swell up or when a physical sensation goes with it. If you can say "my heart is pounding" or "my chest is tight," reach for 가슴.
마음이 가요 vs 가슴이 뛰어요
The clearest pair is about attraction. Both can describe interest in another person, but they report different things.
| Sentence | What it says |
|---|---|
| 그 사람에게 마음이 가요. (geu saramege maeumi gayo.) | Interest and warmth toward them: your thoughts and feelings are drawn that way. 마음이 가다 (maeumi gada) is literally "the mind goes to them." |
| 그 사람만 보면 가슴이 뛰어요. (geu saramman bomyeon gaseumi ttwieoyo.) | Your heart pounds whenever you see them: a physical flutter, the excitement of attraction. Literally "if I just see that person, my chest jumps." |
So 마음이 가요 is closer to "I am drawn to them," a feeling and a leaning, while 가슴이 뛰어요 is closer to "they make my heart race." People can say both about the same person, one after the other. For related words about affection, see 좋아하다 vs 좋다, 사랑해 vs 좋아해 and 보고 싶다.
Choosing Between Them
- Deciding, resolving, intending: 마음 (마음을 먹다, 마음속으로 정하다).
- Describing someone's character or attitude: 마음 (마음이 따뜻하다).
- Sharing someone's sadness or worry as a mood: 마음 (내 마음도 안 좋아졌다).
- Nerves, excitement, a racing pulse: 가슴 (가슴이 뛰다).
- Being deeply moved, a swelling feeling: 가슴 (가슴이 뭉클하다).
- Grief or injustice that weighs on you: 가슴 (가슴을 치다, 가슴에 묻다).
If a sentence is about a decision, say 마음. If it would make you put a hand on your chest, say 가슴.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Using 가슴 for a plain decision
마음을 먹다 means to resolve something. 가슴을 먹다 is not a phrase: a resolution is a thought, so it belongs to 마음.
Mistake #2: Reading 가슴 only as the body part
가슴 is a body part, but the idioms (가슴이 뛰다, 가슴이 뭉클하다, 가슴에 묻다) are about feeling. Don't translate them as literal chest events.
Mistake #3: Treating the two as always interchangeable
They overlap, but they are not the same. 마음이 가요 (interest) and 가슴이 뛰어요 (a racing heart) are different statements, even when the same person causes both.
Mini Quiz
3 short questions — about 2 minute
2. 영화의 마지막 장면에 ___이 뭉클해졌다. Which word fits?
3. What is the difference between 그 사람에게 마음이 가요 and 그 사람만 보면 가슴이 뛰어요?
4. Which phrase means to keep a grief inside for life?
Part of Korean Culture Explained — Etiquette, Concepts & Holidays
Related Knowledge
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The slang word for the pounding-heart feeling that 가슴이 뛰다 describes.
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