Korean Dictionary
How to say "Water Under the Bridge" in Korean
“Water Under the Bridge” in Korean is 지난 일은 지난 일이다 (pronounced "Jinan Ireun Jinan Irida").
지난 일은 지난 일이다
Jinan Ireun Jinan Irida
Usage & Context
This Korean expression means that past events are over and done with. It encourages letting go of the past and moving forward.
Example Sentence
지난 일은 지난 일이니까 앞만 보고 나아가요.
What is past is past, so let's look ahead and move forward.
How to use 지난 일은 지난 일이다 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Water Under the Bridge” is 지난 일은 지난 일이다, romanized as Jinan Ireun Jinan Irida.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 지난 일은 지난 일이다.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'ji-nan i-reun ji-nan i-ri-da'. '지난' is 'jee-nan'. '일은' links as 'ee-reun'. '일이다' sounds like 'ee-ree-da'.
More Example Sentences
comforting a friend
지난 일은 지난 일이야, 이제 잊어.
What's past is past, let it go now.
moving on from breakup
지난 일은 지난 일이니까 앞만 봐요.
The past is the past, just look forward.
argument
지난 일 자꾸 꺼내지 마세요.
Don't keep bringing up the past.
Cultural Context
This idiomatic phrase means 'let the past stay in the past'. A related saying is 엎질러진 물 (spilled water — can't be put back). Korean culture encourages swallowing past grievances to maintain 정 (relational warmth), so this phrase often accompanies reconciliation attempts, especially within families and long friendships.
Editorial note
We review entries like 지난 일은 지난 일이다 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
다 지난 일이야.
It's all in the past.
이미 엎질러진 물이에요.
The water's already spilled.
과거는 잊어요.
Forget the past.
Related Expressions
과거
gwageo
the past
잊다
itda
to forget
엎질러진 물
eopjilleojin mul
spilled water (can't undo)
후회
huhoe
regret
More Idioms & Proverbs Words
Master Korean with AI-Powered Learning
Practice Water Under the Bridge and 10,000+ words with native pronunciation and AI conversation.
