# 바다가 고프다



## Flooooooooor

Hi all,

A friend of a friend recently posted this on facebook:

"서울에 사는 사람은 자연이 고프고 제주에 사는 사람은 도시가 고프고"

I have never seen 고프다 used with something other than 배 before. A quick google search also showed examples of "바다가 고프다" being used to mean being "hungry", or yearning for the sea.

This is odd to me, because normally 배고프다 is talking about the stomach itself being hungry. If 바다/도시/자연이 고프다 were similar to 배고프다, then it would sound like the sea, city, or nature are hungry. But this can't be right--it seems from context like the sea, city, and nature are in fact the _objects_ of yearning or hunger.

배고프다. [The stomach is] hungry.
도기가 고프다. [Someone is] hungry for the city.

What's going on here?

Thanks!


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## soleilcouchant

Hi 
This is a poetic phrase. *Actually this usage is not even listed on the Korean Standard dictionary as correct.* It is somewhat of an altered form of dialect perhaps or figure of speech(cannot say exactly). But was seen many times as poetic uses in old poems so i guess, people have grown familiar with this thus being used and seen as nothing wrong.

If 고프다 is used as an adjective then nothing should be coupled save for 배 as a rule and 배 will be the only subject.

However this wrong usage of 고프다, are often being widely used in two way; A. as a verb(want, hope, yearn) and B. as a shortened form of ~고 싶다(i want to)
- Example A (This falls for what you mentioned in your post)
술이 고프다 = 술이 먹고 싶다
사랑이 고프다 = 사랑 받고 싶다
- Example for B
하고픈 말 = 하고 싶은 말
보고픈 얼굴 = 보고 싶은 얼굴

So you can choose to change 바다가 고프다 to _*two grammatically correct forms* below_
*A. *바다에* 가고 싶다.
B. *바다가* 그립다.*

According to the Korean Dictionary published by The National Institute of Korean Language, it says any case of 고프다 being used as suffix is technically wrong and also not correct Korean.

Here I will also leave you the links to two newspaper articles where they covered this usage as wrong. I just hope they help a little 
http://m.ggilbo.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=135962
http://m.media.daum.net/m/media/newsview/20140903212906406

Wish you the best,
Soleilcouchant


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## Seungmi

Flooooooooor said:


> Hi all,
> 
> A friend of a friend recently posted this on facebook:
> 
> "서울에 사는 사람은 자연이 고프고 제주에 사는 사람은 도시가 고프고"
> 
> I have never seen 고프다 used with something other than 배 before. A quick google search also showed examples of "바다가 고프다" being used to mean being "hungry", or yearning for the sea.
> 
> This is odd to me, because normally 배고프다 is talking about the stomach itself being hungry. If 바다/도시/자연이 고프다 were similar to 배고프다, then it would sound like the sea, city, or nature are hungry. But this can't be right--it seems from context like the sea, city, and nature are in fact the _objects_ of yearning or hunger.
> 
> 배고프다. [The stomach is] hungry.
> 도기가 고프다. [Someone is] hungry for the city.
> 
> What's going on here?
> 
> Thanks!


Hi ,I see that has been bothering you 
There are often more than one usage in one word. 고프다 can be good example for this. As you mentioned ,word 고프다 is usually compatable with 배, which makes it interpreted as 'being hungry' , however, it is not limited to. When it's used with different words other than 배, you can say it's somehow figurative. 

These are most commonly used expressions by native koreans;

배가 고프다/배고프다 - I am hungry
바다가 고프다 - I miss going to the sea
사람이 고프다 - I miss being with people
치킨이 고프다 - I'm craving for 치킨

You can apply almost any words to this.


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