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Dreaming of crying: meaning in Korea

In Korea, crying in a dream is believed to announce the opposite: joy, relief and good news. The harder you cry, the better.

What they say in Korea 우는 꿈

Kkumhaemong has the idea of the yeongmong (역몽), the reverse dream: some images mean exactly the opposite of what they show. Crying is the perfect example. Sobbing your heart out in a dream is said to announce great joy, long-awaited relief or the end of a long worry. The folk logic is lovely: tears wash away what weighed on you, and your heart is left clean to receive something good. If you cry with happiness in the dream, the reading is even more positive. If you see someone else crying, some interpreters say that person will soon get good news. It is one of the dreams that most reassures Koreans when they wake up.

Depending on the details

if you cry out loud

The most favorable version according to tradition. It is read as great joy or huge relief: a problem that suddenly resolves, or news you have been waiting on for a long time.

if you cry quietly

Emotions that need to come out. The Korean reading suggests giving yourself time to rest and talking to someone you trust; afterward, a lighter season arrives.

if someone cries in your dream

According to some interpreters, that person will soon have a reason to be happy. It can also be a nudge to reach out and ask how they are really doing.

And luck?

A Korean who cried in a dream would wake up relieved and say: "Something good is happening today." Maybe they would buy a treat to celebrate.

In other traditions

In the West crying in a dream is usually read as held-back sadness, grief, built-up stress or a need to release emotions. Also as healing: tears that cleanse and prepare a new beginning.