Why does Korean say animals “cry” (울다)?

울다 means “to cry” (아기가 울어요, the baby is crying). Koreans also use it for the sound an animal makes: 닭이 울다 is a rooster crowing, 고양이가 울다 a cat meowing, and 새가 울다 a bird singing. There is no separate “meow” or “chirp” verb. Dogs are the exception, with their own verb, 짖다 (“to bark”).

The clip is a guessing quiz with a stubborn answer key. Each round asks 이 동물은 무슨 소리 낼까? (“what sound does this animal make?”) and the answers are onomatopoeia like 야옹야옹, 어흥어흥 and 꽥꽥. Everyone gets stumped by the camel: 낙타 어떻게 울어? (“how does a camel cry?”), which is exactly the 울다 pattern, and the guess 염소냐? (“is it a goat?”). Note that 소리를 내다 (“to make a sound”) is the neutral phrase when you don’t know the sound.