Scary Dreams That Are Actually Good Omens in Korea

You wake up with your heart pounding. In the dream you died, or your house went up in flames, or a snake sank its teeth into your hand. You lie there in the dark trying to shake it off.

Then a Korean friend hears about it and says, cheerfully, “Oh, that’s a good dream.”

This happens a lot. Korean dream lore is full of reversals, where the scariest, grossest or saddest images are read as some of the best omens. If you’ve just woken from a nightmare, there’s a decent chance tradition is on your side.

These are traditional readings, folklore, not prediction. Your feelings about a frightening dream are real either way, and you don’t have to force yourself to feel lucky. But the Korean readings can be a welcome surprise.

Why Korean dream lore flips the scary ones

There isn’t one rule, but a few patterns turn up again and again.

• Endings mean beginnings. Death, funerals and destruction are read as one chapter closing so another can open.
• Fire and fluids clear things out. A 2013 Gwangju News piece on Korean dream lore explains that fire is read as trouble burning away, and that blood, urine and feces are surprisingly good omens because they flush out what’s bad.
• Abundance is abundance. Things that pile up or multiply, like poop, maggots and flames, stand for wealth piling up.
• Puns help. A few readings rest on Korean wordplay, as with the coffin below.

The scary dreams that read as good omens

You die

Dreaming of your own death is probably the most famous reversal. Korean dream dictionaries call it a dream of rebirth: something old ends and something new begins. Dying and then coming back to life is read as getting through a hardship and rising stronger. Seeing your own funeral is read as a current task wrapping up well, and lots of people at your funeral as recognition and support from others.

Someone you love dies

This one is hard to wake up from. Traditional readings are surprisingly kind: a family member dying in a dream is read as change ahead for them, and even as a sign of long life. That reading doesn’t erase the fear, but it may help to know that tradition doesn’t treat the dream as a warning about that person.

A funeral, or a coffin

Attending a funeral is read as a troublesome matter finally ending, with a fresh start to follow. The coffin gets a reading from wordplay: the Korean word for coffin, 관 (棺), sounds the same as 관 (官), an official post. So a coffin is read as promotion, success or career luck. Laughing at a funeral, oddly enough, is read as worries resolving more easily than expected.

A dead body in the house

Seeing a corpse is read as gaining wealth or profit. Bringing a corpse into your house, which sounds like the plot of a horror film, is one of the classic dreams of large wealth arriving.

Your house on fire

A big fire in your own house is read as business booming and money pouring in. In Korean dream lore, the bigger and brighter the blaze, the better. The detail to notice is smoke. A clean, roaring fire is the lucky version, while a dream full of smoke and no clear flame reads as things not resolving cleanly. Putting the fire out is mixed: worries solved, or good fortune blocked.

Poop, on you or everywhere

Stepping in poop is read as an unexpected gain. Getting covered in it is read as a large sum coming your way, and a toilet overflowing with it as wealth flooding in. The more poop, the better. The one cautionary version is wiping it off, read as a warning that money could slip away, so watch your spending.

Maggots

Bugs in Korean dreams usually stand for small worries, but maggots are the exception. A dream crawling with maggots is read as wealth that grows and grows. It might be the most disgusting lucky dream on the list. See the maggot dream page.

Being bitten by a snake

A snake bite feels like a straightforward bad dream. Many Korean dream dictionaries read it as a lucky one, with wealth or a good new connection attaching itself to you. A bite on the hand is read as gaining money. Some writers do read bites as conflict, so the snake dream page covers both sides.

Being bitten by a pig

Same logic, different animal. A pig that bites you is read as money latching onto you, sudden and hard to shake off. Since pigs are already the classic money dream, the bite only makes it more vivid. See the pig dream page.

Blood

Blood in Korean dreams is mostly read as wealth and vitality, not danger. Blood on your clothes is read as an unexpected windfall, a nosebleed as blocked matters clearing and money coming in, and even vomiting blood as built-up worries finally clearing out. Someone else’s blood is read as profit that comes through that person. The exception is black, murky blood, which is read as a reminder to look after your health.

Scary dreams that aren’t flipped

Not every nightmare turns into good news, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. A few scary dreams keep their warning reading in Korean lore.

• Teeth falling out. Teeth stand for family, so this is read as a warning about trouble or separation involving someone close. A rotten tooth falling out is the exception, read as an old worry resolving.
• Being chased by a tiger. Read as pressure from a boss or a powerful rival. See the tiger dream page.
• Muddy water and murky blood. Clear water is lucky, but muddy water is read as worry or hardship.
• Lucky things leaving. A pig, cow or snake walking out of your house is read as good fortune leaving.

So it’s not quite true that “every bad dream is good in Korea.” It’s more that Korean lore reads dreams by their symbols, not their mood, and many frightening symbols happen to be lucky ones.

If the dream really shook you

Folklore can be fun, but it’s not a substitute for taking care of yourself. If a dream has left you upset, it can help to talk it through with someone you trust, or simply write it down and set it aside. Recurring nightmares that disrupt your sleep are worth mentioning to a doctor.

And if the Korean reading makes you feel better? Enjoy it. That’s half of what dream lore is for.

Questions people ask

Is dreaming about dying good luck in Korea? In traditional readings, usually yes. Your own death is read as rebirth, the end of one chapter and the start of another. It’s folklore, not prediction.

Why is a house fire a good dream? Fire is read as prosperity, with the bigger, brighter blaze the luckier one. Some writers also explain it as trouble burning away.

Is it bad to dream that a family member died? Traditional readings say no. It’s read as change for that person and even as a sign of long life.

Why is poop lucky in Korean dreams? Poop is read as wealth, especially when there’s a lot of it or it gets on you. It’s one of the most famous reversal dreams in Korea.

Are any scary dreams actually bad omens? Yes. Teeth falling out, being chased by a tiger and muddy water keep their warning readings, and lucky things leaving your house are read as luck leaving.

For more lucky dreams, see The 20 Luckiest Dreams in Korean Dream Lore.