[Vocabulary] 손이 많이 가다

손이 많이 가다 (so-ni ma-ni ga-da) – require a lot of effort/care/work

손이 많이 가다 is another one of those expressions that might not make much sense if you translate it literally to English.

손 = hand
많이 = a lot/very much
가다 = to go

So if you translate literally… It will mean “my hand(s) go(es) a lot”… Which make absolutely no sense.

One way to look at it is that my hands have to go a long way and spend a lot of time (to complete this job/work/errand).

손이 많이 가다 is quite different from 번가롭다, though. 번가롭다 means to be troublesome or cumbersome while 손이 많이 가다 actually means that you have to put in a lot of effort and care.

To compare them, 손이 많이 가다 is a more positive expression while 번가롭다 is more negative.

Examples: 너무 바빠도 이렇게 번거롭게 해 드려서 진짜 죄송합니다.
You’re so busy but you still took the trouble to do this for me like this, I’m really sorry.

삼계탕은 손이 많이 가는 음식이지만 맛있고 건강에도 정말 좋아.
Ginseng chicken soup is a dish that requires a lot of effort but it’s delicious and really good for health.

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