Latest posts (page 2)
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감쪽같다 (gamjjokgatda) — The One Word Koreans Blurt Out When You Can't See the Repair at All
**감쪽같다 (gamjjokgatda)** means there is no trace of something having been touched up or repaired — nothing anyone else could ever notice. When you pick up a torn
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갓성비 (gatseongbi) — The Word That Makes You Look at the Price Tag Twice
**갓성비 (gatseongbi)** means that something's quality is god-tier (신, *sin*, "god") compared to what it costs. In other words, it packs the gasp of "I can't belie
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갓띵작 (gattingjak) — The Highest Praise the Korean Internet Ever Invented
When you're talking dramas with a Korean friend, there comes a moment when "재미있다 (jaemiitda)" — "it's fun" — just doesn't cut it. **갓띵작 (gattingjak)** is the wo
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-거든요 (-geodeunnyo): The Ending That Offers Your Reasons Before Anyone Asks
**-거든요 (-geodeunnyo)** is a sentence ending that gently lays out a reason or a circumstance the listener probably doesn't know yet, in Korean's polite-but-not-f
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겉절이 (geotjeori) — The Taste That Lasts Only Kimjang Day: Kimchi You Eat Before It Ferments
**겉절이 (geotjeori)** means a side dish made by seasoning vegetables such as napa cabbage, lettuce, or radish so that you can eat it right away, without waiting f
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근황 (geunhwang) — How to Ask "What Have You Been Up To?" in One Word
**근황 (geunhwang)** is a noun meaning someone's recent situation — how they've been doing lately. When you learn Korean, you usually memorize the long sentence 「
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그럼요 (geureomyo) — The One Word That Clears Away the Other Person's Hesitation
**그럼요 (geureomyo)** is the word you use to tell someone who has just asked you something that the answer "goes without saying" — in short, it means "of course."
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기가 막히다 (giga makhida) — One Phrase for When You're Appalled and When You're Amazed
**기가 막히다 (giga makhida)** means that something is so absurd — or, flipped around, so magnificent — that the breath catches in your throat and no words come out.
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길거리 음식 (gilgeori eumsik) — Where It's Sold Decides the Name
**길거리 음식 (gilgeori eumsik)** means food sold on the street so that you can eat it quickly and simply. It isn't a meal you sit down for and receive course by cou
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기념품 (ginyeompum): The Object That Carries a Memory Home — the Korean word that changes hands most in a tourist-town alley
**기념품 (ginyeompum)** means "an object you give or buy as a memento." The moment you pick up a fridge magnet at a little shop in a back alley on the last day of
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고생하셨습니다 (gosaenghasyeotseumnida) — The First Thing Koreans Reach For When the Day Is Done
**고생하셨습니다 (gosaenghasyeotseumnida)** is a formal, polite greeting you offer to someone who has just finished something hard — a way of saying, "I know what that
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군백기 (gunbaekgi): The Two Years That Begin When Your Bias Enlists
**군백기 (gunbaekgi)** means the stretch of time when a male celebrity has stopped working because of his military service — in other words, "the hiatus created by
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군대 (gundae) — The Word Every Idol Fan Runs Into Sooner or Later
**군대 (gundae)** means a group of soldiers held together by set rules and order — in other words, 'the military' or 'the armed forces.' From the dictionary defin
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국민템 (gungmintem): The Item Every Single Korean Supposedly Owns
**국민템 (gungmintem)** means "an item so widespread that supposedly every single person in the country owns one." Read it out loud and it's *gungmintem*; the actu
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광복절 (gwangbokjeol) — August 15th, the Day Korea 'Won Back the Light'
On the morning of August 15th, 태극기 (taegeukgi) — the Korean flag — goes up one by one along the railings of apartment balconies. **광복절 (gwangbokjeol)** is the n
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결방 (gyeolbang) — "No Episode Tonight": The Word Korean Drama Fans Hate Most
**결방 (gyeolbang)** means that a program which was scheduled on the broadcast lineup doesn't go out that day and takes the night off. It's Tuesday, 10 p.m. Last
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gyeyakdonggeo — Under One Roof, Where the Terms Come Before the Feelings
**계약동거 (gyeyakdonggeo)** doesn't mean a couple bound together by dating or marriage — it means two people living in the same home after settling the terms in ad
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한달살기 (handalsalgi) — The Trip Where You Spend a Month Being a Local
**한달살기 (handalsalgi)** is one of the words that pops up most often when Koreans talk about travel these days. 한달살기 means a stay-put style of trip: you settle in
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흑막 (heungmak) — The One Word That Flips a K-Drama Finale
흑막 (heungmak) means a sinister hidden situation — the ugly truth behind an event that never shows on the surface. Around episode 11 of a 12-episode thriller, th
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혼놀 (honnol) — Not Being Left Alone, But Being Good at Enjoying Your Own Company
**혼놀 (honnol)** is a clipped form of **혼자 놀기 (honja nolgi)**, "playing by yourself." It means spending time alone — without making plans with anyone — and genui
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후계자 (hugyeja) — The Word That Always Shows Up When the Chairman Collapses in a K-Drama
**후계자 (hugyeja)** means a person who takes over and carries on someone's work or position. Watch just a few Korean dramas and this word is guaranteed to catch y
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화제성 (hwajeseong) — The Word That's Not on Any Chart, but Every K-Pop Fan Meets Every Week
If you're into K-pop, you'll bump into this word every comeback week. **화제성 (hwajeseong)** means the quality of being worth talking about — in other words, "how
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환갑 (hwangap) — The Day the Sixty-Year Cycle Comes Full Circle: the Sixtieth Birthday
**환갑 (hwangap)** means the sixtieth birthday — the birthday that arrives a full sixty years after a person was born. Watch enough Korean dramas and sooner or la
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환생 (hwansaeng) — How K-Dramas Keep Love from Ending
**환생 (hwansaeng)** means "living again" — that is, a dead person being born once more. You finish a sixteen-hour drama, and then in the final episode the screen
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휴학 (hyuhak) — Not Quitting School, but Taking a Break with Your Seat Still Waiting
**휴학 (hyuhak)** means taking a break from school for a set period of time. It does not mean quitting school altogether: your 학적 (hakjeok) — the record that keep
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입이 짧다 (ibi jjalda) — The Phrase for Someone Whose Chopsticks Barely Move at the Table
**입이 짧다 (ibi jjalda)** means that someone is picky about food and also eats only a little at a time. It's the first phrase Koreans reach for when they see someo
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입이 심심하다 (ibi simsimhada) — Not Hungry, Just a Mouth With Nothing to Do
You had a big dinner. Your stomach is definitely full. But the moment you sink into the couch and put on an episode of a drama, your hand keeps drifting toward
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이불 밖은 위험해 (ibul bakkeun wiheomhae) — What Koreans Say as They Pull the Blanket Up on a Day They Don't Want to Go Out
**이불 밖은 위험해 (ibul bakkeun wiheomhae)** means “the world outside the blanket is dangerous, so I'm not going out today.” Of course, it isn't a real safety warning
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인생작 (insaengjak) — When You Meet the Best Work of Your Life
Have you ever been unable to get out of your seat — the end credits finished rolling all the way to the last line, the theater lights came back on, and still yo
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재방송 (jaebangsong) — The Episode You Missed Yesterday Comes Back at Two in the Morning
If you are a Korean drama fan, you have probably sat there at two in the morning with the remote in your hand at least once. **재방송 (jaebangsong)** means airing
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장난 아니다 — The First Thing Out of a Korean's Mouth When Something Blows Them Away
**장난 아니다 (jangnan anida)** means “the degree of something goes so far past ordinary that it's astonishing.” Word for word it's “it's not a joke” — as in, “this
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장난해? — The Line That Comes Out When Disbelief and Anger Hit at the Same Time
**장난해? (jangnanhae?)** literally asks, “Are you playing around right now?” — but in real life it’s what bursts out in casual speech (반말, banmal) when someone’s
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제곧내 (jegonnae) — The Body Isn't Empty; It Means I Already Said It All in the Title
If you've ever clicked on a Korean message-board post with a promising title, found nothing but a single "ㅋㅋ" in the body, and felt cheated — these four letters
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저메추 (jeomechu) — The Three Syllables Koreans Trade Every Day at Six in the Evening
At six in the evening, almost the same message goes up in Korean group chats nearly every single day. **저메추 (jeomechu)** is an abbreviation made from the first
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정산 (jeongsan) — The Word Both Idols and Fans Hold Their Breath Waiting For
About three days after a concert ends, a post shows up in the fan community without fail: "I've posted the **정산 (jeongsan)** breakdown. Please check it." Today'
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전망대 (jeonmangdae) — How to Talk About the Spot Where You Take In a Whole City at Once
**전망대 (jeonmangdae)** means a place built up high so that you can look far into the distance. A wooden deck at a mountain summit, a glass-walled floor at the to
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전역 (jeonyeok) — A Morning at the Base Gate, and a Single Line on the Map
전역 (jeonyeok) means “the entirety of a region.” You draw a line on a map and point to everything inside it — that's the word. It comes out of Korean news broadc
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저속노화 (jeosongnohwa) — Not Getting Younger, Just Aging More Slowly
**저속노화 (jeosongnohwa)** means slowing down the speed at which your body ages, using nothing but everyday habits. It isn't about becoming younger, and it isn't a
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짠테크 (jjantekeu) — When Pinching Pennies Becomes an Investment Strategy
**짠테크 (jjantekeu)** means taking the act of scrimping — down to the price of one coffee, down to a 3,000-won delivery fee — and treating the money you save that
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찐텐 (jjinten) — Not Forced Hype, but Hype That Genuinely Erupts
**찐텐 (jjinten)** is a shortened form of **진짜 텐션 (jinjja tensyeon)**, “real tension,” and it refers to the buzzing, excited energy that bursts out of you all on
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족보 (jokbo) — From Family Genealogy to Exam Files: Slang Every Korean Student Knows
**족보 (jokbo)** means a book that records a family's lineage and blood relations — and, among students today, it is also slang for the past exam papers and study
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졸혼 (jolhon) — It's Not a Divorce. You're Graduating from Marriage.
If you watch Korean variety shows or the news long enough, a subtitle like this will eventually appear on screen: **저희, 졸혼했습니다. (Jeohui, jolhon-haetseumnida.)**
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The Word for the Moment a Drama Ends: 종영 (jongyeong) — What Koreans Say as the Ending Credits Roll
**종영 (jongyeong)** means that the screening or broadcasting of a movie, drama, or similar program has come to an end. It points to the state where the last epis
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칼국수 (kalguksu) — The One Bowl of Noodles Koreans Reach For on a Rainy Day
**칼국수 (kalguksu)** means noodles made by rolling wheat dough out thin and slicing it into narrow strips with a knife — or the soupy dish made by boiling those n
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케이블카 (keibeulka) — The Little Cabin in the Sky That Carries You Up the Mountain
**케이블카 (keibeulka)** refers to a vehicle installed on high, steep mountains to carry people or cargo — in other words, a ride that hangs from a thick steel cabl
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커버곡 (keobeogok) — When Someone Else's Song Becomes Your Stage
**커버곡 (keobeogok)** means a song that has already been released by one artist and is then sung or played again by someone else, in their own voice and their own
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클리셰 (keullisye) — The Scene You Know Is Coming, and Watch to the End Anyway
**클리셰 (keullisye)** refers to a setup, a piece of staging, or a line of dialogue in film, drama, or fiction that has been repeated so many times it has become p
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콩국수 (kongguksu) — The Sign That Goes Up on Noodle-Shop Doors When Summer Arrives
**콩국수 (kongguksu)** means a summer dish of noodles served in a milky broth made from ground soybeans and eaten cold. In Korea, once July and August arrive and d
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콩깍지 씌다 — What Koreans Say When Love Makes You Blind
**콩깍지 씌다 (kongkkakji ssida)** describes the state of having fallen so completely for someone that not a single one of their flaws registers with you. English sa
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앙코르 (angkoreu) — Why Nobody Leaves Even After the Lights Go Out
**앙코르 (angkoreu)** is the word for clapping and cheering for performers at the end of a show to ask them to do it "one more time." Anyone who has been to a K-po