흑역사 (heukyeoksa): The Past I Want to Erase — Here's How Koreans Say It
We’ve all been there, right?
You’re flipping through an old photo album when you stumble on a picture from middle school. The dated hairstyle, the awkward expression, an outfit that makes your face burn just looking at it now. Before you even realize it, an “Ugh!” escapes your lips, and you slam the album shut. This is exactly the moment when Koreans have a word ready to go.
“This is totally my 흑역사. Don’t you dare show it to anyone!”
Today’s expression is a piece of internet slang used constantly online and in everyday conversation: 흑역사 (heukyeoksa). You’ve probably spotted it at least once in a Korean drama, a variety show, or a YouTube comment. Once you know what it means, you’ll definitely slap your knee and go, “Oh, I’ve got one of those too!”
흑역사
흑역사 (heukyeoksa), taken straight from its Chinese characters, breaks down into ‘검을 흑 (黑, black)’ + ‘역사 (歷史, history)’ — in other words, black history. A literal English translation would be ‘black history,’ but the actual meaning is a little different.
흑역사 refers to a part of your own past that’s so embarrassing and mortifying just to think about that you wish it had never happened. In other words, it’s the kind of ‘dark history you want to wipe from your memory.’ It’s used less for truly serious wrongdoings and more for memories so cringe-inducing they make your toes curl.
- Cheesy diaries or poems you wrote as a kid
- Old photos where you’re decked out in long-outdated fashion
- Embarrassing things you did while out drinking
- Old posts you put on social media and now regret
What’s fun about this expression is that it’s often used when you’re poking fun at your own past with a laugh. Because of that, it feels lighthearted and friendly rather than heavy.
Example Sentences by Situation
Situation 1 — When someone catches your old photo
A friend finds your high school yearbook and bursts out laughing.
그 사진은 내 흑역사니까 빨리 덮어! (geu sajineun nae heukyeoksanikka ppalli deopeo!) — “That photo is my 흑역사, so close it, quick!”
This expression captures the urge to hide an embarrassing part of your past the moment someone else sees it.
Situation 2 — When you’re teasing yourself
중학교 때 팬픽 쓰던 거, 지금 생각하면 진짜 흑역사예요. (junghakgyo ttae paenpik sseudeon geo, jigeum saenggakhamyeon jinjja heukyeoksayeyo.) — “The fan fiction I wrote back in middle school — thinking about it now, it’s seriously my 흑역사.”
This is a classic sentence for confessing your own past with a laugh. Note how ‘진짜 (jinjja, really)’ is added for emphasis.
Situation 3 — When you want to pretend it never happened
어제 노래방에서 부른 거는 흑역사로 묻어두자. (eoje noraebangeseo bureun geoneun heukyeoksaro mudeoduja.) — “Let’s just bury what we sang at karaoke yesterday as 흑역사.”
‘흑역사로 묻다 (heukyeoksaro mutda)’ is a fun idiomatic expression meaning ‘to treat something as if it never happened and quietly cover it up.‘
Polite and Casual Forms, Plus Similar Expressions
Since 흑역사 is a noun, you can switch between polite and casual speech just by changing the predicate at the end of the sentence.
- Casual: 이거 내 흑역사야. (igeo nae heukyeoksaya.) (“This is my 흑역사.”)
- Polite: 이건 제 흑역사예요. (igeon je heukyeoksayeyo.) (“This is my 흑역사.”)
That said, 흑역사 is, at the end of the day, a piece of slang (신조어, sinjoeo = a newly coined word), so it’s not really used in formal settings or official documents. It’s most natural in conversations with friends, family, and comfortable coworkers.
Shall we learn a couple of similar expressions while we’re at it?
- 이불킥 (ibulkik): To kick your blanket. It’s slang for when you’ve lain down to sleep at night, an embarrassing memory pops up, and you end up kicking off your blanket. If 흑역사 is ‘the embarrassing past itself,’ then 이불킥 is ‘your reaction when that past comes to mind.’
- 오글거리다 (ogeulgeorida): To be so mortifying it makes your hands and feet curl up. It’s used hand in hand with 흑역사 to describe the feeling it stirs up.
Where Did It Come From? Cultural Background
‘흑역사’ was originally a term used in Japanese animation to mean ‘history that has been sealed away as if it never existed.’ As it made its way into Korean internet communities in the 2000s, it took on a new meaning: ‘an individual’s embarrassing past.’
These days, when a variety show plays footage of a celebrity’s early debut days, the caption ‘흑역사 대공개! (The Big Reveal of Their 흑역사!)’ pops up on screen, and it also shows up often in scenes where a drama character waves their hands in denial while recalling an old romance. With the rise of the social media era, a new form of 흑역사 — the ‘old post’ — has emerged as well. That’s just how alive this expression is, perfectly attached to the everyday emotions of Koreans.
Today’s Quiz
A friend found a photo of you on social media from five years ago and teased you about it. If you want to laugh and reply in casual speech, “That’s a past I want to erase!”, how would you say it?
See the answer
그건 내 흑역사야! (geugeon nae heukyeoksaya!)
Adding “묻어둬! (mudeodwo! = cover it up!)” makes it sound even more natural. Be sure to try out the 흑역사 you learned today in your own conversations!