유행 (yuhaeng) — Hairstyles and Colds Both “Go Around” with the Same Word
유행
유행 (yuhaeng) is the word for something catching on with people and spreading across society as a whole — and, at the same time, for an infectious disease spreading widely. Live in Korea for even a month and you’ll hear this word several times a day. Sit down in a salon chair and someone tells you “요즘 이게 제일 유행이에요 (yojeum ige jeil yuhaengieyo)” — “This is what’s most in style these days.” Walk into the office in winter and the notice board reads “독감 유행, 마스크 착용 바랍니다 (dokgam yuhaeng, maseukeu chagyong barambnida)” — “Flu going around; please wear a mask.” Meet a friend that evening and you get asked “그 말 요즘 유행하는 거야? (geu mal yojeum yuhaenghaneun geoya?)” — “Is that expression trending right now?”
At first it sounds odd that a hairstyle and the flu share a word. In Korean, though, the two split one word very comfortably. They have one thing in common — both of them pass from one person to the next and spread. 유행 is not a word that says “good” or “bad”; it is a word that says “widely spread.” Once you have that feel, you can use it for clothes, for slang, for songs, and for colds alike.
It’s a noun, but in real conversation it shows up more often in three shapes. 유행이다 (yuhaengida) — for talking about the current state, as in “요즘 그게 유행이야 (yojeum geuge yuhaengiya),” “That’s the trend these days.” 유행하다 (yuhaenghada) — used as a verb, as in “작년에 유행했던 노래 (jangnyeone yuhaenghaetdeon norae),” “the song that was popular last year.” 유행을 따르다 (yuhaengeul ttareuda) / 유행을 타다 (yuhaengeul tada) — for the person who climbs onto that current. It’s worth memorizing the opposite side as a set, too: 유행이 지나다 (yuhaengi jinada), or more colloquially 한물가다 (hanmulgada), “to be past its prime.”
The temperature is basically neutral, though it tilts a little depending on context. Say “유행 따라가네 (yuhaeng ttaraganae)” and it becomes a light jab — you’re just copying others, with no taste of your own. Say “한때 유행이었지 (hanttae yuhaengieotji)” and a note of regret creeps in: that’s cooled off already. On the other hand, in advertising or on a sales floor, one line of “올해 유행이에요 (olhae yuhaengieyo)” works as a way of saying “buy this.”
Checking the National Institute of Korean Language dictionary
유행 「noun」
- 전염병이 널리 퍼짐. (jeonyeombyeongi neolli peojim.) — An epidemic spreading widely. [en] outbreak — The state of an epidemic being widely spread. [ja] りゅうこう【流行】。はやり【流行り】 — 伝染病が世の中に広まること。 [es] propagación — Extensión de una enfermedad contagiosa. [zh] 流行 — 传染病广泛传播。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
유행 「noun」 2. 무엇이 사람들에게 인기를 얻어 사회 전체에 널리 퍼짐. (mueosi saramdeurege in-girel eodeo sahoe jeonchee neolli peojim.) — Something gaining popularity among people and spreading widely through the whole of society. [en] fashion; trend — The state of something gaining popularity among people and being widely spread to an entire society. [ja] りゅうこう【流行】。はやり【流行り】 — 何かが広くもてはやされ、社会全体に広まること。 [es] moda — Puesta en boga de algo entre el público. [zh] 流行，时尚，时髦 — 某个事物受人欢迎，在整个社会广泛传播。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
The dictionary carries no Portuguese gloss. For reference, our own rendering would run roughly ① propagação — o alastramento de uma doença contagiosa ② moda — algo que ganha popularidade e se espalha por toda a sociedade. Please note that those two lines are our translation, not a dictionary quotation.
Below are the real usage examples the dictionary provides, quoted as they stand, with a note on the kind of setting each one comes from.
나는 유행가보다는 가곡이나 클래식 음악을 주로 듣지. (naneun yuhaenggabodaneun gagogina keullaesik eumageul juro deutji.) I mostly listen to art songs or classical music rather than pop songs. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
→ 유행가 (yuhaengga) means the popular songs everybody is singing in a given period. This is someone stating their own taste in a conversation about music. The ‘-지’ ending at the end tells you it’s casual speech between people who are close.
올 겨울 유행하는 감기는 어찌나 독한지 한 번 걸리면 이 주 이상을 간다. (ol gyeoul yuhaenghaneun gamgineun eojjina dokhanji han beon geollimyeon i ju isangeul ganda.) The cold going around this winter is so nasty that once you catch it, it lasts more than two weeks. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
→ This is the first meaning (infectious disease). 유행하는 감기 (yuhaenghaneun gamgi) is a chunk you really do hear all the time in Korea every winter. You can use it word for word when you and a coworker or classmate are asking after each other.
학생들 사이에서 최고를 가리키는 ‘짱’이란 말이 유행하기 시작했다. (haksaengdeul saieseo choegoreul garikineun ‘jjang’iran mari yuhaenghagi sijakhaetda.) The word ‘짱 (jjang),’ meaning “the best,” started catching on among students. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
→ Here it’s a word (language) that spreads. The attached ‘-기 시작했다’ pins down the moment the spreading began. This is a classic sentence from writing that explains how new slang travels.
요즘 가축 전염병이 유행이라네요. (yojeum gachuk jeonyeombyeongi yuhaengiraneyo.) I hear there’s a livestock disease going around these days. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
→ The first meaning again. ‘유행이라네요’ is the ending you use when passing along something you heard, so you can picture someone relaying news they saw on TV to a neighbor.
Seeing it in a real conversation
Setting: a neighborhood hair salon on a Saturday afternoon. The two have a booking for a cut and are sitting side by side, waiting their turn.
Emily: 어? 토요일인데 사람이 왜 이렇게 없어? Huh? It’s Saturday — why is it so empty in here?
Jun-kyung: 요즘 독감 유행이잖아. 다들 밖에 나오기 싫은가 봐. The flu’s going around these days. I guess nobody feels like going out.
Emily: 아 맞다. (잡지 넘기며) 야, 이 머리 어때? 이게 요즘 유행이래. Oh, right. (flipping through the magazine) Hey, how about this hairstyle? They say it’s the trend right now.
Jun-kyung: 너 유행 따라갔다가 저번에 울었잖아. You followed a trend last time and ended up crying.
Emily: 그건 앞머리였고! 이번엔 달라. That was the bangs! This time is different.
Jun-kyung: 어, 그 말도 저번에 했어. Uh-huh. You said that last time too.
Both meanings turned up inside a single conversation. Jun-kyung’s first line uses the “a disease is spreading” sense; Emily’s second line uses the “popularity is spreading” sense. Koreans don’t consciously separate the two. The context sorts it out on its own.
Using it this way sounds off
✗ (to a friend’s mother who is about to have surgery) 요즘 그 병이 유행이라면서요? (yojeum geu byeongi yuhaengiramyeonseoyo?) — “I hear that illness is going around these days?” ✓ (to a friend’s mother who is about to have surgery) 어머니, 얼른 나으셔야 할 텐데요. (eomeoni, eolleun na-eusyeoya hal tendeyo.) — “I do hope you get well soon.” → The disease sense of ‘유행’ describes a phenomenon spreading through a group, not the illness of the one person in front of you. On top of that, the word itself has a light, society-watching temperature, so used in front of someone who is actually sick it sounds like you’re observing their trouble as if it were someone else’s.
✗ (looking at an older person’s outfit) 그 옷은 유행 지났어요. (geu oseun yuhaeng jinasseoyo.) — “That outfit is out of style.” ✓ (looking at an older person’s outfit) 그 색 잘 어울리세요. (geu saek jal eoulliseyo.) — “That color really suits you.” → The grammar is perfectly fine. The problem is the setting. ‘유행 지났다’ is a judgment, so aimed at an elder’s choice it sounds rude. This phrase is safest among peers, putting your own stuff down: “이거 이제 유행 지났지? (igeo ije yuhaeng jinatji?)” — “This is out of style now, isn’t it?”
Example sentences by situation
1) A shop clerk recommending something in a clothing store
이거 요즘 제일 많이 나가요. 올해 유행이라서요. (igeo yojeum jeil mani nagayo. olhae yuhaengiraseoyo.) This one’s selling the most right now. It’s this year’s trend.
It’s polite speech because it’s addressed to a customer. An ending like ‘유행이라서요,’ which gives a reason and then cuts off mid-thought, is extremely common in Korean. It’s a soft way of leaving the decision to the customer instead of going all the way to “so buy it.”
2) A notice text from your child’s daycare
수족구병이 유행하고 있으니 손 씻기를 지도해 주시기 바랍니다. (sujokgubyeongi yuhaenghago isseuni son ssitgireul jidohae jusigi barambnida.) Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is going around, so please help your child wash their hands.
This is the first meaning. In announcements it almost always appears in the form 유행하고 있다 / 유행 중이다. If you can spot this shape when reading notices from schools, hospitals, and workplaces, you’re already halfway through the text.
3) When a friend uses a piece of slang you’ve never heard
그 말 요즘 유행하는 거야? 나만 몰랐네. (geu mal yojeum yuhaenghaneun geoya? naman mollanne.) Is that word trending these days? I was the only one who didn’t know.
Casual speech. It’s also one of the sentences a Korean learner will end up using most often. Tacking on ‘나만 몰랐네’ turns being behind into something funny rather than embarrassing, and it lightens the mood.
Polite and casual forms, plus similar expressions
You just swap out the ending. Casual is 유행이야 / 유행해, everyday polite is 유행이에요 / 유행해요, and formal is 유행입니다 / 유행합니다. In announcements and news, that last form is by far the most common.
Set it against words that look similar and its position becomes clearer.
| Expression | Temperature & strength | Where it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| 유행 (yuhaeng) | Neutral. The fact of being “widely spread” | Clothes, slang, music, even disease. Anywhere |
| 대세 (daese) | Strong and decisive. “This side has won now” | Among peers, on social media, in headlines. Not in official documents |
| 트렌드 (teurendeu) | Calm and analytical | Industry, marketing, news. Sounds stiff between friends |
| 붐 (bum) | Hot and short-lived | When one field suddenly heats up (캠핑 붐, a camping boom) |
| 인기 (in-gi) | How much something is loved | About a single target only. Nothing to do with “spreading” |
The pair that confuses people most is 유행 and 인기. 인기 is about how much one target is loved; 유행 is about how widely it has spread. That’s why “저 배우는 인기가 많다 (jeo baeuneun in-giga manta),” “That actor is very popular,” is natural, while “저 배우는 유행이다 (jeo baeuneun yuhaengida)” sounds off. Remember it as 인기 for people, 유행 for phenomena, and you’ll almost never get it wrong.
Cultural background — a word that flows and travels
유행 is a Sino-Korean word, 流行. 流 means “to flow,” 行 means “to go about” — literally a picture of something flowing along and traveling around. Just as water spreads from high ground to low all by itself, clothing spreads, slang spreads, and disease spreads without anyone ordering it. That’s why both meanings live inside one word. For a Korean learner, those two characters are worth more than ten lines of dictionary explanation.
The words that branch off from it are everyday vocabulary too. 유행가 (yuhaengga) is the popular music of a period, and 유행어 (yuhaengeo) is a new coinage everyone repeats for a while. Korean 유행어 turn over unusually fast. One line drops on a variety show, spreads to schools and offices within days, and six months later the person still using it is the one who looks dated. So Koreans tend to check the room once before using a 유행어: “나 이거 아직 써도 되나? (na igeo ajik sseodo doena?)” — “Am I still allowed to say this?”
TV dramas love to play with this feeling. A retro drama set in a specific year, like Reply 1997 (응답하라 1997, tvN, 2012), reconstructs the clothes, the hairstyles, and the songs drifting out of shops so precisely that “the things that were in style back then” often moved viewers before the characters’ own stories did. It’s directing that understands exactly what 유행 is: a key that summons an entire era at once.
Today’s quiz
Which word fits most naturally in the blank?
요즘 회사에 독감이 ______ 다들 마스크를 쓰고 있어요. (yojeum hoesae dokgami ______ dadeul maseukeureul sseugo isseoyo.) The flu is ______ at the office these days, so everyone is wearing a mask.
① 인기라서 (in-giraseo) ② 유행이라서 (yuhaengiraseo) ③ 대세라서 (daeseraseo)
Show the answer
The answer is ② 유행이라서 (yuhaengiraseo). A disease is spreading to lots of people, so this is exactly the dictionary’s first meaning. ①’s ‘인기’ means being liked, so it can’t be used for illness, and ③’s ‘대세’ is about which of several options is winning out, which doesn’t fit this slot.
Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.