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To bridge the gap between dictionary Korean and real-life Korean, we present a glossary of
slang terms commonly used online and in informal conversation. Entries are in English
alphabetical order.

2MB
[ee-myeong-bak]
noun.
Written slang for South Korean president Lee Myung-bak. 2 has the Sino-Korean
pronunciation ee and MB stands for Myung-bak. Can also be written as just MB.
Jokes are often made that 2MB is the amount of RAM Lee Myung-baks brain runs
on.
Link to this entry.

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[aegyo]
noun.
Intense childish cuteness. Most often used to describe the affectionate mannerisms
of a woman toward her male friends, boyfriend, or husband. Usage is similar to
acting cute or being petulant.
Link to this entry.

[aigo]
exclamation.
Similar to OMG or oh dear. Also written [aigoo] in some dialects.

5.8,
,

Link to this entry.

[ak-peul]
Combination of the words [ak, evil) and [ripeul, reply]. Literally evil reply,
or malicious comment.
Link to this entry.

[alba]
A term for temporary, part-time work. Derived from the Japanese term Arubaito,
which in itself is a Japanese loanword of German origin, meaning work Arbeit.
Link to this entry.

[ppang-syeoteul]
Term literally meaning bread shuttle. Usually used at school, where one student is
picked on and/or bullied to do the errands for people who are in a stronger position
than they are.
Link to this entry.


[bbalgaeng-i]
offensive.
Derogative and controversial term for commies, used to show extreme hatred
rather than other conventional terms. It is sometimes used as an insult for anyone
who shows appreciation for things related with the North or those who might have
lived in the North.
Link to this entry.

[boji]
offensive.
Derogative term for vagina. Similar to pussy.
Link to this entry.

[boseul-achi]
offensive.
Offensive word used towards women who think they are more important than they
are, just because theyre female and think they are precious. Derived from
[byo-seul-a-chi] which was an ancient name for an official.
Link to this entry.

[bu-ka-nis-tan]
noun.
Combination of the words [buk-han, North Korea] and [Pakistan], slang
term for referring to North Korea.
Link to this entry.

[cheon-jo]
offensive.
A laudatory term referring to the United States of America, coined during the late
Joseon period.
Link to this entry.

[chaebol]
noun.
One of the huge Korean corporations that found wealth during Koreas rapid
economic transformation in the 20th Century. From jae [ ] meaning wealth
and beol [ ] meaning clan. More commonly romanised as Chaebol. The
biggest three are Samsung, Hyundai and Lucky Goldstar (LG).
Link to this entry.

[jaesu-opso]
adjective.
The target individual is strongly disliked and repulsive.
Link to this entry.

[chuh-chuh]
onomatopoeic.

Sound of tsking, i.e. tsk tsk indicating disapproval of something.

Link to this entry.

[chun tang-koo]
slang.
Term for Chun Doo-hwan, a former president infamous for his heavy handed and
lethal response to student protest, and preference to sentence people to reeducation in special camps during the 1980s. Portmanteau of Chun and Tank.
Used to indicate that a civilian problem can be solved with brute military force.
Link to this entry.

[chin-il-pa]
offensive.
Literally people friendly to Japan. Originally used to denote those collaborator
Koreans who were supportive of Japans occupation of Korea. Now used as a
derogatory term meaning Japanophile Korean.
Link to this entry.

[ji-ral]
offensive.
Bullshit. Often written with the first two letters as , similar to writing BS in
English.
Link to this entry.

[jijab-dae]
slang.
Name for universities outside the Seoul Metropolitan area. Used as an insulting term
for those who failed to gain a place at the more prestigious universities of Seoul.
Link to this entry.

[jwa-jom]
exclamation.
Jwa-jom; sometimes written as jwa-ik. Literally meaning left-wing zombie. Used by
conservative netizens to refer to someone who blindly subscribes to a left-wing or
socialist ideology.
Link to this entry.

[duh duh]
exclamation.
An onomatopoeia from the word [hudeoldeol] describing the physical shaking
due to coldness, shock, or being scared, meaning making me shiver or shivers
down my spine. Can also be used as a tutting sound.
Link to this entry.

[dae-bak]
exclamation.
Dae-bak, a common term used to express approval or admiration for something.
Similar to cool or awesome, it can be used flexibly as a noun or adverb. See
examples below:

This movie is dae-bak (a big hit).

This movie is dae-bak fun.
A: Today I saw the popular girl group SNSD.
B: dae-bak!
Link to this entry.

[dap-dap-ha-da]
adjective.
dap-dap-ha-da, an extremely versatile word used to describe situations that are
emotionally or physically stifling. See examples below:
Ive been cooped up in my room all day, its so dap-dap-hae
I was so dap-dap-hae because he couldnt understand no matter how I tried to
explain it.
Link to this entry.

[dwen jang nyo]

slang.
A modern Korean woman who will live as frugally as possible on a cheap beanpaste
stew so they can save up as much money as possible to spend on designer shoes
and handbags.
Link to this entry.

[eo-hyu]
exclamation.
A sighing sound used to express something or someone annoying the speaker. Also
written as [a-hyu]. Not to be confused with [eh-hyu], used to express
despair or frustration.
Link to this entry.

[huh huh huh]

exclamation.
Onomatopoeic sound used when laughing, similar to lol or .
Link to this entry.

[heukyeoksa]
slang.
Literally black history. Derived from [kuro-rekishi] in the Japanese anime
Turn A Gundam, used to describe those times in ones life one is ashamed of and
regrets and would rather forget.
Link to this entry.

[hwai-ting]
slang.
Konglish for the word fighting, which generally expresses encouragement.
Equivalents in English could be Go go go!, Good luck! or You can do it!.
Sometimes written as . Link to this entry.

[hoel]

exclamation.
Slang word usually used to show mild form of shock or surprise.
Link to this entry.

[kimchi-goel]
slang.
Slang word usually used to denote material Korean girls who spend most of their
time shopping and buying cosmetics, looking down on Korea in preference of
perhaps a better Western life, when they are in fact Korean down to the core. Also
phrased as [kimchi-nyoen, kimchi bitch]. Similar term sometimes used for
men (/) as well.
Link to this entry.

[gae-dok]
offensive.
Derogatory term for Christians, popularised in the mid-2000s. It is reserved
predominantly for those of fanatical Protestant persuasion. Combination of [gae]
meaning dog and [gi-dok-gyo] meaning Christianity.
Link to this entry.

[gae-bul]
offensive.
Derogatory term for Buddhists. Combination of [gae] meaning dog and [bulgyo] meaning Buddhism. Similar to gae-dok above.
Link to this entry.

[gae-kkul]
slang.
Literally comb honey. A slang for relaxing and easy-going posts in the military.
Link to this entry.

[gae-nyeom]
offensive.
Derives from Korean word for notion or concept but is used to imply commonsense or brains and is very rude when combined with [mu] or [obp-da] (v. to
not have no sense whatsoever).
Link to this entry.

[gaesaekki]
offensive.
Son of a bitch. Derived from [gae] meaning dog and .
Link to this entry.

[ggondae]
offensive.
Clueless old man, normally an authority figure, who takes advantage of his power
and resists any changes.
Link to this entry.


[gyeong-sang-dion]
offensive.
Derogatory term for those born/raised/lived in Gyeongsang province. Similar word
used for those for the Jeolla province [, or Jeolla-dion]
Link to this entry.

[jjagochineun goseutob]
noun.
Figurative term representing the situation where two people collude within a game of
(Go-Stop, a Korean card game, usually used for gambling). The expression is
used to describe the secret collusion between two individuals in order to extort
another.
Link to this entry.

[jang-gae]
offensive.
Derogatory word for Chinese people, similar to Chink or Ching-chong in English.
Link to this entry.

[jot]
offensive.
Derogatory word for penis. Similar to dick or cock.
Link to this entry.

[jongpuk]
noun.
Comes from , [jong] meaning to follow or slave and [puk] denoting the
North. Term used to designate those who follow and uncritically accept both the
Norths ruling political power and its leaders. English equivalents, would roughly
translate to North Korean sympathizer, North Korean apologist, or Kim follower.
Depending on the context it can be quite offensive.
Link to this entry.

[jjok-bari]
offensive.
Ethnic slur for a Japanese person. Literally means pig feet, probably refering to the
black Japanese tabi shoes once worn in Japan, said to resemble pig trotters.
Sometimes spelled as .
Link to this entry.

[ke ke ke]
exclamation.
Onomatopoeic sound used to describe quiet giggling, similar to lol or .
Link to this entry.

[lolini]
slang.

Similar to lolita, ie a term for a sexually attractive little girl. Portmanteau of lolita
and [eo-lin-i] meaning child. First coined by pedophiles on the internet, the
term is now used more loosely to describe a good looking female child.
Link to this entry.

[mak-jang]
slang.
Slang word meaning something that is so bad that it couldnt get any worse.
Link to this entry.

[men-boong]
slang.
A compound word that joins [men-tal] (mental) and [boong-gwi]
(collapse, implosion) referring to a psychological shock one experiences when
encountering an unexpected and shocking event. Initially used by StarCraft viewers
in 2011. Sometimes written as
Link to this entry.

[michinnom]
offensive.
Crazy bastard. Combination of the verb [michida] to be crazy and . Can also
be combined with [nyon], meaning bitch.
Link to this entry.

[noijeu maketing]
noun.
Literally from the English noise marketing. Similar to the English term buzz
marketing, marketing through word-of-mouth, or a publicity stunt.
Link to this entry.

[nom]
noun.
Literally means fellow or guy but is generally derogatory when combined with
other words such as or .
Link to this entry.

[o o]
emoticon.
Emoticon meaning fuck you, resembling sticking ones middle finger up.
Link to this entry.

[eoljjang]
slang.
Literally good-looking or best face. Term popularized and given to those who
upload pictures of themselves online and get rated as beautiful. Some such
teenagers have gone on to fame and fortunes.
Link to this entry.

[omchin-a]
noun.
Abbreviation of [omma-chingu-adeul] meaning The son of my Mothers
friend. Generally used to mean someone who is good at everything. Derives from
Korean mothers constantly reminding their children that their friends children are
achieving at a higher level than they are.
Link to this entry.

[onpul]
compound noun.
Combination of the words [onlun] (the press, media) and [play]. Literally
playing with the media. Term used to describe the tactic in which individuals use the
media for their own benefit.
Link to this entry.

[onni]
noun.
A womans older sister, also used as a term of endearment.
Link to this entry.

[oppa]
noun.
A womans older brother, also used as a term of endearment or romance.
Link to this entry.

[saekki]
offensive.
Bastard. Can be easily combined to form other words such as .
Link to this entry.

[pen-shim]
noun.
Combination of fan and shim (meaning in Chinese, aka heart). Someone
who is a hardcore fan of something but is discrete about it.
Link to this entry.

[ssibal]
offensive.
Used as fuck! or fucker! derived from [ssib hada], the verb to fuck.
Sometimes written as an acronym as or (SB), similar to the Chinese SB. Can
also be written 18 which has a near-identical pronunciation in Sino-Korean
numbers.
Link to this entry.

[hong-o]
noun.
Literally skate (fish). Derogatory term referring to Jeolla-do people. Skates are used
to make a special stinky dish famous in the Jeolla region.
Link to this entry.


[seupeg]
noun.
From the English for specification usually included in the curriculum vitae. Normally
refers to TOEIC scores, GPA, and professional qualifications or certifications, but
often includes volunteer experience, family background and other academic or social
attributes indicative of social or employment status..
Link to this entry.

[wikkolsa]
slang.
Short term for or stomach-arousing photos. Term originally derived
from [eunkkolsa, photos rousing in roundabout way], short for
probably from DC Inside (presumably made to bypass the NSFW rule at work
places or parental monitoring). Link to this entry.

[yeolla]
offensive.
Same as and . Swear word meaning [jeong-mal](very, really, a lot).
English equivalent to its fucking [amazing]. Also spelled as or Link to this
entry.

[yeol-pok]
slang.
Compound word that combines inferiority complex [, yeoldeungkam] with
rage/explosion [, pok-bar]. Something equivalent of rage-quit.
Link to this entry.

[yoo yoo]
emoticon.
Made from lower half of the vowel [yoo]. Represents crying eyes, similar to :'( etc.
Sometimes written and or with semi-colons as ;;;
Link to this entry.

[em-tee]
noun.MT, or Membership Training, is a common group event for new company
recruits or a freshman incoming class at a university. It usually takes place at a
pension in the country side, or any group-friendly, yet private, setting. Heavy
drinking is common at MT events, and is often forced on new recruits or
lowerclassmen. An MT is also considered an important event for group bonding and
creating loyalty.
Link to this entry.

[jeon-se]
noun.Jeonse is a type of housing deposit, usually replacing monthly rent fees. Jeonse
is calculated by determining a percentage of the residences total selling price. It is
kept for usually 1 to 2 years by the landlord, and returned to the renter when the
lease is up. The landlord uses the large sum of money to make investments.
Link to this entry.


[je-sa]
noun.Jesa is a traditional Korean ceremony which honors ones ancestors. Usually
Jesa is held on the anniversary of an ancestors death. It can be considered a burden
to whoever must prepare the food and shrine, since the shrine is prepped the night
before. Traditionally the preparation is made by the eldest sons wife.
Link to this entry.

[go-shee-won]
noun. A goshiwon is a very small room that students live in while studying for an
important test, or if their normal home is far from their school. Goshiwon are usually
rented in short-term leases and do not usually include private bathrooms. Often,
there is a common room for doing laundry, and some sort of kitchen that also has
basic food supplies. Similar living arrangements include goshitel, livingtel, and
oneroomtel.
Link to this entry.

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