Korean Slang Phrases

Korean slang is very common in everyday speech, so it’s important to have some awareness of common slang phrases. As with English slang, Korean slang is highly informal, and it’s mainly used in speech.

Korean slang phrases are sometimes words that have a meaning of their own, but many Korean slang words are abbreviations or loanwords from different languages, especially from the English language.

In this article, we’ll explore 16 of the most common slang phrases so that you can use them appropriately and improve your understanding of the Korean language.

Single-syllable Korean slang expressions

1) 콜 [kol] – Okay! Sounds good!

콜 comes from the English word ‘call,’ and it’s adopted from the poker term. In poker, the term ‘call’ is used to match a bet from an opponent, and in Korean, we use 콜 to agree with someone’s suggestion to do something or with someone’s bet. We often translate 콜 as ‘okay’ or ‘sounds good,’ as you can see in the examples below.

A: 우리 치킨 시켜 먹을 까? [U-ri chi-kin si-kyeo meo-geul-kka?]
(Shall we order chicken?)
B: 콜! [Kol!]
(Okay!)

A: 그럼 10,000원 걸어. [Geu-reom man-won geol-eo.]
(Then let’s bet 10,000 won.)
B: 콜! [Kol!]
(Okay!)

2) 헐 [heol] – No way!

We say 헐 to express being surprised or stunned by something, so it’s similar to ‘No way’ or ‘OMG.’ Here are some examples in context:

A: 진수가 이혼했데. [Jinsu-ga i-hon-haet-de.] (I heard that Jinsu got divorced.)
B: 헐! 진짜? [Heol! Jin-jja?] (No way! Really?)

A: 나 직장을 그만뒀어. [Na jik-jang-eul geu-man-dwo-sseo.] (I quit my job.)
B: 헐! 왜? [Heol! Wae?] (No way! Why?)

3) 짱 [jjang] – That’s the best!

짱 is a very common slang term and it has many different uses. The most common use of 짱 is to say that someone or something is the best, so it’s a positive way to describe things.

A:난 숙제 없어. [Nan suk-je eop-seo.]
(I don’t have homework.)
B: 진짜? 너네 선생님 짱이다. [Jin-jja? Neo-ne seon-saeng-nim jjang-i-da.]
(Really? Your teacher is the best.)

A: 새로운 BTS 노래 들어봤어? [Sae-ro-woon BTS no-rae deul-eo-ba-sseo?]
(Have you heard the new BTS song?)
B: 응, 짱 좋아. [Eung, jjang jo-ah.]
(Yes, I really like it.)

짱 can be used like a noun as in the first example, but we can also use it with adjectives like 좋아 (good) to say that something is the best, as in the second example.

Another use of 짱 is to say that someone is the ‘hardest’ person at school, as in the best fighter at the school. To refer to the best fighter at the school, we would call him or her 학교 짱 (학교 means ‘school’).

4) 뻥 [ppeong] – a lie, a fib

뻥 is another very common slang word in Korean, and it means a lie or a fib. 뻥 is a noun, so to say that someone told a lie, we use 뻥 with the verb 치다 (to hit) and say 뻥을 치다.

• 뻥 치지 마! [Ppeong chi-ji ma!]
  (Stop telling lies.)
  

• 민수는 뻥을 너무 많이 쳐. [Minsu-neun ppeon-eul neo-mu ma-ni cheo.]
  (Minsu tells too many lies.)

5) 쌤 [ssaem] – teacher

The Korean word for teacher is 선생님 [seon-saeng-nim], and we use this title to address our teachers respectfully. However, school students form a close bond with their teachers, so they often address their teacher as 쌤. This is informal, but it’s a friendly way of addressing a teacher, and the use of 쌤 is very common.

Do note that 쌤 should only be used when you have formed a close bond with your teacher, and it’s mainly used by primary and secondary school students.

• 쌤, 주말 잘 보내셨어요? [Ssaem, ju-mal jal bo-bae-syeo-sseo-yo?]
  (Teacher, did you have a good weekend?)
  

• 쌤, 죄송해요. 숙제 못 했어요. [Ssaem, joe-song-hae-yo. Suk-je mot hae-sseo-yo.]
  (Teacher, I’m sorry. I didn’t do the homework.)
  

Common Korean slang phrases

6) 대박 [dae-bak] – awesome, great

대박 is another very common Korean slang expression, and it can be used in several ways. The most common use of 대박 is to mean awesome or great. If someone tells you that they got concert tickets for a popular K-pop group and you want to say ‘awesome,’ then you can say 대박.

A: 나 콘서트 티켓 구했어. [Na kon-seo-teu ti-ket gu-hae-sseo.]
(I managed to get concert tickets.)
B: 대박! [Dae-bak.]
(Awesome!)

대박 can also be used to show surprise, so when we hear surprising news, we can say 대박 to show that we are surprised at what we have heard. This use of 대박 is similar in meaning to ‘No way’ or ‘Oh my god!’

A: 야, 부장님 잘렸어. [Ya, bu-jang-nim jal-lyeo-sseo.]
(Hey, the head of the department got fired.)
B: 진짜? 대박! [Jin-jja? Dae-bak!]
(Really? No way!)

One last use of 대박 is to refer to a big success. To say that a new song was a big success or a new restaurant became a big hit with the local residents, we can use 대박. To use 대박 in this way, we use 대박 with the verb 나다 (to happen) and say 대박 나다.

• 새로운 식당 대박 났어! [Sae-ro-un sik-dang dae-bak na-sseo!]
  (The new restaurant became a big success.)

7) 간지 [gan-ji] – coolness, stylish

간지 is an informal phrase to refer to being stylish and cool. 간지 is a noun, so to say that someone is cool or stylish, we use 간지 with the verb 나다 (to happen) and say 간지 나다.

A:나 머리 잘랐어. [Na meo-ri jal-la-sseo.]
(I cut my hair.)
B: 완전 간지 나. [Wan-jeon gan-ji na.]
(It’s totally cool.)

• 그거 입으니까 간지 난다. [Geu-geo i-beu-ni-kka gan-ji nan-da.]
  (You look cool wearing that.)

8) 레알 [re-al] – Really? For real?

레알 comes from the English word ‘real,’ and we use it like the English word ‘really.’ We can use it to ask if what the other person is saying is true or to confirm that what we are saying is true.

A: 나 차 팔았어. [Na cha pal-a-sseo.] (I sold the car.)
B: 레알이야? [Re-al-i-ya?] (For real?)

A: 진수 결혼한데. [Jinsu gyeol-hon-han-de.] (I heard that Jinsu is getting married.)
B: 뻥 치지마! [Ppeong chi-ji-ma.] (Stop lying.)
A: 레알이야. [Re-al-i-ya.] (It’s the truth.)

9) 노잼 [no-jaem] – no fun, boring

잼 is a shortened form of 재미, which means ‘fun.’ We use it with the English word ‘no’ to say that someone or something is no fun or boring.

A: 그 게임 어때? [Geu ge-im eo-tte?] (How is that game?)
B: 완전 노잼이야. [Wan-jeon no-jaem-i-ya.] (It’s totally boring.)

10) 꿀잼 [kkul-jaem] – totally fun

잼 in 꿀잼 means fun, and 꿀 is honey in Korean, so to say that something is totally fun, we can say 꿀잼.

• 이 드라마 꿀잼이야. [I deu-ra-ma kkul-jaem-i-ya.] (This drama is so fun.)

11) 개 [gae] – so, very

개 means dog in Korean, and it is often used with other words to form some pretty offensive swear words. However, in modern Korean, 개 is often used with other adjectives to mean ‘so’ or ‘very.’

• 개 맛있어. [Gae ma-si-sseo.] (It’s very tasty.)
• 개 좋아. [Gae jo-ah.] (It’s very good.)
• 개 멋있어. [Gae meo-si-sseo.] (It’s very cool.)
• 개 더워. [Gae deo-wo.] (It’s very hot.)
• 개 비싸. [Gae bi-ssa.] (It’s very expensive.)

Korean slang for relationships

12) 썸 [sseom] – flirting

썸 refers to flirting or a period of flirting between two people who have feelings for each other. 썸 is a noun, and we often use it with the verb 타다 (to ride) and say 썸을 타다, which means to be flirty or be flirting with another person.

A: 민수 요즘 썸 타나 봐. [Minsu yo-jeum sseom ta-na bwa.]
(Minsu must be flirting these days.)
B: 그런 것 같아. [Geu-reon geot ga-ta.]
(It looks like it.)

When we talk about someone we are flirting with, we refer to that person as 썸남 [sseom-nam] or 썸녀 [sseom-nyeo]. 썸남 is a man you are flirting with, and 썸녀 is a woman you are flirting with.

13) 베프 [be-peu] – best friend

베프 is an abbreviation of 베스트 프렌드, which comes from the English phrase best friend, and 베프 means exactly that – best friend. Use of English words as Korean slang is very common, and we’ve already seen several examples of this, such as 콜 (okay), 레알 (for real), 노잼 (no fun), and now 베프 (best friend).

• 우리 완전 베프 됐어요. [U-ri wan-jeon be-peu dwae-sseo-yo.]
  (We’ve totally become best friends.)
  

• 수지랑 저는 베프예요. [Suji-rang jeo-neun be-peu-ye-yo.]
  (Suji and I are best friends.)
  

14) 밀당 [mil-dang] – play hard to get

밀당 is an abbreviation of 밀고 당기다, which means ‘to push and pull.’ We use 밀당 to talk about playing hard to get between two people who are romantically interested in each other. The general meaning of 밀당 is that you act interested and then act as if you’re not interested, so you’re showing interest but then trying keep some distance at the same time – this is 밀당.

• 밀당 같은 거 안 했으면 좋겠어. [Mil-dang ga-teun-geo an hae-sseu-myeon jo-ke-sseo.]
  (I wish he (or she) wouldn’t play hard to get.)
  

A: 문자가 와서 전화했는데 안 받아. [Mun-ja-ga wa-seo jeon-hwa-reul haet-neun-de an -ba-da.]
(I got a text so I called him, but he’s not answering.)
B:밀당 하는 거 아니야? [Mil-dang ga-teun-geo an hae-sseu-myeon jo-ke-sseo.]
(Is he playing hard to get?)

15) 모쏠 [mo-ssol] – single forever

모쏠 is another slang which is an abbreviation. It comes from the expression 모태솔로. 모태 refers to one’s birth, and 솔로 comes from the English word ‘solo’ and means single, so 모태솔로 means being single forever (since birth).

모태솔로 is shortened to 모솔, but when we say it, it sounds more like 모쏠, so the slang term is generally written as 모쏠.

• 우리 학교에는 모쏠이 정말 많아. [U-ri hak-gyo-e-neun mo-ssol-i jeong-mal man-a.]
  (Our school has a lot of people who have been single forever.)
  

• 올해에는 모쏠 탈출하자! [Ol-hae-e-neun mo-ssol tal-chul-ha-ja.]
  (Let’s escape being single this year.)

16) 돌싱 [dol-sing] – divorcee

Our final Korean slang is another abbreviation, and that’s 돌싱. This is a shortened form of 돌아온 싱글. The first part of this expression, 돌아온, means ‘returned,’ and 싱글 means ‘single,’ as in someone who is not in a relationship, so 돌싱 refers to a divorcee, someone who has just returned to being single. Sometimes, divorcees get together for a get-together or a party, and we may refer to these parties as 돌싱파티 (divorcee parties).

A: 민수도 돌싱이야. [Minsu-do dol-sing-i-ya.] (Minsu is a divorcee, too.)
B: 진짜? 언제 이혼했어? [Jin-jja? Eon-je i-hon-hae-sseo?] (When did he get divorced?)

• 나 이번 주말에 돌싱파티에 가. [Na i-beon ju-mal-e dol-sing-pa-ti-e ga.]
  (I’m going to a divorcee party this weekend.)

Wrapping up with Korean slang

Slang in any language is quite informal, and is generally only used in speech. However, many slang phrases are an essential part of daily communication in Korea, and learning them will provide you with a deeper connection to Korean culture. Therefore, understanding and using Korean slang can make your experience of using Korean more enjoyable and authentic. 레알! (For real!)