Slang from South Korea

Cute display of affection (often done by celebrities).

Outsider; a social outcast or loner, often online.

Fool; idiot (mild, often used playfully among friends).

Delivery (especially food delivery).

Side dishes (essential part of a Korean meal, often served with main dishes).

Packed tightly; full (often used for schedules or spaces).

Peeking out; popping up (onomatopoeia for a quick peek).

Suddenly standing up; bouncing up (onomatopoeia for quick movement).

Fire Friday; TGIF (The Golden Friday, referring to a fun Friday night).

To dress up nicely; to be well-dressed.

Fried chicken (extremely popular takeaway/delivery item).

Chicken and beer (a popular combination, from "chicken" + "maekju" (beer)).

Elementary schooler (often used pejoratively for immature adults).

The person who takes the initiative or takes responsibility (literally "spearhead").

Please give me... (polite request, often used informally).

Awesome; amazing; huge success (literally "big hit").

Getting a desired item, often unexpectedly or at a good price (from "deuktemhada" - to acquire an item).

Blah blah blah; et cetera (used to refer to omitted or unimportant details).

Face game; looking good (used for focusing on visual attractiveness in dating).

Moms friends son (someone who is perfect in every way, often used sarcastically).

A clumsy or awkward person (from "eomcheong-i" - awkward person).

Difficult; hard (can be used to express a tricky situation or embarrassment).

Difficult; hard (can be used to express a tricky situation or embarrassment).

Sensitivity; emotional sentiment (often used for aesthetics or vibe).

Suddenly awkward atmosphere (abbreviation of "gapjagi bunwigiga ssahaejinda" - suddenly the atmosphere became cold).

Falling in love quickly (from "geumsa-sarang-e ppajinda" - falling in love quickly).

Friend; buddy (revived from Squid Game, can imply a close, trusted bond, potentially romantic).

Meat (general term, but widely used when talking about BBQ or meat dishes).

Difficulty; predicament; embarrassment (can refer to a tricky situation).

Alley; backstreet (often used for local, hidden gems).

Study; studying (standard, but central).

Intestines (sometimes used as an insult meaning someone is disgusting or a gutless person).

A person who makes a lot of mistakes or is clumsy online (from "goh-rah-ni" - Korean water deer, which is known for being clumsy).

Excessive nationalism; nationalistic intoxication (often used critically).

Attention seeker; used to describe someone who dresses flashy to get attention.

Private cram school or academy (where students go for extra lessons).

Eating alone (from "honja" - alone + "bap" - rice/meal).

Fighting!; Go for it!; Good luck! (Korean pronunciation of "fighting").

Confirmed; decided (often used informally for plans).

Someone who is a burden or trouble (literally "fire dragon," implies bringing trouble).

Older brother (used by males to older males, also for close male friends).

Describes whether a style is "in" or "out" (from "insider" and "outsider").

Insider; a popular person on social media or in a social group.

Normal; top; peak (can be used to confirm normalcy or excellence).

Designated; specified (often used informally for a specific place or time).

To skip (class); to ditch (class).

Funny (abbreviation of "jaemi-itda" - to be fun/interesting).

To skip an online meeting or class (from "jjaelda" - to skip, + "sa" - four).

Best; awesome; leader (informal, often used for approval).

Best; awesome (used to praise a post or person online).

Awesome; amazing; incredible (stronger than daebak, often for something unexpected).

Rice balls (often simple, quick-to-eat food).

Broken heart; heartbreak (short for "maeum-i kkaejida" - heart breaking).

Shocked; surprised (abbreviation of "kkamjjak nollada" - to be very surprised).

Meticulous; thorough.

An old person (especially a man) who is condescending and inflexible; boomer.

"Boomer" fashion; an outdated or old-fashioned style.

Very fun; interesting (literally "honey jam").

A good restaurant; a "taste house" (often used when suggesting a date spot).

The youngest person in a group.

Heart-wrenching; heartbreaking (from "ma-eum-i jjitgineun" - heart torn).

Crazy bastard/guy (masculine form, "michin-nyeon" for female).

Push and pull; playing hard to get (from "mil" - push, "dang" - pull).

An unfinished life; someone still striving or incomplete (from a popular webtoon/drama).

Best body; a person with a good physique.

Cannot bear it; unbearable (short for "mot gyeondida").

Problem; issue (standard, but widely used informally).

Not fun; boring (opposite of kkuljaem, "no jam").

Older sister (used by males to older females, also for close female friends).

Older brother (used by females to older males, also for boyfriends/male friends).

Peeking out; popping up (can be used for peeking at answers in an exam).

Intense studying; studying very hard (from "ppakssaege gongbu").

Intense studying; studying very hard (from "ppakssaege gongbu").

Bastard; son of a bitch (can be very offensive, or milder among close friends depending on context).

To ignore; to pretend not to know (informal, sometimes rude).

An obsessive fan who invades the privacy of celebrities.

Selfie (from "self camera").

Heart throb; heart-stopping (used when seeing someone attractive or feeling a sudden romantic feeling).

A quick thinker; quick-witted (from "sokdoe-go saenggakhanda").

The state of having a "something" going on with someone, but not officially dating.

The "talking stage" of a relationship, but online only (from "ssom" + "bap" - rice/meal).

A story; a tale (informal, often told online).

CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test), the nationwide college entrance exam.

Spicy rice cakes; popular street food and snack.

Blockhead; thick-headed (from "tteok" - rice cake, implying density).

Best face; a person with a good-looking face (from "eolgul" - face + "jjang" - best).

Best face; someone with a very attractive face (from "eolgul" (face) + "jjang").

Older sister (used by females to older females, also for close female friends).

Late-night snack/meal (very common culture of ordering late-night food).