· Slangdunk Editors
What does 개이득 (gaeideuk) mean? The Korean slang for a huge win, no dogs involved
개이득 (gaeideuk) means “a huge gain.” It's the intensifying prefix gae- plus 이득 (gain), and most accounts say it spread through League of Legends commentary and streaming culture.
At a glance
- Meaning
- “A huge gain.” Slang for when you unexpectedly score something or come out way ahead. Also written with initials, ㄱㅇㄷ.
- Structure
- The prefix 개- (gae-) plus 이득 (gain). In the dictionary, gae- means “worthless” or “excessive,” but now it's used as “really, very” (Baekse Sidae).
- Origin
- Most accounts say it spread from League of Legends commentary and streams that tallied fights as “gain” or “loss,” but who first said it is unconfirmed (Namuwiki, Libre Wiki).
- In English
- “Huge win,” “total score” or “jackpot.”
Jake, an exchange student from the US, waves a receipt at his Korean senior Seo-yeon outside a convenience store. The characters are invented, but every fact in their conversation has a source.
What does 개이득 (gaeideuk) mean? A Korean senior explains
- Jake (22)I didn't know it was buy-one-get-one, and they gave me an extra at the register. The kid next to me said “개이득.” Did I just get insulted?
- Seo-yeon (24)No, you got congratulated. 개이득 means a huge gain.
- Jake (22)Isn't 개 “dog”?
- Seo-yeon (24)Nothing to do with dogs. There's a prefix 개- meaning “worthless” or “excessive,” as in 개꿈 (a pointless dream) and 개고생 (a hellish slog). Now people stick it on anything to mean “really.” 개좋아, 개슬퍼, 개이득.
- Jake (22)Older people must hate that.
- Seo-yeon (24)There's literally a story in the news. A 2016 Baekse Sidae article tells of a grandson who got pocket money and said “아싸 개이득,” and his grandfather scolded him, thinking it was a curse. He only calmed down once he heard what it meant.
- Jake (22)lol. Who made it up?
- Seo-yeon (24)Nobody knows for sure. Most say it spread from League of Legends commentary and streams, where fights got summed up as “gain” or “loss.” Some credit one particular streamer, but there are earlier uses, so they're probably not the inventor.
- Jake (22)Is there an opposite?
- Seo-yeon (24)개손해, a huge loss. Even bigger than 개이득 is 핵이득 (nuclear gain). Too lazy? Just type ㄱㅇㄷ.
- Jake (22)So is today's freebie 핵이득?
- Seo-yeon (24)One drink is 개이득, tops. Give that one to me, though, and for me it's 핵이득.
개이득
The prefix gae- plus 이득 (gain): a huge gain. Said like an exclamation when you unexpectedly score something or come out way ahead.
In Korean: 접두사 '개-'와 '이득'을 합친 말로, '아주 큰 이득'을 뜻한다. 뜻밖에 무언가를 얻었거나 크게 이익을 봤을 때 쓴다.
- 택배 열었더니 사은품이 본품보다 커. 개이득Opened the package and the free gift is bigger than what I ordered. 개이득.Online shopping review
- 아싸 개이득! 할머니가 용돈 주셨어Yes, 개이득! Grandma gave me pocket money.Heading home after the holidays
- 회식 2차 빠졌는데 법카로 택시비까지 나왔다, ㄱㅇㄷSkipped the after-party and the company card still covered my taxi. ㄱㅇㄷ.Group chat on the way home
- 방금 한타 개이득이었다, 바론 가자That team fight was 개이득. Let's go Baron.In-game voice chat
Why did 개이득 spread so widely?
In a game, gains and losses are right there on screen. That math walked straight into daily life. Free gifts, buy-one-get-one deals, surprise pocket money: there was no handy word for small windfalls, and three syllables filled the gap. As Baekse Sidae noted, gae- attaches to almost anything, so the pattern spreads easily. But as the same article shows, it can still sound rough to older ears. For another word about lucky days, see 럭키비키 (lucky vicky); for the opposite, when your wallet's empty, there's 텅장 (teongjang, “empty account”).
개이득 (gaeideuk): frequently asked questions
Q. What does 개이득 mean?
Korean slang for “a huge gain,” used when you unexpectedly score something or come out way ahead.
Q. Is 개이득 a swear word?
It has nothing to do with dogs or cursing. It uses the prefix gae- as “really, very.” Still, it can sound vulgar to older people, so avoid it in formal settings.
Q. Where does 개이득 come from?
Most accounts say it spread from League of Legends commentary and streams that summed up fights as “gain” or “loss.” Who first used it is unconfirmed.
Q. What's 개이득 in English?
Depending on context: “huge win,” “total score,” “jackpot” or “what a steal.”
Q. What's the opposite of 개이득?
개손해, a huge loss. An even bigger gain is 핵이득, and it's often shortened to ㄱㅇㄷ.
So 개이득 uses gaming math to name life's small windfalls. Jake did hand the extra drink to his senior in the end. For her, that was 핵이득. And if you have a sharper definition, add it to the 개이득 entry in the dictionary.
Sources
See ‘개이득’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.
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