Sun, Oct 25, 2026 · Slangdunk Editors

What does 야르 (yareu) mean? The Gen Z cheer that Koreans in their 30s were shouting 20 years ago

야르 is a Korean exclamation of joy, roughly “yay!” or “let's go!”. Teens used it in the 2000s; it came back around 2025 and has now grown into an adjective, 야르하다.

#야르#yareu#야르 meaning#Korean slang#exclamation#revived slang한국어로 보기

At a glance

Meaning: An exclamation you shout when you're happy or excited, like “yay!”, “nice!” or “let's go!”. These days it's also used as an adjective, 야르하다, meaning great or on point.
Origin: Nobody has confirmed where it comes from. But it was listed in Naver's Open Dictionary in January 2006 as a word teens used for “good,” and it shows up in Infinite Challenge in 2008 and a Boys Over Flowers making-of clip in 2009 (Segye Ilbo).
Comeback: Forgotten for more than a decade, it spread again among teens and twentysomethings around 2025. Comedian Ryu Geun-il's steady use of it in his eating videos is credited as the spark (Namuwiki).
In the news: In late September 2026, outlets reported that “it was already around 20 years ago,” and on October 21 actress Lee Min-jung said on her YouTube channel that it was “a word we used twenty-some years ago” (Insight).

At lunch last week, our youngest team member spotted malatang on the menu and shouted “야르~”. Our editor, delighted, said, “We used that in middle school.” The look on the kid's face said “sure you did.” So the editor went looking for evidence, and found more than expected. Here it is, in chronological order.

Timeline

How long have Koreans been saying 야르? Twenty-odd years, one line

2003
Bong Tae-gyu's ad-lib (his claim)
Actor Bong Tae-gyu has said he first used 야르 as an ad-lib while filming the movie A Good Lawyer's Wife. “In mass media, I'm the original,” is how he puts it; no one has independently confirmed it.
January 2006
Into Naver's Open Dictionary
야르 appeared in Naver's user-written Open Dictionary, described as “used among teenagers to mean good.” It's one of the most solid dated records there is.
May 2008
Infinite Challenge's kids' song contest
On MBC's variety show Infinite Challenge, during its homemade children's-song contest, Jeong Hyung-don shouted “야르” mid-song. It made it into the on-screen captions, too.
2009
The Boys Over Flowers making-of clip
In making-of footage from the KBS drama Boys Over Flowers, actress Lee Min-jung asks a child actor, “You know 야르, right?” The scene would resurface 17 years later.
Around 2025
Ryu Geun-il's eating videos, and the comeback
A word forgotten for over a decade caught on again among teens and twentysomethings. The credit usually goes to comedian Ryu Geun-il, who kept using it as a pre-bite cheer in mukbang videos on the YouTube channel 웃고리즘. In May 2026, Yonhap News TV covered it, alongside 밤티, as Gen Z slang.
August 2026
The “who did it first” fight goes public
Bong Tae-gyu went on the podcast 비밀보장 (Secret Guarantee), declared “I'm the original,” and gave a demonstration of the “original 야르” (Topstar News).
Sept–Oct 2026
“Turns out it's 20 years old”
The Boys Over Flowers clip spread on X (formerly Twitter), and on September 30 Segye Ilbo, Asia Economy and others reported on 야르's past. On October 21, Lee Min-jung said in a YouTube Short that she'd received 400 DMs, adding that calling herself the original would be unfair to the friends who used it with her back then.

So there are two people claiming to be the original, but both are really saying “I used it,” not “I invented it.” If, as Lee Min-jung suggests, you could hear it in every classroom back then, the real original is probably every Korean middle schooler of the 2000s.

Meaning

What does 야르 (yareu) mean?

야르

An exclamation of joy or excitement, close to “yay!”, “nice!” or “let's go!”. These days it's also an adjective (야르하다, 야르함) meaning great, cool, on point.

In Korean: 기분이 좋거나 신날 때 외치는 감탄사. '앗싸', '나이스'와 비슷하며, 요즘은 '야르하다'처럼 서술어로도 쓴다.

What's changed in 20 years is the grammar. Segye Ilbo and Asia Economy both note that the 2000s 야르 was a one-off shout, like “yes!”, while today's teens and twentysomethings attach -하다 and say things like “this food is so 야르.” Lee Min-jung said that even back then it worked “when you're excited, when you're teasing, when it feels satisfying.” For bad moods, its partner word is 샤갈.

오늘 월급날? 야르~Payday today? 야르~The 25th, morning, on the work messenger
마라탕에 꿔바로우까지? 이 조합 진짜 야르하다Malatang and sweet-and-sour pork? This combo is so 야르.The youngest team member, choosing lunch
기분 좋을 땐 야르, 기분 나쁠 땐 샤갈Good mood: 야르. Bad mood: 샤갈.Teen emotional range, summarized
야르! 마지막 한 문제 찍은 거 맞았다야르! My wild guess on the last question was right.The day the tests came back
야르? 그거 우리 때 쓰던 말인데. 진짜야, 무한도전에도 나왔다니까야르? We used to say that. Seriously, it was on Infinite Challenge.Our editor, late 30s (no one believes them)

'밤티', '야르' 콘텐츠 확산…Z세대의 신조어 / 연합뉴스TV (YonhapnewsTV)

Self-test

Are you a 야르 person?

Are you a 야르 person? Tap everything that applies

When I see good food, “야르~” comes out before the first bite
I've used 야르하다 as an adjective
In a bad mood, I reach for 샤갈 without thinking
I watched Infinite Challenge's song contest when it first aired
I've said “we used to say that” about 야르

0 of 5 checked

Not a 야르 person yet. If today's payday, try shouting it once.

FAQ

야르 (yareu): frequently asked questions

Q. What does 야르 (yareu) mean?

It's an exclamation you shout when you're happy or excited, similar to “yay!”, “nice!” or “let's go!”. These days it's also used as an adjective, 야르하다, meaning great or on point.

Q. Where does 야르 come from, and who said it first?

Its origin is unconfirmed. It was in Naver's Open Dictionary in January 2006 as a word teens used, and it appears in Infinite Challenge in 2008 and a Boys Over Flowers making-of clip in 2009. Actor Bong Tae-gyu says he first used it as a movie ad-lib in 2003, but that's his claim. Its 2025 comeback is usually credited to comedian Ryu Geun-il's eating videos.

Q. Is 야르 Japanese?

There's no evidence for that. Namuwiki mentions a theory that it comes from a Japanese verb, but nothing backs it up, and most news reports describe it as a Korean exclamation like 앗싸.

Q. What's the opposite of 야르?

It's usually paired with 샤갈: 야르 when you're happy, 샤갈 when you're annoyed. Other shouts of joy include 할렐야루 and 하룰라라.

Q. What's 야르 in English?

“Yay!”, “Let's go!” or “Woohoo!” come closest. That it sounds like the pirate “Yarr!” appears to be a coincidence.

So 야르 isn't a new word; it's a returning one. When our editor finally showed the youngest team member the Infinite Challenge clip, the reply was, “Huh, it's real.” A small victory. 야르. If you have a sharper definition, or memories of the first-round 야르, add them to the 야르 entry in the dictionary.

Sources

See ‘야르’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.

Open the dictionary