· Slangdunk Editors
What does 좋댓구 (jotdaetgu) mean? The three syllables YouTubers ask for at the end of every video
좋댓구 (jotdaetgu) is short for “like, comment, subscribe,” the request YouTubers make at the end of a video. Add notifications and it becomes 좋댓구알. In 2023 it even became a film title.
At a glance
- Meaning
- Short for “like, comment, subscribe”: the three things YouTubers ask viewers to do at the end of a video.
- 좋댓구알
- The same thing plus 알림, notifications: asking viewers to turn on alerts too (Hongseong Shinmun, Namuwiki).
- Origin
- Namuwiki says it spread after Kim Sung-hoe of the channel G식백과 put it at the end of his videos, but we couldn't confirm this elsewhere.
- In English
- English-speaking YouTubers say exactly the same thing: “like, comment and subscribe.”
A father who took up YouTube after retiring showed his 24-year-old daughter the edit the day before posting his first video. Her first reaction was about the final scene. The characters are invented, but every fact in their conversation has a source.
What does 좋댓구 (jotdaetgu) mean? A daughter explains
- Dad (61)Well? At the end I say “thank you very much for watching” and I even bow.
- Daughter (24)Dad, the bow is nice, but there's no 좋댓구.
- Dad (61)좋… what? 좋은 대구, a good codfish? Are we talking about fish?
- Daughter (24)Like, comment, subscribe: 좋아요, 댓글, 구독, shortened to 좋댓구. It's when you ask people to hit those at the end.
- Dad (61)Why would I have to ask?
- Daughter (24)Because it's tied to making money. The Hongseong Shinmun described it in 2021 as something YouTubers say because of revenue. According to YouTube's help center, you need at least 1,000 subscribers to apply for monetization.
- Dad (61)So 1,000 people and I'm done?
- Daughter (24)Not just that. You also need 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. And then there's a review.
- Dad (61)What's this “notifications” thing some videos ask for?
- Daughter (24)That's 좋댓구알: asking for alerts too. One more syllable on the abbreviation.
- Dad (61)Who came up with it?
- Daughter (24)Not clear. Namuwiki says it spread after Kim Sung-hoe of G식백과 put it at the end of his videos, and that another YouTuber said “좋구댓” back in 2014. It isn't confirmed anywhere else.
- Dad (61)Say it out loud and it sounds a bit like swearing.
- Daughter (24)Right, Namuwiki notes it sounds like a Korean curse. Maybe that's why it sticks. So, Dad, just add one line after the bow.
- Dad (61)Fine. “A good codfish, please.”
좋댓구
Short for “like, comment, subscribe”: the three reactions YouTubers ask viewers for at the end of a video. Add 알림 (notifications) and it becomes 좋댓구알.
In Korean: '좋아요, 댓글, 구독'을 줄인 말. 유튜버가 영상 끝에서 시청자에게 부탁하는 세 가지 반응을 가리킨다. '알림'까지 붙이면 좋댓구알이 된다.
- 오늘 영상 유익하셨다면 좋댓구 부탁드립니다!If you found today's video useful, please 좋댓구!The textbook sign-off
- 이 채널 진짜 좋다. 좋댓구알까지 다 눌렀어This channel is great. I did the full 좋댓구알.A friend who found a new channel
- 야, 내 첫 영상 올렸어. 친구면 좋댓구 해 줘야지Hey, I posted my first video. If we're friends, you owe me a 좋댓구.Dropping a link in the group chat
- 시작 10초 만에 좋댓구부터 부탁하는 건 좀 빠르지 않아?Isn't asking for 좋댓구 ten seconds in a little early?A careful note in the comments
Why is 좋댓구 so widely used?
When every YouTuber makes the same request in every video, there's good reason to shorten it. It now appears outside YouTube too, and according to Namuwiki, a 2026 variant swapped “subscribe” for “buy” in a discussion of illegal game downloads. On July 12, 2023, the film 좋.댓.구 opened, directed by Park Sang-min and starring Oh Tae-kyung, about an actor known as a child role in Oldboy trying for a comeback as a YouTuber (Xports News). Once an abbreviation is a movie title, there's not much left to explain. And if you have no energy to reply, one like beats a 뇌피셜 (“my-brain-says-so”) comment.
좋댓구 (jotdaetgu): frequently asked questions
Q. What does 좋댓구 mean?
It's short for 좋아요, 댓글, 구독: like, comment, subscribe. YouTubers use it to ask viewers for all three at the end of a video.
Q. What does 좋댓구알 mean?
좋댓구 plus 알림 (notifications): asking viewers to turn on alerts as well.
Q. What's 좋댓구알 in English?
“Like, comment, subscribe and hit the bell.” English-speaking YouTubers say almost the same thing.
Q. Who first said 좋댓구?
Unconfirmed. Namuwiki says it spread after Kim Sung-hoe of G식백과 put it at the end of his videos and also mentions “좋구댓” from another YouTuber in 2014. We couldn't confirm this in the press or elsewhere.
Q. What is the film 좋.댓.구 about?
A comedy by director Park Sang-min, released July 12, 2023. Oh Tae-kyung stars as an actor trying for a comeback as a YouTuber.
Q. Where can I see 좋댓구알 memes?
The typical image is the subscribe-button prompt at the end of a video. We don't reproduce them for copyright reasons.
So: 좋댓구 is a YouTuber's sign-off shrunk to three syllables. Dad's video ended up with both the bow and a caption. If this helped, skip the 좋댓구 and leave a better definition in the dictionary's 좋댓구 entry instead.
Sources
See ‘좋댓구’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.
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