Everyday slang slang

"For real?" — coined on DC Inside's overseas-soccer gallery. Because the "Real" in Real Madrid happens to be spelled the same as the English word "real," it caught on with that meaning.

"Mom's friend's son" — used for someone impossibly accomplished compared to you. The female form is "eomchindal" (mom's friend's daughter); there's also "bu-chinnam" (wife's friend's husband).

It is an abbreviation of "suddenly pops out."

This phrase originated from the 2009 MBC daily sitcom *High Kick Through the Roof!*. In the show, Sun-jae, who was known for frequently farting, would fart even in front of young Hae-ri. Hae-ri's mother, Hyun-kyung, asked Sun-jae, "Father, do you really thrust your butt in front of me like that just to fart?" Sun-jae replied, "What's wrong with farting? You're the one who should call your father 'butt'! 'Butt'!" Hyun-kyung then said, "I call him 'butt' because he keeps feeding his farts to the child!" Sun-jae retorted, "Do you call him 'butt' just because he feeds his farts?" At this, Hae-r...

Short for "eojjeoradago" ("so what am I supposed to do about it") plus "TV" — a dismissive way of telling someone to go watch TV instead of bothering you.

"Sexually developed country" — usually refers to Japan, viewed as having a highly developed adult-entertainment industry.

Doing it perfectly, neatly, and with style

Literally "seolleongtang (ox-bone soup) eaten through the nose" — a reference to the historical use of water torture against government critics. Now used to mean "you'll get in trouble" for posting something critical of the government.

Repeating the same joke or action past the point it's funny, until it just annoys everyone — as if your brain's circuits had stopped working.

Slang that arose from a typo of "wanjeon" (completely/totally).

It is to slander or curse while excessively excited.

"Person by person" — it varies from person to person.

"Sorry I couldn't protect you" (shortened) — used for an unfortunate or tragic situation.

Dog + Gain. It means 'gained a significant profit'.

The "god of impulse buying" — invoked as "the buying-god has descended" when the urge to shop hits hard. The verb form is "jireuda" (to impulse-buy); the itch to buy is called "ppomppu."

It means “to be honest.”

'A character attached as an accessory,' meaning the opposite of 'main character.'

It is the subtle emotion exchanged before dating someone you have feelings for.

Originally from a polite gamer sign-off ("enjoy the game"), it got shortened over time and repurposed to mean "forget it" or "get lost" — often used to shut down an absurd item-trade offer or dismiss someone outright.

"Like sesame seeds" — describes something done in meticulous, tiny detail, like scattering sesame seeds — e.g. small background jokes or details easy to miss.

Making me laugh really hard.

"Infinite selfishness" — from the variety show Infinite Challenge, meaning a willingness to sacrifice others for your own joy or victory.

You don't know nothing about golf! (You don't know what G stands for in Golf! X)

"One of my followers" — used to mention someone without naming them.

It is a person who likes something so much that they might appear strange, but tries to appear like an ordinary person to those around them.

A jokey intensified version of "yeolbatne" (that pisses me off), swapping in "King" for extra emphasis.

I am saying this because I am having trouble solving the problem.

Borrowed from Japanese. Usually describes a fictional hero with extraordinary powers, distinct from "yongsa" (a soldier honored for real accomplishments). In Korean internet use, it can also mean someone who does something reckless that most people wouldn't dare.

"Humiliation play" (shortened) — used for a deeply embarrassing or humiliating situation.

From English "fake" — a trick or deception. Also written "peiikeu."

Means "cute," and can also stand alone as a noun for "a cute person." Built from "gwiyeom" (cuteness) plus a suffix for "person," intensified for extra cuteness. Can be used adjectivally too ("gwiyomi-hada").

"Owoya," also shortened further to "pya."

Slang for keeping quiet and staying out of the way — mostly heard as "jjajyeo isseo" ("stay out of it / keep your mouth shut"), which is rude.

Shortened way of saying "the girl I have a crush on."

"Just stay home and study" (a pun on the country name South Africa, which shares its Korean abbreviation with this phrase) — a dismissive suggestion.

Originally a slightly diminishing term for "middle-aged man." Used mockingly or critically for a middle-aged man who forgets his manners and pushes his own behavior/opinions on others.

The term originated when the wife of South Korean internet broadcaster Woowakgood misread "LEGEND" written in the Minecraft font as "LEGENO," and it has the same meaning as "Legend."

A stylized typo of "mwoim" ("what is this") — an exclamation of confusion.

UBD is a unit of counting audience numbers created using the English initials of the movie *The Bicycle King Um Bok-dong*, which failed at the box office by only attracting 170,000 viewers, and 1 UBD is 170,000 people.

"Their form is insane" — said in amazement when someone's performance, skill or look is on another level.

Greatest Of All Time.

A pun on "gapanjilpan" (flip-flopping) — the confusion of not being sure which personal-color "tone" suits you, when both a warm orange lip and a cool pink sweater somehow seem to work.

In internet slang, it is a modified spelling that causes communication difficulties. It is similar to Yaminjeongeum, but while Yaminjeongeum mostly uses Hangul, Alien language mixes various Hiragana, Katakana, and special characters.

From English "delulu" (delusional) — near-delusional optimism that everything will work out, embraced as a coping strategy.

Literally "diving underwater" — used for suddenly going silent and disappearing from a chat or conversation, as if submerging. Traces back to old PC-communication chatrooms. Usually phrased as "going quiet" (jamsu-reul tanda) — similar to the English "AFK."

Excitement and buzz around something; to get excited.

Fandom as an activity: collecting, following and obsessing over what you love. From deokhu (otaku).

"Made up, but looks like you're not" — a makeup look styled to appear effortless.

"Reality check time" — the sudden, deflating moment when you realise what you're actually doing with your life.

"No" (English) + "jaem" (fun) — means "not fun, boring."

"Totally my style" — completely on-brand for someone's taste.

"Adult story," in photo or written form, shortened.

He is someone who acts serious and fails to read the atmosphere.

Acting irrationally or overreacting.

"In my opinion."

"Away from keyboard" — not currently at your device.

A blend of a crude word for "idiot" with "Olympics" — describes an ongoing, drawn-out mess caused by a large number of trolls, as if it were an organized event.

A prefix meaning "god-" — attached to something's name to praise it as god-tier, e.g. "god-meshi" (a god-tier meal), "god-hanminguk" (Korea as a god-tier country), "god-su" (a rich person with no job).

"Slipper zone" — close enough to conveniences that you can go out in slippers (playing off "station zone," how close a place is to a subway stop).

It is a neologism that originated during the PC communication era of the 1990s, referring to the act of meeting in person following an impromptu suggestion after meeting through chat.

Memorable and influential; legendary.

Short for "Twitter is a waste of life," a line attributed to football manager Alex Ferguson — used when someone gets into trouble over a careless social media post.

From English "come back" — an artist or performer returning to the stage/scene after time away, especially a K-pop group's new release/promotion cycle.

It is something accepted as a fact (formula) only in one's own brain, or a fact that is accepted.

"Culture gift card" (a prepaid voucher for books, movies, games, etc.), shortened.

"God" + "life" — living a disciplined, productive life you can be proud of.

Relentless optimism: reading any situation as secretly lucky. Named after IVE's Jang Won-young and her way of talking.

A deliberate misspelling of "sujun" (level/standard) — sometimes used on purpose to mock someone with poor spelling.

"Pretty from far away, ugly up close" (shortened) — a slightly sad term that started among teenagers, said to come down mostly to skin condition.

Suddenly cutting off all contact with someone without explanation.

"Audience critical hit" — behaviour at a show or cinema that ruins it for people around you.

"The peninsula" — usually refers to Korea.

A famous line said by the character Kizaru in One Piece, popularized in Korea by YouTuber/streamer Bo Gyeom.

To look amazing or deliver an impressive performance.

A veteran who has played or done something so long they're extremely good at it — literally "stagnant water," which also hints at a scene newcomers can't break into.

A game monster/enemy — from English "mob." Also used as a suffix, e.g. "boss-mob."

"Watch your six" — a warning to make sure no one's behind you before you look at something, typically attached to posts containing racy images.

"King" + "injeong" (agreed) — a stronger way of saying "absolutely, you're right."

A scrambled spelling of "jebal" (please), used jokingly with the same meaning.

"Internet lecture" / "video lecture," shortened — an online class or streamed lecture.

"What are you gonna do about it?" shortened — a taunting, dismissive challenge.

"I'll make you a superstar" — a playful, exaggerated compliment.

It is a word formed by the glottalization of 'gae'. Its meaning is the same as that of a dog.

From "insider" — someone social who fits in easily and is always in the middle of things.

"Study hard," shortened.

"American TV drama," shortened.

"Land of the brown bear" — refers to Russia.

Doing things just to gain fame or followers.

"Character deletion," shortened — deleting a game character.

Slang for someone forced to beg or perform on the street, exploited by someone else who takes their earnings; also used more loosely for any grueling, low-paid hustle.

"Self-deletion," shortened — deleting your own post or comment.

Short for "(I want to punch you) really hard in the solar plexus" (myeongchi jonna sege) — a crude way of saying someone is unbearably annoying.

Slang for money, from the Chinese character for "coin/money" (錢).

That's true, I completely agree.

No counterargument possible. Often typed as the initials ㅂㅂㅂㄱ.

A suffix meaning "trash/junk," attached to belittle whatever it follows.

"Fishpond management" — keeping several people on a string with just enough attention to keep them interested, usually in the context of romantic prospects.

From "vandalism" — deliberately and repeatedly damaging or deleting entries on sites like Wikipedia or Namu Wiki. Wikipedia explicitly prohibits it.

"No" (English) + "dap" (answer) — "there's no answer/solution." Describes a hopeless person or an infuriating problem.

"The more you know, the less likable" — a pun on the name of the short-rib dish "galbi."

A photo taken from the ground looking up.

It originated from the fact that speaking "father-in-law" quickly sounds like "shap-jwi." It is a casual term used to refer to a father-in-law.

Best Friends Forever.

Literally ground bait used in real fishing; used online as "bait" content — a post, rumor or clue designed to keep a community talking and speculating.

A half-body photo (as opposed to a full-body or headshot).

"Ssap" (a crude intensifier, "damn") + "-able" — totally doable.

Very. It gradually became widely used after Shinhwa's Junjin posted "I completely love you" on his Cyworld mini-homepage.

It means that you cannot get ahead of something.

Mediocre, average, nothing special — used as a put-down.

"An appropriate amount of impulse buying" — wanting to buy something while feeling a slight, manageable worry about the spending.

A derogatory term for users of the far-right forum Ilgan Best (Ilbe).

"Item of a lifetime" — a product so good you'd want to keep using it forever; someone's "holy grail" product, seen as a trusted, proven pick. Often used as "holy-grail foundation," "holy-grail lip color," etc.

"Lunch menu recommendation" (or "dinner menu recommendation") — asking the group what to eat.

He is a man whose wild, beast-like beauty stands out.

Acting crazy or overreacting.

From "shout-out" — publicly giving someone credit or praise.

Used mainly for unfortunate situations — a real, if uncommonly used, word built from the exclamation "jeoreon" (oh no/that's a shame), turned into a verb for "being the kind of situation that prompts that reaction."

"Not" (English) + "ningen" (Japanese for human) — "not human," usually meaning someone is superhuman/godlike. The opposite is "ningen" (an ordinary human).

"Don't take it too far. Go watch TV." — telling someone to stop before they overdo a joke or bit.

Having read someone's message without replying. "She left me on read."