Social slang

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...

From a 2000 MBC adult sitcom (Three Friends), where actor Yoon Da-hoon would say "jageop deureoganda" ("time to make my move") whenever he pursued a woman he liked. The word "jageop" (lit. "work/operation") caught on nationally as slang for a man actively trying to woo a woman.

An exclamation of joy, like "yay!" or "let's go!" — popularized by YouTube clips and short-form challenges.

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

It is used as a comprehensive ‘negative expression.’ It is a term coined by netizens to mock Moon Hee-jun by exploiting the fact that the pronunciation of ‘why break’ in his song ‘I’ sounds like ‘why break.’

"Racial trait," shortened — from World of Warcraft, describing an ability unique to a particular in-game race. Now also used more broadly (and often controversially) to describe a trait supposedly common to a specific real-world ethnicity or group.

"Hell" + "Joseon" — a self-mocking name young Koreans use for Korea as a hellish place of job struggles and fixed class lines.

It is a sarcastic term used to mock the older generation for saying "Back in my day" to the younger generation. Also known as "Latte-drip," it is used to criticize or satirize the speech and behavior of the older generation from the past. It is also used in English as "Latte is horse."

It is a speech pattern used by teenagers of the generation that eats school lunches. They mix in abbreviations, initialisms, and slang from famous creators.

The generation that has given up on N things — dating, marriage, children and more. Grew out of the earlier "three-give-up generation."

A scrambled "hallelujah" shouted when you're thrilled, like "yay!" It spread from a viral church youth-group Christmas video where the signs were held in the wrong order, and riffs on the older cheer 야르.

Short for "ballpoint-pen decorating" — customizing a pen with beads and charm parts, a 2026 Gen Z DIY craze.

Ugly or unattractive (mainly Gen Alpha slang).

"Lean meat generation" — people who trim away unnecessary relationships and keep their time to themselves.

Grandma (할매) + millennial — young people's taste for old-fashioned, grandma-style things like yakgwa, black sesame, or floral cardigans.

A state of being unapologetically lazy, messy, or self-indulgent, ignoring social expectations. "I went full goblin mode this weekend — snacks in bed, no shower."

Short for "a kid crazy about their mom" — a young adult whose favorite hangout buddy is their mother; usually a proud, affectionate self-label rather than an insult.

"MZ" + "eco" — young Koreans (Millennials and Gen Z) who make eco-friendly habits like plogging and zero-waste part of daily life and share them online.

Pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth to supposedly sharpen your jawline; among Gen Alpha, a shush-and-trace-the-jaw gesture meaning "I'm not answering that."

From English "sober curious" — a lifestyle of questioning why you drink and skipping alcohol when you don't need it, without formally quitting. Often used to describe young Koreans' shift away from heavy drinking culture.

An insult for someone seen as overly sensitive or easily offended, typically aimed by the right at liberals or young people — "Don't be such a snowflake."

A short, one-off meetup where strangers gather just to share a mountain of french fries — a 2026 trend among people in their 20s and 30s.

A blank, unblinking look a young person gives instead of a verbal reply, e.g. at a service counter — read by some as rude, by others as a reaction to something absurd.

"Passion pay" — sarcastic term for paying young workers or interns little or nothing on the grounds that they're gaining experience and should be grateful for the chance.

A Korean umbrella term lumping Millennials and Gen Z together as "young people"; popular in marketing and media, though often criticized as too broad.

A derogatory term for a socially awkward, self-important man stereotyped as living online; named after the scruffy neck-beard look.

Short for "crayfish, crucian carp, frog" — ordinary people with little chance of climbing the social ladder. Often used wryly to mock the idea that everyone should be content staying in the "stream" while elites rise.

A member of Gen Z, born roughly the late 1990s to early 2000s; a blend of "Gen Z" and "boomer" — "Zoomers don't answer phone calls."

Short for "social justice warrior" — a pejorative label for someone seen as aggressively promoting progressive causes, used mostly by critics.

Publicly showing off your moral or political stance to look good, without doing much — a disparaging accusation. "That post is just virtue signaling."

A derogatory word for a socially awkward or ostracized person, roughly "loser." It's commonly traced to a Japanese word for someone with a limp (ちんば), though that origin isn't proven, and it's considered offensive.

"Perfect-attendance beggar" — a taunt aimed at kids who never miss school, implying their family can't afford trips abroad during term. It drew wide news coverage in 2024 as a sign of status pressure among children.

Originally a Go term for splitting an opponent's territory — now a critical word for dividing people by region, gender, or generation to turn them against each other. Mostly aimed at political strategy, though some note it also gets used to dismiss dissenting views.