What 머선129 means
“What's going on?” It takes the Gyeongsang dialect 머선 일이고? and swaps 일이고 for the similar-sounding number 129. Used when something is surprising or absurd.
Origin
Reportedly sparked by Kang Ho-dong, a TV host from the Gyeongsang region (Newsis). Which show or scene started it is unconfirmed.
Abroad
On June 3, 2021, BTS's RM wrote “musun129” on Weverse, and overseas fans scrambled to translate it (Newsis).
Now
In an Edaily analysis, it took 48 weeks to spread from people in their early 20s to their early 40s, and search interest over the past year is about 1% of its peak.
Word history
Community definitions (2)
"What's going on?" in Gyeongsang dialect (머선 일이고?), with 일이고 swapped for the similar-sounding number 129. Used when something is surprising or absurd.
'무슨 일이야?'의 경상도 사투리 '머선 일이고?'에서 '일이고'를 발음이 비슷한 숫자 129로 바꿔 쓴 말이다. 놀라거나 어이없는 상황에서 쓴다.
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