Korean Slang
꿀잼, 혼밥, 갓생 — everyday Korean slang, explained.
Forty pieces of everyday Korean slang you'll hear in dramas, chats and offices — what each means, where it came from (when that's actually known), when to use it and when not to. No swear-word origins, no insults, no teen slang that'll be gone next year.
All slang
- 대박Awesome, amazing — or a huge hit.
- 헐Whoa, seriously? — shock or disbelief.
- 꿀잼Super fun, really entertaining.
- 노잼Boring, no fun.
- 갑분싸The mood suddenly went cold — an awkward silence.
- 소확행A small but certain happiness.
- 혼밥Eating alone.
- 혼술Drinking alone.
- 먹방An eating show — videos of people eating, often a lot.
- 치맥Fried chicken and beer together.
- 불금Friday night — time to go out.
- 월요병Monday blues.
- 썸The flirty stage before officially dating.
- 남사친A guy friend — a male friend who's just a friend.
- 엄친아The perfect “mom's friend's son” you're always compared to.
- 금사빠Someone who falls in love too easily.
- 모태솔로Someone who has never dated.
- 인싸A popular, sociable person — always in the middle of things.
- 아싸A loner, someone outside the crowd.
- 꾸안꾸Effortlessly put together — styled to look unstyled.
- TMIToo much information — an unnecessary detail.
- 내돈내산Bought with my own money — a genuine, unsponsored review.
- 가성비Value for money.
- 워라밸Work-life balance.
- 칼퇴Leaving work exactly on time.
- 열일Working hard, crushing it.
- 멘붕A mental breakdown — total panic or confusion.
- 득템Scoring a great find.
- 심쿵Heart-flutter — something so cute or romantic your heart skips.
- 짤A meme image or GIF.
- 덕후A superfan, a geek about something.
- 최애Your number-one favorite — especially your favorite idol in a group.
- 입덕Becoming a fan — falling into a fandom.
- 갓생A productive, disciplined life — waking early, working out, studying.
- 플렉스Showing off a splurge.
- ㅋㅋLOL — written laughter.
- 국룰The unwritten rule everyone follows.
- 꿀팁A super useful tip.
- 웃프다Funny and sad at the same time.
- 얼죽아Iced americano even if you freeze to death.
Learn Korean, a little at a time
- Learn Hangul
- Korean Counters
- Korean Politeness Levels
- Korean Family Titles
- Korean Proverbs
- Korean Sound Words
- What Do I Call Them?
- Konglish Dictionary
- Korean Four-Character Idioms
- Hanja in Korean Names
- Korean Travel Phrases
- Korean Surnames
- Korean Etiquette
- Korean Numbers
- Korean Holidays Explained
- The 24 Solar Terms
- Korean Drinks
- Living in Korea: Key Terms
- Korean Seasons & Weather
- Types of Korean Restaurants