Due to Thanks Giving Break, we only had one Korean Class. During our previous discussions we brought up current trends in South Korea and we thought it might be a good idea to learn about the current Korean Slangs. Through incorporating slangs in our conversations, not only will I be able to learn about the pop culture, but also be able to sound more native (similarly to the use of idioms.) Many of the slangs we looked at during the class periods were ones that I have encountered before while watching Korean Dramas and reality TV shows. This class helped me better understand the background and how these slangs are used in conversations:
얼죽아：
얼어죽어도 아이스 아메리카노
Literal Translation: “Even if its winter and I will froze to death, I will still order Ice Americano.” From many TV shows and reality shows and from my discussion in class, I learned that Ice Americano is the most ordered drink in cafes, to the extent that it had become a trend. However, I have learned through some Korean Friends from high school that when they first had Americano in Starbucks in China, they were surprised that it was so much more bitter than the ones they had in Korea. I thought it was interesting how these drinks would vary in different countries to fit the taste of the public even if they share the same menu.
꾸안꾸:
꾸민듯 안꾸민듯
This is used to explain someone who is naturally stylish or has a good fashion sense. The literal translation is “when you look like you didn’t try but you did.” It is used under the circumstance when you see someone with a really nice outfit but it is not too much or look they tried really hard to make it look really good. (See examples in attachment)
졌잘싸:
졌지만 잘 싸웠다
Literal Translation: It was a good play, but you lost.
~피셜: According to
~ fficial. E.g.한첸피셜 Hanchen fficial. This would mean According to Hanchen. Pisyeol is a loan word from “fficial” of “official.” The usage of this states that you are quoting someone and not taking credit or fault for the facts you are giving.
비담:
비주얼담당
This is used widely in the K-Pop fandoms. In K-Pop, each member of a group has his/her specific role: some as the vocalist, or dancer, or rapper etc. One role that was created by the fans and later adopted by large entertainment companies was “visual” or “비주얼” (bijueol : a loan word for “visual”). This word describes a person as a “visual” or the face of group, as the best looking. 담당, damdang means representative, making this full sentence: “the visual representation,” aka the best-looking member.
안물안궁：
안물어봤고 안궁금해
Literal Translation: I didn’t ask, so I am not curious.
This could be translated simply to “I didn’t ask” in English which gives out a similar message of “I didn’t ask. I don’t care”
핵인싸- very insider
This is used when someone has information from within a group (both literally and metaphorically). “Very insider” suggests one knows something very well. It can be used when one can give detailed info on a specific area, and another will refer to him/her as a “very insider.”
워라벨- work-life balance
This is a loan word from English, which is pronounced as worabel, shortened version of work-life balance.
댕댕이- 멍멍이
This slang came from messy handwriting, as the line on the right side of ㅁbecomes attached with the ㅓ, the writing changes from 머 to 대. (A more visual graphic is attached)
Replies