Korean Slang Dictionary

37 Korean chosung expressions, internet slang, and social media terms — explained with meaning and example for learners.

Consonant-only slang (초성체)

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ㅇㅇ (eung)

Meaning

The consonants of "응" (eung), meaning "yeah" or "sure" — used to agree or answer briefly.

Example

"Is this right?" "ㅇㅇ, that's right"

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ㄴㄴ (ani-ani)

Meaning

The consonants of "아니아니" (ani-ani), meaning "no no" — used to deny or decline something.

Example

"Should I buy this?" "ㄴㄴ, don't buy it"

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ㄱㅅ (gamsa)

Meaning

Short for "감사" (gamsa), meaning "thanks."

Example

"Thanks for the help, ㄱㅅ!"

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ㅊㅋ (chukha)

Meaning

Short for "축하" (chukha), meaning "congrats."

Example

"I passed!" "Wow, ㅊㅋㅊㅋ"

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ㅂㅂ (bai-bai)

Meaning

Short for "바이바이" (bai-bai), "bye-bye" — used as a farewell.

Example

"Heading out first, ㅂㅂ"

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ㄱㄱ (go-go)

Meaning

The consonants of "고고" (Go Go), meaning "let's go ahead / do it."

Example

"Ready? ㄱㄱ"

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ㅎㅇ (hai)

Meaning

The consonants of "하이" (hai), used as a greeting like "hi."

Example

"ㅎㅇ! Long time no see"

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ㅈㅅ (joesong)

Meaning

Short for "죄송" (joesong), meaning "sorry."

Example

"Sorry for being late, ㅈㅅ"

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ㅊㅊ (chucheon)

Meaning

Short for "추천" (chucheon), meaning "recommend."

Example

"This movie is a total ㅊㅊ"

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ㅋㅋ / ㅎㅎ (keu-keu / ha-ha)

Meaning

Consonants representing laughter sounds — roughly "haha" or "lol."

Example

"That's so funny ㅋㅋㅋ"

Slang & abbreviations (신조어·줄임말)

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안물안궁 (an-mul-an-gung)

Meaning

Short for "didn't ask, don't care" (안 물어봤고 안 궁금하다) — used when someone shares information nobody asked for.

Example

"I woke up at 5am today" "안물안궁 lol"

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갑분싸 (gap-bun-ssa)

Meaning

Short for "the mood suddenly turned awkward" — used when a situation becomes cringe out of nowhere.

Example

"That joke made everything so 갑분싸"

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인싸 / 아싸 (in-ssa / a-ssa)

Meaning

Short for "insider" and "outsider" — someone who fits in socially versus someone who doesn't.

Example

"She's such an 인싸"

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워라밸 (wo-ra-bael)

Meaning

Short for "Work-Life Balance," meaning the balance between work and personal life.

Example

"This company has great 워라밸"

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케바케 (ke-ba-ke)

Meaning

Short for "Case by Case," meaning "it depends on the situation."

Example

"That's 케바케, it's not always the same"

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뇌피셜 (noe-pi-syeol)

Meaning

A blend of "brain" (뇌) and "official" — stating a personal guess as if it were fact, with no real evidence.

Example

"Isn't that just your 뇌피셜? Got a source?"

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만반잘부 (man-ban-jal-bu)

Meaning

Short for "nice to meet you, let's get along" — used as a first-time greeting.

Example

"만반잘부! Let's be good friends"

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TMI

Meaning

Short for "Too Much Information" — sharing more detail than anyone needed to know.

Example

"I put my left sock on first yesterday" "TMI lol"

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스불재 (seu-bul-jae)

Meaning

Short for "a disaster you brought on yourself" — a difficult situation caused by one's own mistake.

Example

"Failed the exam after gaming all night? That's 스불재"

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삼귀다 (sam-gwi-da)

Meaning

A step before "dating" (사귀다) — a vague, not-yet-official relationship where there's mutual interest.

Example

"We're kind of 삼귀는 sides these days"

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억텐 (eok-ten)

Meaning

Short for "forced tension" — putting on a cheerful front despite not actually feeling that way.

Example

"Feeling a bit 억텐 today"

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갓생 (gat-saeng)

Meaning

A blend of "God" and "생" (life) — living a diligent, well-planned, productive life.

Example

"Living my 갓생 lately, waking up early every day"

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문찐 (mun-jjin)

Meaning

Short for "culturally out of touch" — someone behind on current trends or pop culture.

Example

"You don't know that meme? Total 문찐"

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소확행 (so-hwak-haeng)

Meaning

Short for "small but certain happiness" — little joys found in everyday life.

Example

"The coffee on my way home from work is my 소확행"

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낄끼빠빠 (kkil-kki-ppa-ppa)

Meaning

Short for "join in when you should, step back when you should" — read the room and act accordingly.

Example

"Can you practice some 낄끼빠빠, please?"

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자만추 (ja-man-chu)

Meaning

Short for "pursuing a natural encounter" — wanting to meet someone organically rather than through a set-up.

Example

"I'm the 자만추 type, so I don't really do blind dates"

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존버 (jon-beo)

Meaning

Slang for "holding on no matter how tough it gets" — especially common in stock and investing talk.

Example

"Even if the stock drops, if you 존버 it'll go back up"

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힙지로 (hip-ji-ro)

Meaning

A blend of "hip" and "Eulji-ro" (을지로) — a Seoul neighborhood where old-school shops and a hip vibe coexist.

Example

"Want to do a 힙지로 cafe tour this weekend?"

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복세편살 (bok-se-pyeon-sal)

Meaning

Short for "the world's complicated, let's live comfortably" — don't try too hard, take it easy.

Example

"Don't stress so much, let's 복세편살"

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럽스타그램 (reop-seu-ta-geu-raem)

Meaning

A blend of "love" and "Instagram" — social posts that show off everyday life with a romantic partner.

Example

"They posted another 럽스타그램"

Online / social media terms (온라인·SNS 용어)

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OOTD

Meaning

Short for "Outfit Of The Day" — a tag used on posts showing off today's outfit.

Example

"Posted my OOTD today, check it out"

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눈팅 (nun-ting)

Meaning

Browsing and reading posts or comments without ever posting or commenting yourself.

Example

"I just 눈팅 on that community"

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좋댓구알 (jot-daet-gu-al)

Meaning

Short for "like, comment, subscribe, turn on notifications" — a phrase common on YouTube.

Example

"If you liked the video, please 좋댓구알!"

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반모 (ban-mo)

Meaning

Short for "casual-speech mode" — proposing to switch to informal speech with someone online.

Example

"Want to 반모?"

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직관 (jik-gwan)

Meaning

Short for "watching in person" — going to a stadium or venue to see an event live.

Example

"Going to 직관 a baseball game this weekend"

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밈(meme)

Meaning

An image, video, or phrase that spreads rapidly online as a trend.

Example

"This picture totally became a 밈"

📱

뭉코자 / 갠춘 (mung-ko-ja / gaen-chun)

Meaning

A style of slang that cutely shortens everyday words and changes their pronunciation — for example, shortening "괜찮아" (it's okay) to "갠춘."

Example

"I'm 갠춘, don't worry"

What does this dictionary cover?

If you're learning Korean or chatting with Korean friends online, you'll run into expressions that are easy to miss the meaning of and lose the thread of the conversation. This page organizes them into three groups:chosung slang (like ㅇㅇ, ㄱㅅ — abbreviations made from just the initial consonants of a word),newer coinages and abbreviations (like 갑분싸, 워라밸, 인싸), and online/social media terms(like OOTD, 좋댓구알).

A note on usage

Korean slang and buzzwords change or fall out of fashion quickly, so some expressions on this page may age out of common use over time. They're also informal, non-standard expressions, so it's best to avoid using them in formal writing or professional settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to memorize all of these to understand Korean?

Not at all — but these expressions show up constantly in Korean online communities and casual conversation with younger speakers, so knowing them helps a lot with comprehension. Just be sure to use them only in situations where informal language is appropriate.

Are there Korean proverbs and four-character idioms too?

Yes — traditional Korean proverbs and idiomatic phrases are covered in the Korean Proverbs & Idioms Dictionary, and Korean four-character idioms (사자성어) with their hanja are covered in the Korean Four-Character Idioms Dictionary.