Korean slang is where the language gets fun. These are the casual words you'll hear in K-dramas, group chats, and between friends — daebak (대박) for "awesome," heol (헐) for "whoa," jjang (짱) for "the best." Here are 20 with real staying power, grouped by what they actually do.
None of these are rude on their own, but all of them are casual. Save them for people you're comfortable with.
Every word here is banmal (반말) — casual, friends-and-peers speech. It's perfect with people your own age or younger, but slang aimed at a stranger or an elder can land as disrespectful. Around new people, stick to the polite -yo forms until you're clearly invited to relax.
Reacting to news
The all-purpose exclamations. Daebak (대박) is the champion — it swings from "that's incredible" to "no way" depending on your tone, and it earns its own article.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 대박 | daebak | awesome / no way |
| 헐 | heol | whoa / OMG |
| 뭐야 | mwoya | what the— |
| 진짜 | jinjja | really?! / for real |
| 어머 | eomeo | oh my! |
| 아이고 | aigo | oh dear / oh my |
Aigo (아이고), often stretched to "aigoo," is the all-ages sigh — grandparents and toddlers alike. Eomeo (어머) means much the same but skews female.
Praising and celebrating
When something is great, cute, or a straight-up win.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 짱 | jjang | the best |
| 꿀잼 | kkuljaem | super fun |
| 심쿵 | simkung | heart-skip (so cute) |
| 귀요미 | gwiyomi | cutie |
| 아싸 | assa | yes! / score! |
Kkuljaem (꿀잼) literally stitches 꿀 (honey) onto 잼 (fun), so "honey fun." Simkung (심쿵) is the flutter you feel at something adorable. These three skew younger and playful.
Feelings and agreeing
The words you drop into a conversation to show you're right there with someone.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 완전 | wanjeon | totally |
| 맞아 | maja | so true / right |
| 인정 | injeong | agreed / true |
| 갑자기 | gapjagi | out of nowhere |
Wanjeon (완전) means "completely," but in speech it works like "totally" — 완전 좋아 is "I totally love it." Injeong (인정) is how you say "true, I agree" to a friend's hot take.
Complaining
Because sometimes things are just annoying.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 노잼 | nojaem | no fun / boring |
| 답답해 | dapdaphae | so frustrating |
| 짜증나 | jjajeungna | so annoying |
| 어떡해 | eotteokhae | what do I do?! |
Nojaem (노잼) is the exact opposite of kkuljaem — the "no" is borrowed straight from English. Eotteokhae (어떡해) is the K-drama scream of the list, the "oh no, what now?!" you say when everything is falling apart.
One for Friday
Not a reaction word, but too good to skip: bul-geum (불금), "burning Friday," from 불 (fire) and the 금 of 금요일 (Friday). It's the Korean "TGIF," the buzz of a Friday night finally arriving.
Keep learning Korean
Slang makes you sound like a local, but it only works once you can read the room — pair it with a solid base of polite Korean so you always have the right register on hand. Practice both with audio and spaced repetition in the Pretalk app, starting with our free essential Korean phrases.
