Koreans say "Aigoo" (아이고) as a versatile exclamation for surprise, frustration, pain, sadness, or mild shock, similar to "Oh my," "Oh dear," or "Oops" in English, expressing a range of feelings from exasperation to concern or even joy, depending heavily on the tone and context. It's a common, informal expression often used by elders but also by younger people, sometimes humorously, to convey reactions to unexpected or uncomfortable situations.
아이고 (Aigo): An exclamation that conveys frustration or exasperation but is not offensive.
These two exclamations can be used similarly or differently depending on the situation. But in general 에이씨 sounds stronger and more harshly than 아이구. They say 에이씨 with foul language in a terrible quarrel. But you can speak 에이씨to yourself to express your frustration.
The most common Korean slang for "WTF" includes 헐 (Heol) for shock/disbelief, 뭐야? (Mwoya?) meaning "What is this?", and for stronger vulgarity, the abbreviation ㅅㅂ (S-B) for 씨발 (Ssi-bal), similar to the English f-word.
It can be either, depending on the language and context: "Gaja" (가자) is the common Korean informal word for "Let's go," though pronounced closer to "Kaja" by many, while "Kaja" is used in some Slavic languages (like Slovenian) as a name or for "effort/work," and the Italian wine brand Gaja is pronounced "Gah-yah," not "Gaja," notes a YouTube video.
When talking to older people or to show courtesy, a sentence should end in -yo. The honorific form is used most often, so learners of Korean should get comfortable with this from the beginning. For a more formal version, honorific forms end in -nida.
This word means “real” and if you read it in Korean, you can see that it is actually the phonetic pronunciation of the same word in English! Use it in place of intensifiers like 진짜 (jinjja | really) and sound cool in the process!
Koreans consider it rude to look someone directly in the eye, cross your arms or legs, or have your hands in their pocket when you are speaking to them. Koreans usually focus their eyes on the lower neck of the person they are talking to and try to avoid staring.
새끼; saekki: Noun. A noun used to derogatorily refer to any general person. The word, when not used as a profanity, is used to describe a young of an animal.
아니요, 싫어요 (aniyo, sireoyo) is a polite way to say “No, I don't want to” in Korean. It combines 아니요 (“no”) with 싫어요 (“I dislike it” / “I don't want it”) for extra clarity and emphasis. In casual speech, you can say 아니, 싫어 (ani, sireo).
It's more of a language thing. They are likely saying yes in Korean when nodding, but it would be translated as no since English forms the sentence a bit differently. They often ask questions in the negative form and answer as more of a I agree with that statement or I don't.
Aegyo (Korean: 애교; Hanja: 愛嬌; Korean pronunciation: [ɛ(ː)ɡjo]) in Korean is a normalized gendered performance that involves a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures.
"주세요" (juseyo) is used for asking someone to do something for you, like "Give me" or "Please do."
What is "Otoke"? Otoke is the pronunciation of "how" in Korean, 어떻게 (eotteoke). Above, we have described how 어떻게 (eotteoke), one of the six ways to say "how" in Korean, can be used, as well as why it's the one you're most likely to already know.
“내 사랑” (nae sarang) – My love: This isn't commonly used, but it's nice and straightforward. “바보야” (babo-ya) – Dummy: Don't be offended! In Korean, this is both a pet name and a tease. “애인” (aein) – Sweetheart: This term combines “애” (love) and “인” (person) to express that this person is your favorite.
The usual way of saying "please" in Korean is 주세요 (juseyo).
What is the proper way to address the husband of an aunt in Korean? The husband of 이모 (imo), your mother's sister, is called 이모부 (imobu), and the husband of 고모 (gomo), your father's sister, is referred to as 고모부 (gomobu).
The Affirmative Copula – 이다
The affirmative copula in Korean is 이다 (ida). This verb generally translate as “to be.” This means it can be used to express equation, definition, identification, and description. But it is not existential. Korean has a separate verb to express existence.
Perhaps the most popular of the Korean terms of love between couples it means "honey," "darling," or "baby," which you'll often hear among couples in K-dramas. You can also just shorten it to 자기 (jagi). Use this term along with Korean love phrases. It's used for both men and women.
Aja! Aja! ' Aja' means 'keep it up' in Korean.