10 Korean slang words people actually use right now
Korean slang turns over fast, and the words in most phrasebooks were already fading when they were printed. The ones below are in live use in group chats, comment sections and variety-show captions at the time of writing, which is the most anyone can honestly promise about slang.
Nearly all of it is casual speech, written more than spoken, and clipped from longer phrases, so each entry gives the full form it came from. Knowing the origin is what lets you use a word correctly rather than just recognise it.
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인정
injeong
Facts, agreed
Literally: Acknowledgment
The one-word reply when someone says something undeniable. In chats it shrinks to ㅇㅈ, and 인정? as a question is 'am I right?'. Safe with anyone you text casually.
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찐
jjin
Real, the genuine article
Clipped from 진짜 (really). 찐친 is a true friend, 찐팬 a real fan, and 찐이다 on its own is 'that's the real deal'. Sits in front of almost any noun.
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킹받다
kingbatda
Infuriating in a funny way
Literally: King + to get heated
킹 (king) as an intensifier glued onto 열받다 (to get worked up). 킹받네 is the reaction to a friend's smug message or a cat ignoring you. Annoyed, but you are also laughing.
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갑분싸
gapbunssa
The mood just died
Literally: 갑자기 분위기 싸해짐, suddenly the atmosphere went cold
What happens after a bad joke or an overshare. Typed in the chat right after it happens, usually by the person who caused it. 싸하다 is that cold, awkward feeling.
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존맛탱
jonmattaeng
Insanely delicious
존 is from a vulgar intensifier and 탱 is pure emphasis, so this is friends-only, never with your boss or someone's parents. Written JMT on menus and in captions, which somehow makes it printable.
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꾸안꾸
kkuankku
Effortlessly put together
Literally: 꾸민 듯 안 꾸민 듯, dressed up as if not dressed up
The fashion compliment of the decade: looks like you did not try, took forty minutes. Used for outfits, makeup and cafes with exposed concrete.
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억텐
eokten
Forced enthusiasm
Literally: 억지 텐션, strained tension (energy)
The energy of someone pretending to be excited on a work call. Its opposite is 찐텐, genuine excitement, and variety show captions switch between the two.
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손절
sonjeol
Cutting someone off
Literally: Stop-loss
A stock-market word that moved into friendships: 손절했어 means you ended it before it cost you more. It sounds decisive rather than dramatic, which is why people like it.
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노잼
nojaem
Boring, not funny
Literally: No + 재미 (fun)
A film, a date, a city on a rainy day. The opposite is 꿀잼 (honey-fun, very fun), and 핵노잼 adds 핵 (nuclear) for truly dire. Casual, harmless, everywhere.
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느좋
neujot
Good vibes
Literally: 느낌 좋다, the feeling is good
Used for a cafe, a photo, a song, a person's style. Among the newer entries on this list, so you will hear it more from people in their twenties. 느좋이다 is the full sentence.
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Three habits produce most of this: clipping the first syllable off each word of a phrase (갑분싸, 꾸안꾸, 느좋), borrowing an English word as an intensifier (킹받다), and lifting a term from another field (손절). Once you see the pattern you can usually decode a new one on sight.