| KOREAN DRAMA PHRASES EVERY K-DRAMA FANS SHOULD KNOW |
- Noraini Azaha (Bella Lee)
- Feb 26
- 9 min read
안녕하세요!!!
Hey, K-drama fans! This week, I'm gonna be covering some of the most common Korean drama phrases, words, and expressions that are used in your favorite dramas in South Korea. We've learned 5 words in my very first class. Shall we expand lots more today?
If your favorite K-drama lines or Korean drama scripts have multiple parts, break them down. Then, as you watch your favorite dramas, you’ll notice these Korean phrases appear. If you’re already an avid K-drama watcher like me, these Korean phrases might sound familiar! Once familiar with them, you’ll rely less on English subs when watching your favourite K-dramas!
You might have heard some of these phrases from popular Korean actors and actresses like Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Lee Min Ho, or Kim Go-Eun. You’ll also be saying these phrases in no time!
So, let’s get to it, shall we?
To get you off to a good start, I've prepared a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you.
If you can’t read the Korean Alphabet yet (highly recommended!), here’s a free guide that will teach you in about 90 minutes. You can get it here.
Korean Drama Quotes and Phrases
Certain Korean phrases appear in dramas more often than in other formats. If you don’t know native speakers to learn Korean with, watching dramas is a good way to practice. Also, a certified Korean drama addict will notice that certain slang words have become popularized by their use in drama and have since become a more common part of everyday Korean conversation.
For example, the word 미생 (misaeng | incomplete-life) was originally a term used in the Korean game 바둑 (baduk | Go)! Now it has become a popular word to describe the Korean office environment thanks to this famous K-drama (and 만화 | manhwa) of the same name.
1. 장난해? - Are you kidding me?
Romanization: jangnanhae
The Korean phrase 장난해? (jangnanhae) could be a statement or a sarcastic question. This is often used among friends of the same age or with someone younger. This simply means, “Are you kidding” or “Are you kidding me?”
In K-dramas, you’ll never hear this being said to someone older or someone holding a higher position than the speaker unless the person means to be rude.
2. 혹시 - By any chance
Romanization: hoksi
This word is used at the beginning of a statement or a question where a person is having doubts about a particular thing. The word 혹시 (hoksi) means “by any chance” or “maybe.”
3. 콜 - Call or Deal
Romanization: kol
This is one of the many words Koreans consider Konglish. This means “call” or “deal” and is used when you are up for the challenge or when you agree on something.
4. 뻥치지마 - Don’t lie
Romanization: ppeongchijima
This phrase is used when the person you are talking to seems to be lying. It came from 뻥을 치다 (ppeongeul chida), which means “tell a lie.” 지마 (jima) is from the polite phrase 지 마세요 (ji maseyo), which usually denotes “do not.”
5. 오해 하지마 - Don’t misunderstand
Romanization: ohae hajima
Every K-drama fan will usually hear this phrase in romantic comedies or romantic K-dramas. A person says this when he or she wants to hide his or her true feelings or intentions. But this phrase can generally be used when you don’t want others to misunderstand or misinterpret you.
This phrase consists of two Korean words. The Korean word 오해 (ohae) means “misunderstanding.” The word 하지마 (hajima) from the polite phrase 하지 마세요 (haji maseyo) means “do not.” If you want to sound polite, then you may say 오해 하지 마세요 (ohae haji maseyo).
6. 이렇게? - Like this
Romanization: ireoke
이렇게(ireoke) is a phrase that could be used to ask someone how to do something or instruct someone to perform something in a certain way depending on the context. This phrase means literally “like this,” although the nuance can be “What should I do?”
7. 아싸! - Oh yeah
Romanization: assa
This is an exclamation that can be used in many different situations. It is used when a person just got something he or she wants, won the jackpot, or when a person feels lucky.
8. 그럼 그럼 - Sure, sure
Romanization: geureom geureom
In K-dramas, we often hear this phrase when the character agrees with another character’s ideas and opinions. It means “sure” or “of course.”
Sometimes, the word 그럼 (geureom) can be used at the beginning of a sentence that indicates a condition. It can be used to mean “if so..and then.”
9. 글쎄요 - Well, I don’t know
Romanization: geulsseyo
This is one of the phrases we commonly hear in dramas when a character is being asked for an opinion, idea, or an answer, and he or she doesn’t know what answer to give or wants to have some time to think. This phrase can mean “I don’t know,” “Well,” or “Let me see.”
10. 어쩔 건데 - What are you going to do
Romanization: eojjeol geonde
어쩔 건데? (eojjeol geonde) means “What are you going to do?” Again, this phrase may only be used towards a person really close to you or someone of your age and to a person younger than you. It would sound rude and impolite when used to a stranger and to an older person.
11. 뭘 봐요 - What are you looking at
Romanization: mwol bwayo
This question is usually used when a person is looking at you in a strange way.
In dramas, you would usually hear this question among characters who have the same age or are addressed to someone younger. More often than not, using 뭘 봐요 (mwol bwayo), although it has 요 (yo), could be disrespectful when used in the wrong tone. This means, “What are you looking at?” or “Why are you looking at me.”
12. 무슨 소리야 이게? - What are you talking about
Romanization: museun soriya ige
what do you mean? This question can be heard in dramas when the characters hear some strange sound, or they hear a sudden noise. 무슨 (museun) is another form of 뭐 (mwo) and 무엇 (mueot), which means “what.” The word 소리 (sori) means “saying” or “mean,” and 이게 (ige) means “this.”
So, when you hear a strange talk, and you want to know what it is, you may ask 무슨 소리야 이게 (museun soriya ige).
13. 하지말라고 - I said don’t do that
Romanization: hajimallago
If the other person doesn’t respond to the speaker’s “하지마” (hajima), then they will keep teasing the speaker. Then, the next line out of the speaker’s mouth is often “하지말라고” (hajimallago).
The 라고 (rago) ending is one of the many ways to use reported (indirect) speech in the Korean language (along with 다고 (dago), 자고 (jago), and 냐고 (nyago). Using these endings is a little bit tricky and requires some study, so just learn this phrase for now.
14. 거짓말이야 - It’s a lie
Romanization: geojinmariya
Often part of the drama plot will involve somebody lying and eventually being found out. The word 거짓말 (geojinmal) means lie. 이야 (iya) is the standard informal ending for nouns.
15. 거짓말 하지마 - Don’t lie
Romanization: geojinmal hajima
Combining the word “lie” with the Korean word for “don’t do,” which is 하지마 (hajima), results in the Korean phrase 거짓말 하지마 (geojinmal hajima). This is one of the popular Korean phrases you’ll hear quite often in Korean dramas.
16. 나 먼저 갈게 - I will leave first
Romanization: na meonjeo galge
Often in K-Dramas, somebody will have to meet at a café with somebody they don’t like. Usually, this person is an evil mom trying to bribe her with money in an attempt to stop her from seeing her son.
If one person is leaving first, then in informal situations, he or she will sometimes say 나 먼저 가 (na meonjeo ga) or 나 먼저 갈게 (na meonjeo galge), both of which mean “I will leave first.”
17. 세상에!? - What in the world
Romanization: sesange
This drama phrase that every K-drama fan might be familiar with is used to express shock or disbelief. It is often used by the character playing the evil old man, who is surprised that he hasn’t been shown the proper respect by the main character (despite his repeated attempts to ruin said character’s life).
18. 안돼 - It can’t be
Romanization: andwae
When used in normal Korean, 안 돼(요) (an dwae(yo)) means that something is not allowed.
For example, you could say 수영하면 안 돼요 (suyeonghamyeon an dwaeyo), which means “Swimming is not allowed.” However, in dramas, it is often said by the female character (speaking to herself while crying) just after being dumped. She is literally saying, “he is not allowed to leave me,” as she can’t believe that she got dumped.
19. 사과해! / 사과하세요! - Apologize
Romanization: sagwahae / sagwahaseyo
In dramas, people are constantly asking each other to apologize for trifling things. The other person then refuses to apologize for those things, leading to the two people ending the episode apart.
The verb “to apologize” is 사과하다 (sagwahada). The ending -세요 (seyo) in this context shows that you are asking somebody to do something. The fact that the word is a homonym for the Korean word for “apple” hasn’t been lost on the cheesy Korean drama scripts by scriptwriters who use this terrible pun on a regular basis (for example, in 꽃보다남자 (kkotbodanamja)).
Both of these phrases mean the same thing, but the second one is more polite.
Adding -하세요 (haseyo) to certain Korean words will make them sound polite.
20. 너 미쳤어? - Are you crazy
Romanization: neo michyeosseo
From the verb 미치다 (michida | to be crazy), this phrase is used on a regular basis in K-Dramas. As this is one of the ruder Korean drama phrases that you will hear, be careful using it in real life. This is an informal Korean word, so saying this during a conversation or in everyday life would be considered very rude.
21. 미친놈 - Crazy guy
Romanization: michinnom
This is one of the phrases that are often said under someone’s breath in K-Dramas. The phrase is made up of two Korean words. The first is 미친 (michin), which means “crazy.” The second is 놈 (nom), which means “person.”
Keep in mind that this is one of those phrases that has negative connotations. It can be used with other adjectives to make a similar Korean phrase, such as “나쁜놈” (nappeunnom) too.
22. 오빠 - Older brother
Romanization: oppa
Watching dramas is a really great way to get the hang of Korean pronouns and their proper usage. Instead of the word “you,” Koreans use a variety of different words based on people’s position in society. The most common are:
한국어 (Korean) | Romanization | English Meaning |
오빠 | oppa | a slightly older male who you are close to (used by females) |
형 | hyeong | a slightly older male who you are close to (used by males) |
누나 | nuna | a slightly older female who you are close to (used by males) |
언니 | eonni | a slightly older female who you are close to (used by females) |
이모 | imo | a middle aged women (lit. – aunt) who you are slightly close to (for example the shopkeeper in a shop that you frequently visit) |
아줌마 | ahjumma | a middle aged women (not as close to you as an 이모) |
아저씨 | ajeossi | a middle aged man |
선배 | seonbae | a school friend from a year that is above you |
후배 | hubae | a school friend from a year that is below you |
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