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Words and Korean phrases!

Hey K-drama fans! We’re going to cover some of the most common Korean drama words, phrases and expressions that are used in your favorite shows.

That’s because we know how fun it is to be able to watch Korean dramas and understand what’s going on without subtitles, so we’re going to help make that happen!

We’ll give you the phrase and the meaning. If the phrase has multiple parts, we’ll break them down for you. Then, as you watch your favorite Korean dramas, you’ll start to notice these phrases appear. If you keep doing this, soon you’ll be watching dramas without subtitles!

Statue of a couple embracing each other at Nami island, Korea

To get you off to a good start, we’ve also got a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:

Get Top Korean Drama Phrases Free PDF
If you can’t read the Korean Alphabet yet (highly recommended!), there’s a free guide below that will teach you in about one hour.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Certain phrases appear in dramas more often than in other formats. Also, certain slang words become popularized by their use in a 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 the drama (and 만화 | manhwa) of the same name.

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1. 장난해 (jangnanhae) – Are you kidding me?
This expression could be a statement or a sarcastic question. This is often used among friends of the same age or to someone younger. This means ‘are you kidding or ‘are you kidding me?’

In Korean 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 (hoksi) – By any chance
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 (kol) – Call/Deal
This is an expression Koreans consider as Konglish. This means ‘call’ or ‘deal’ and is used when you are up for the challenge or when you are agreeing on something.

4. 뻥치지마 (ppeongchijima) – Don’t lie
This expression 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 expression 지 마세요 (ji maseyo) which usually denotes “do not.”

5. 오해 하지마 (ohae hajima) – Don’t misunderstand
We usually hear this phrase in romantic comedies or romance 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.

The word 오해 means ‘misunderstanding.’ The word 하지마 (hajima) from the polite expression 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 (ireoke) – Like this?
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 (assa) – Oh yeah
This expression 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.