10 Korean Slangs That You Should Know To Be An Insider

Every country and culture have their own slangs and so does Korea! Some of the Korean slangs are short forms of original words or combination of two words. When used correctly and in the right situation, you'll sound more like a native.

So, here are the 10 Korean slangs you should know to be an insider!

1. 인싸 (Insider)

인싸[In-ssa] 인싸 in Korea is someone who gets along very well with lots of people, follows all the trends and are considered very cool! The slang is derived from 인사이더 which means Insider!

2. 아싸 (Outsider)

아싸 [A-ssa] is the opposite of 인싸. It is referring to somebody who prefers to isolate themselves and be alone. However, this doesn't mean that it's negative. 

3. 아재 (Behind trend)

아재 derived from 아저씨[a-jeo-ssi] which mean “middle-aged” or to put it simply as “mister”. People will call you 아재 if you are acting like 아저씨 and far behind from the current trend.

4. 존맛탱 (Freaking delicious!)

The slang holds the meaning of ‘freaking delicious!' The slang itself derives from a sentence that has been shortened which is 존나[jon na]: Freaking 맛있는[mat it nun]: delicious and 탱[taeng] which is just added for a funny sound. You may use this slang if you are eating with your Korean friends, they might be shocked!

5. 존버 (Endure until the end)

Means to hold out or endure until only one survivor left. This slang is usually used in games like PUBG. 존나[jon na]: Freaking 버티다[beo ti da]: to hold out. So if you're having a game and need to be in a team with Koreans, you can say this as a motivation to hold out until the game ends.

6. 아아 (Ice Americano)

아아 is the shortened form of 아이스 아메리카노[Iced Americano]. It's considered a staple choice of coffee for many Koreans. To save time, native Koreans will typically just use 아아 when they're ordering this drink.

7. 꼰대 (Stubborn older person)

It’s slightly different than 아재.  꼰대 Is an older person or upper class who doesn't make an effort to understand the youth or new things. They're usually fixated to their outdated opinions. Simply put, 꼰대 is an OK boomer. So, note to everyone, try to be considerate and respect each other opinion.

8. 월화수목금금금 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Fri, Fri)

This slang's literal meaning is (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Friday, Friday). This slang is used when people feel like there are no weekends or have to work during weekends.

This reflects the life of workers or students who have no time to rest even during the weekend. This slang also reflects the dark side of South Korea in squeezing manpower. 

9. 맛점 (Delicious lunch)

It's a combination of 맛있는 점심 (delicious lunch). This slang is used by the younger generation but these days the slang has become famous amongst adults.

While in Korea, if you ever taste something delicious on your first bite (All food in Korea is delicious) you can use this phrase to practise! But if you are hungry, dig in and you can say the slang afterwards.

10. 만렙 (Level capped)

It literally means “level capped”. The word  “만” is borrowed from Chinese (Hanja) which means full. The word “렙” is a shortened form for “레벨,” or “level (as in, the level of a game). So if someone said this to you that you are  만렙 in something (eg: languages), then it means that you are on the fullest level where there is no more room for improvement and you are the best!

Say this to your Korean friend or friends who's practicing Korean to give compliment to them.

Interested to know Korean slang to use for next year Valentine Day? Check out Top 10 Interesting Korean Slangs for Valentine’s Day