Korean · Soju Rules
짠!
jjan
jjahn · /tɕ͈an/
Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"clink! (the sound of glasses meeting)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Korea's everyday toast is onomatopoeia: 짠! is literally the clink. (건배, geonbae, is the formal "empty your glass" for work dinners and speeches; 짠 is for friends.) The etiquette matters more than the word: with seniors, grip your glass with both hands, touch rims LOWER than theirs, and turn your head away as you drink — doing this unprompted as a foreigner earns astonished delight. Glasses are never self-filled; you pour for others and watch for empties. Master 짠 plus the two-handed pour and you've done more for the evening than any phrase in this book.
Heard in the wild
자, 다 같이! 짠!
Okay, everyone together! Cheers!
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "짠!" mean?
- In Korean, "짠!" means "Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.". Literally it's "clink! (the sound of glasses meeting)". Korea's everyday toast is onomatopoeia: 짠! is literally the clink. (건배, geonbae, is the formal "empty your glass" for work dinners and speeches; 짠 is for friends.) The etiquette matters more than the word: with seniors, grip your glass with both hands, touch rims LOWER than theirs, and turn your head away as you drink — doing this unprompted as a foreigner earns astonished delight. Glasses are never self-filled; you pour for others and watch for empties. Master 짠 plus the two-handed pour and you've done more for the evening than any phrase in this book.
- Is "짠!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "짠!"?
- Say it "jjahn" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: tɕ͈an.
Related in Korean
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- German Prost! Cheers!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
- Russian На посошок! One for the road!
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