Korean · Soju Rules
마셔 마셔!
masyeo masyeo
mah-SHYUH mah-SHYUH · /ma.ɕʌ ma.ɕʌ/
Drink! Drink! — the table chant that overrules your better judgment.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"drink! drink!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The chant that accompanies a poured shot on its journey to a reluctant drinker — often with rhythmic clapping, sometimes as a full drinking song ("마셔라 마셔라~"). It's peer pressure as folk ritual, and it is genuinely hard to refuse mid-chant, which everyone knows and exploits with love. A 1 in hostility, a 4 in consequences. Chanting it AT someone as a guest is cheerfully welcome once the table has warmed up; being its target is where you'll need the escape hatches from the 원샷 entry. The morning after has its own entry too. Plan accordingly.
Heard in the wild
마셔 마셔 마셔! 오늘 안 취하면 못 가!
Drink, drink, drink! Nobody leaves sober tonight!
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "마셔 마셔!" mean?
- In Korean, "마셔 마셔!" means "Drink! Drink! — the table chant that overrules your better judgment.". Literally it's "drink! drink!". The chant that accompanies a poured shot on its journey to a reluctant drinker — often with rhythmic clapping, sometimes as a full drinking song ("마셔라 마셔라~"). It's peer pressure as folk ritual, and it is genuinely hard to refuse mid-chant, which everyone knows and exploits with love. A 1 in hostility, a 4 in consequences. Chanting it AT someone as a guest is cheerfully welcome once the table has warmed up; being its target is where you'll need the escape hatches from the 원샷 entry. The morning after has its own entry too. Plan accordingly.
- Is "마셔 마셔!" 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 "마셔 마셔!"?
- Say it "mah-SHYUH mah-SHYUH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ma.ɕʌ ma.ɕʌ.
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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