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Korean · Soju Rules

숙취 쩔어

sukchwi jjeoreo

sook-chwee JJUH-luh · /suk̚.tɕʰwi tɕ͈ʌ.ɾʌ/

Brutally hungover — the morning-after status report.

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"the hangover is pickled-in / extreme"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

숙취 is the hangover; 쩔어 (from a verb for being pickled or crusted in something) is slang for "extreme" — together, the standard morning-after text to last night's co-conspirators. 쩔어 alone is a versatile 2: it can mean awesome OR awful, strictly by context, like "sick." Korea meets the morning after with infrastructure — 해장국 (haejangguk, hangover soup) restaurants open at dawn, convenience-store hangover tonics (컨디션 is the famous brand) sold beside the register. Announce 숙취 쩔어 and someone WILL prescribe you a soup; accept, it works.

Heard in the wild

어제 소맥 몇 잔이야… 숙취 쩔어. 해장국 먹으러 가자.

How many somaeks was that… I'm brutally hungover. Let's go get hangover soup.

Where it lands

South Korea (universal); 쩔어 is under-40 slang

Quick answers

What does "숙취 쩔어" mean?
In Korean, "숙취 쩔어" means "Brutally hungover — the morning-after status report.". Literally it's "the hangover is pickled-in / extreme". 숙취 is the hangover; 쩔어 (from a verb for being pickled or crusted in something) is slang for "extreme" — together, the standard morning-after text to last night's co-conspirators. 쩔어 alone is a versatile 2: it can mean awesome OR awful, strictly by context, like "sick." Korea meets the morning after with infrastructure — 해장국 (haejangguk, hangover soup) restaurants open at dawn, convenience-store hangover tonics (컨디션 is the famous brand) sold beside the register. Announce 숙취 쩔어 and someone WILL prescribe you a soup; accept, it works.
Is "숙취 쩔어" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "숙취 쩔어"?
Say it "sook-chwee JJUH-luh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: suk̚.tɕʰwi tɕ͈ʌ.ɾʌ.

Related in Korean

개맛있어 gaemasisseo geh-mah-SHEE-ssuh Insanely delicious — the dog prefix doing its finest work. 짠! jjan jjahn Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself. 원샷! wonsyat wuhn-SHAHT Bottoms up! — empty the glass in one go. 마셔 마셔! masyeo masyeo mah-SHYUH mah-SHYUH Drink! Drink! — the table chant that overrules your better judgment. 폭탄주 poktanju pohk-tahn-JOO The bomb shot — soju depth-charged into beer, i.e. somaek. 꼰대 kkondae KKOHN-deh Boomer-boss / condescending elder who pulls rank — 'back in MY day…'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Hungover".

how to say "Hungover" →

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