Korean · 8 phrases
The Essential Kit
Start here: the F-word and its brilliant ladder of euphemisms (씨발 → 씨 → 아이씨), the dog prefix that swings from insult to enthusiasm, and the one-syllable register bomb 야. The lesson underneath them all: in Korean, WHO you say it to outranks WHAT you say — hierarchy is the real Punch-o-Meter.
어떡해 eotteokae uh-TTUH-keh Oh no / what do I do?! — the national noise of small panic. 아이씨 aissi ah-ee-SSHEE Damn it / ugh — the everyday defused version of the F-word. 개― gae- geh Dog- as a prefix: 'insanely / totally' — and slang-positive as often as negative. 젠장 jenjang jen-JAHNG Damn / dang it — the movie-subtitle curse. 존나 jonna john-NAH Fucking / hella — the vulgar intensifier that goes in front of everything. 미친 michin mee-CHEEN Crazy — from 'that's insane(ly good)!' to 'you lunatic' to a genuine slur on someone's sanity. 야! ya yah Hey! — warm between friends, a thrown gauntlet at anyone else. 씨발 ssibal sshee-BAHL Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse.