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Korean · K-Drama Words, Actually Weighed

인마

inma

een-MAH · /in.ma/

You punk / kid — gruff, senior-to-junior, drama-dad certified.

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"(contraction of 이놈아) 'this nom!'"

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

How to use it

Contracted from 이놈아 ("this nom-of-mine"), 인마 is the gruff vocative of the drama dad, the crusty detective squad chief, and the drill sergeant: "야, 인마!" — hey, you punk. The grammar is strictly downhill: it flows from older to younger, senior to junior, and carries anything from real anger to gravelly affection (the chief who calls you 인마 is the chief who'd take a bullet for you — a whole K-drama archetype). Uphill or between strangers it's a solid 3 and an invitation to escalate. A traveler will mostly meet it incoming, from affectionate older men — take it as adoption, not abuse.

Heard in the wild

인마, 밥은 먹고 다니냐?

You punk, are you at least eating properly?

Where it lands

South Korea (universal); senior-to-junior only

Quick answers

What does "인마" mean?
In Korean, "인마" means "You punk / kid — gruff, senior-to-junior, drama-dad certified.". Literally it's "(contraction of 이놈아) 'this nom!'". Contracted from 이놈아 ("this nom-of-mine"), 인마 is the gruff vocative of the drama dad, the crusty detective squad chief, and the drill sergeant: "야, 인마!" — hey, you punk. The grammar is strictly downhill: it flows from older to younger, senior to junior, and carries anything from real anger to gravelly affection (the chief who calls you 인마 is the chief who'd take a bullet for you — a whole K-drama archetype). Uphill or between strangers it's a solid 3 and an invitation to escalate. A traveler will mostly meet it incoming, from affectionate older men — take it as adoption, not abuse.
Is "인마" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "인마"?
Say it "een-MAH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: in.ma.

Related in Korean

개새끼 gaesaekki geh-SEH-kkee Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading. 새끼 saekki SEH-kkee Punk / little shit — literally a baby animal, and that's the insult. 놈 nom nohm Guy / bastard — the male half of Korean's asymmetric insult pair. 년 nyeon nyun Bitch — the female counterpart of 놈, and far, far harsher. 바보 babo bah-BOH Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.' 또라이 ttorai ttoh-RAH-ee Nutjob / psycho / total weirdo.

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