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Korean · K-Drama Words, Actually Weighed

죽을래?

jugeullae

joo-GEUL-leh · /tɕu.ɡɯl.lɛ/

You wanna die? — 90% playful threat, 10% actual threat, tone decides.

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"do (you) want to die?"

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

How to use it

Every K-drama fan knows this one, usually delivered by a heroine winding up to hit someone with a couch cushion. "죽을래?" is Korea's default mock threat — between friends, siblings, and couples it means "you're pushing it, and it's adorable/annoying," roughly the English "I will END you." The drama-knowledge trap: it's intimacy-gated. From a friend it's a giggle; from a stranger, snarled, it's a genuine threat and a 4. The variants stack playfulness: 맞을래? (want a smack?), 죽고 싶어? (feeling suicidal, are we?), and the maximal 콱 그냥— (why I oughta—), which needs no completing.

Heard in the wild

내 떡볶이 다 먹었어? 너 진짜 죽을래?

You ate ALL my tteokbokki? Do you actually want to die?

Where it lands

South Korea (universal); intimacy-gated mock threat

Quick answers

What does "죽을래?" mean?
In Korean, "죽을래?" means "You wanna die? — 90% playful threat, 10% actual threat, tone decides.". Literally it's "do (you) want to die?". Every K-drama fan knows this one, usually delivered by a heroine winding up to hit someone with a couch cushion. "죽을래?" is Korea's default mock threat — between friends, siblings, and couples it means "you're pushing it, and it's adorable/annoying," roughly the English "I will END you." The drama-knowledge trap: it's intimacy-gated. From a friend it's a giggle; from a stranger, snarled, it's a genuine threat and a 4. The variants stack playfulness: 맞을래? (want a smack?), 죽고 싶어? (feeling suicidal, are we?), and the maximal 콱 그냥— (why I oughta—), which needs no completing.
Is "죽을래?" 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 "죽을래?"?
Say it "joo-GEUL-leh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: tɕu.ɡɯl.lɛ.

Related in Korean

오빠 oppa OH-ppah Oppa — older brother, boyfriend, crush, or K-pop idol, depending on who's saying it to whom. 인마 inma een-MAH You punk / kid — gruff, senior-to-junior, drama-dad certified. 자식 jasik jah-SHEEK This kid… / you rascal — the gruff-fond word for someone junior. 나쁜 놈 nappeun nom nah-ppeun NOHM You bad man / that jerk — the K-drama accusation, tears optional. 어이가 없네 eoiga eomne UH-ee-gah UHM-neh Unbelievable. I'm actually speechless — cold, deadpan disbelief. 씨발 ssibal sshee-BAHL Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse.

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