Korean · Reactions & Noises
아이고
aigo
ah-ee-GOH · /a.i.ɡo/
Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(a sigh-groan)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The grandmother of all Korean exclamations, literally — 아이고 is most at home in the mouths of elders, deployed for aching knees, heavy grocery bags, exasperating grandchildren, and news both wonderful and terrible. "아이고, 우리 강아지~" (oh my, my little puppy) coos over a child; "아이고…" alone at a funeral carries grief. It scales from oof to lament. Completely Grandma-safe — it IS Grandma. A young traveler using it earns instant charmed laughter, the way a Korean exchange student saying "oy vey" would.
Heard in the wild
아이고, 하루 종일 걸었더니 다리야.
Oof, my legs — we walked all day.
Where it lands
South Korea (universal); elder-coded, everyone understands
Quick answers
- What does "아이고" mean?
- In Korean, "아이고" means "Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.". Literally it's "(a sigh-groan)". The grandmother of all Korean exclamations, literally — 아이고 is most at home in the mouths of elders, deployed for aching knees, heavy grocery bags, exasperating grandchildren, and news both wonderful and terrible. "아이고, 우리 강아지~" (oh my, my little puppy) coos over a child; "아이고…" alone at a funeral carries grief. It scales from oof to lament. Completely Grandma-safe — it IS Grandma. A young traveler using it earns instant charmed laughter, the way a Korean exchange student saying "oy vey" would.
- Is "아이고" 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 "아이고"?
- Say it "ah-ee-GOH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: a.i.ɡo.
Related in Korean
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Tough luck".
- French C'est nul ! That sucks / That's lame
- German Mist! Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn'
- Greek σιγά Big deal / whatever / calm down / as if — dismissive minimizing.
- Italian Merda! Shit! / Damn it!
- Japanese 勘弁して Give me a break / spare me / oh, come on
- Polish szlag Damn it — 'szlag by to trafił' = may a stroke strike it.
- Portuguese Chato Annoying / boring / a pain
- Russian Капец! That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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