Korean · Frustration & Doom
죽겠네
jukgenne
jook-KEHN-neh · /tɕuk̚.k͈en.ne/
…is killing me — the national suffix of exaggerated suffering.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(I) could die"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Koreans are, verbally, always about to die — of heat (더워 죽겠네), hunger (배고파 죽겠어), exhaustion (피곤해 죽겠다), even laughter (웃겨 죽겠어) and cuteness (귀여워 죽겠어). Bolt 죽겠- onto any feeling and you've turned discomfort into drama, which is exactly how the language likes it. Completely Grandma-safe — she says it more than anyone, usually about her knees. As a standalone sigh, "아이고 죽겠다" is the sound of sitting down after a twelve-hour day. Learn the pattern and you own fifty complaints for the price of one.
Heard in the wild
아 배고파 죽겠네. 밥 먼저 먹자.
I'm starving to death. Let's eat first.
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "죽겠네" mean?
- In Korean, "죽겠네" means "…is killing me — the national suffix of exaggerated suffering.". Literally it's "(I) could die". Koreans are, verbally, always about to die — of heat (더워 죽겠네), hunger (배고파 죽겠어), exhaustion (피곤해 죽겠다), even laughter (웃겨 죽겠어) and cuteness (귀여워 죽겠어). Bolt 죽겠- onto any feeling and you've turned discomfort into drama, which is exactly how the language likes it. Completely Grandma-safe — she says it more than anyone, usually about her knees. As a standalone sigh, "아이고 죽겠다" is the sound of sitting down after a twelve-hour day. Learn the pattern and you own fifty complaints for the price of one.
- Is "죽겠네" 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 "죽겠네"?
- Say it "jook-KEHN-neh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: tɕuk̚.k͈en.ne.
Related in Korean
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