Korean · Frustration & Doom
망했어
manghaesseo
mahng-HEH-ssuh · /maŋ.hɛ.s͈ʌ/
I'm screwed / it's over / total disaster.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(it) has been ruined / has perished"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The verb 망하다 means for a business to go under or a dynasty to fall — and Korean applies it, with full historical weight, to your quiz tomorrow. "망했어" is "I'm doomed": the unstudied exam, the burnt dinner, the haircut that went wrong. Students say it walking out of every test regardless of outcome; it's practically a superstition. Grandma-safe drama at a 1. The slang noun form 폭망 (pokmang, "explosively ruined") upgrades the disaster, and "인생 망했다" (my life is ruined) is how a twenty-year-old describes a bad selfie.
Heard in the wild
발표 자료 안 가져왔어. 나 망했어.
I forgot my presentation slides. I'm doomed.
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "망했어" mean?
- In Korean, "망했어" means "I'm screwed / it's over / total disaster.". Literally it's "(it) has been ruined / has perished". The verb 망하다 means for a business to go under or a dynasty to fall — and Korean applies it, with full historical weight, to your quiz tomorrow. "망했어" is "I'm doomed": the unstudied exam, the burnt dinner, the haircut that went wrong. Students say it walking out of every test regardless of outcome; it's practically a superstition. Grandma-safe drama at a 1. The slang noun form 폭망 (pokmang, "explosively ruined") upgrades the disaster, and "인생 망했다" (my life is ruined) is how a twenty-year-old describes a bad selfie.
- Is "망했어" 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 "망했어"?
- Say it "mahng-HEH-ssuh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: maŋ.hɛ.s͈ʌ.
Related in Korean
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "What a mess".
- French Bordel ! What a mess! / Chaos! — also 'what the hell' as an intensifier
- German Scheiße! Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive
- Greek σκατά Shit! / Crap! — and 'garbage / terrible' for anything low quality.
- Italian Che casino! What a mess! / What chaos!
- Japanese めちゃくちゃ A total mess / all messed up (or: super, as an intensifier)
- Polish masakra A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'
- Portuguese Merda! Shit! / Crap!
- Russian Капец! That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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