Work in progress! Native speakers are still checking every phrase. Spot something off? Tell us.
cursing.in curse like a local

Korean · Honorifics Hell

너

neo

nuh · /nʌ/

'You' — harmless to a friend, a glove-slap to anyone else.

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"you (bare/intimate)"

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

How to use it

English speakers assume "you" is neutral; Korean has no neutral "you," and 너 is the intimate one — fine for close same-age friends and juniors, aggressive at anyone else. Pointing 너 at a stranger or senior ("너 뭐야?" — what are YOU?) is a documented fight-starter; in the confrontation liturgy it escalates to 너 이 자식 (you punk) and beyond. The 3 rates the misdeployment, which for a traveler is the live risk. Your workaround: Korean politely AVOIDS "you" altogether — use the person's title or role (사장님, 선생님, 기사님) or just omit the subject entirely, which the grammar happily allows. When you hear 너 between strangers, back up; something's starting.

Heard in the wild

너? 지금 나한테 너라고 했어?

'Neo'? Did you just call ME 'neo'?

Where it lands

South Korea (universal); intimate-only — a provocation outside that

Quick answers

What does "너" mean?
In Korean, "너" means "'You' — harmless to a friend, a glove-slap to anyone else.". Literally it's "you (bare/intimate)". English speakers assume "you" is neutral; Korean has no neutral "you," and 너 is the intimate one — fine for close same-age friends and juniors, aggressive at anyone else. Pointing 너 at a stranger or senior ("너 뭐야?" — what are YOU?) is a documented fight-starter; in the confrontation liturgy it escalates to 너 이 자식 (you punk) and beyond. The 3 rates the misdeployment, which for a traveler is the live risk. Your workaround: Korean politely AVOIDS "you" altogether — use the person's title or role (사장님, 선생님, 기사님) or just omit the subject entirely, which the grammar happily allows. When you hear 너 between strangers, back up; something's starting.
Is "너" 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 "너"?
Say it "nuh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: nʌ.

Related in Korean

야! ya yah Hey! — warm between friends, a thrown gauntlet at anyone else. 반말 banmal BAHN-mahl Informal speech itself — in Korean, the register IS the curse. 당신 dangsin dahng-SHEEN 'You' — polite in the dictionary, a challenge in the street. 아줌마 ajumma ah-JOOM-mah Ma'am — a neutral word that detonates when aimed at the wrong decade. 어디서 반말이야? eodiseo banmariya UH-dee-suh bahn-mahl-ee-YAH Who do you think you're banmal-ing? — the register-violation callout. 미친 michin mee-CHEEN Crazy — from 'that's insane(ly good)!' to 'you lunatic' to a genuine slur on someone's sanity.

Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.