Korean · Insults & Asymmetries
지랄
jiral
jee-RAHL · /tɕi.ɾal/
Bullshit / drama / throwing a fit — 'quit your nonsense.'
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"(from an old word for an epileptic fit)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
지랄 names theatrical, exhausting nonsense: someone making a scene, talking garbage, or performing outrage. "지랄하네" ≈ "what absolute bullshit," "지랄 떨지 마" ≈ "cut the drama." Deeply satisfying to say and genuinely coarse — a solid 3, friends-only. Know its skeleton in the closet: the word originally described epileptic seizures, an origin most speakers never think about but worth knowing before you adopt it. The classic pairing 지랄 맞다 (jiral matda, "fit-stricken" = wretched, infuriating) rounds out the family.
Heard in the wild
환불 안 해준다고? 지랄하네.
They won't give you a refund? What absolute bullshit.
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "지랄" mean?
- In Korean, "지랄" means "Bullshit / drama / throwing a fit — 'quit your nonsense.'". Literally it's "(from an old word for an epileptic fit)". 지랄 names theatrical, exhausting nonsense: someone making a scene, talking garbage, or performing outrage. "지랄하네" ≈ "what absolute bullshit," "지랄 떨지 마" ≈ "cut the drama." Deeply satisfying to say and genuinely coarse — a solid 3, friends-only. Know its skeleton in the closet: the word originally described epileptic seizures, an origin most speakers never think about but worth knowing before you adopt it. The classic pairing 지랄 맞다 (jiral matda, "fit-stricken" = wretched, infuriating) rounds out the family.
- Is "지랄" 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 "지랄"?
- Say it "jee-RAHL" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: tɕi.ɾal.
Related in Korean
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.