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Korean · Insults & Asymmetries

새끼

saekki

SEH-kkee · /s͈ɛ.k͈i/

Punk / little shit — literally a baby animal, and that's the insult.

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"an animal's young / offspring"

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

How to use it

The building block of half of Korean insult-craft. Alone, 새끼 is a farm word — puppies are 강아지 새끼 with no offense at all — but aimed at a human ("이 새끼가," this little...) it means punk, brat, bastard-in-training. It's the modular back half of 개새끼, 씨발 새끼, and countless others: whatever you bolt on the front sets the charge. Between older men and their juniors, or fathers and sons, "이 새끼" can be gruff affection — but that's a relationship you have to own before you can borrow its vocabulary. Watch-your-audience 3 alone; a 4 the moment you compound it.

Heard in the wild

이 새끼 또 늦었네. 매번 이래.

This little punk is late again. Every single time.

Where it lands

South Korea (universal)

Quick answers

What does "새끼" mean?
In Korean, "새끼" means "Punk / little shit — literally a baby animal, and that's the insult.". Literally it's "an animal's young / offspring". The building block of half of Korean insult-craft. Alone, 새끼 is a farm word — puppies are 강아지 새끼 with no offense at all — but aimed at a human ("이 새끼가," this little...) it means punk, brat, bastard-in-training. It's the modular back half of 개새끼, 씨발 새끼, and countless others: whatever you bolt on the front sets the charge. Between older men and their juniors, or fathers and sons, "이 새끼" can be gruff affection — but that's a relationship you have to own before you can borrow its vocabulary. Watch-your-audience 3 alone; a 4 the moment you compound it.
Is "새끼" 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 "새끼"?
Say it "SEH-kkee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: s͈ɛ.k͈i.

Related in Korean

개새끼 gaesaekki geh-SEH-kkee Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading. 놈 nom nohm Guy / bastard — the male half of Korean's asymmetric insult pair. 년 nyeon nyun Bitch — the female counterpart of 놈, and far, far harsher. 바보 babo bah-BOH Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.' 또라이 ttorai ttoh-RAH-ee Nutjob / psycho / total weirdo. 꼰대 kkondae KKOHN-deh Boomer-boss / condescending elder who pulls rank — 'back in MY day…'

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