Korean · Insults & Asymmetries
또라이
ttorai
ttoh-RAH-ee · /t͈o.ɾa.i/
Nutjob / psycho / total weirdo.
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"(slang) a cracked person / nutjob"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The word for someone who's not just wrong but operating on different physics — the boss who schedules meetings at 7am Saturday, the driver going the wrong way in the parking garage. Office workers' most beloved theorem, the 또라이 질량 보존의 법칙 ("law of conservation of nutjobs"), holds that every workplace contains a fixed amount of 또라이 — and if you can't find yours, it's you. Watch-your-audience 3: hilarious about an absent third party, an actual insult to a face. Softer cousin: 4차원 (sa-chawon, "4-dimensional") for endearing weirdos.
Heard in the wild
우리 팀장 진짜 또라이야. 금요일 밤에 회의 잡았어.
My team lead is a genuine nutjob. He scheduled a meeting for Friday night.
Where it lands
South Korea (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "또라이" mean?
- In Korean, "또라이" means "Nutjob / psycho / total weirdo.". Literally it's "(slang) a cracked person / nutjob". The word for someone who's not just wrong but operating on different physics — the boss who schedules meetings at 7am Saturday, the driver going the wrong way in the parking garage. Office workers' most beloved theorem, the 또라이 질량 보존의 법칙 ("law of conservation of nutjobs"), holds that every workplace contains a fixed amount of 또라이 — and if you can't find yours, it's you. Watch-your-audience 3: hilarious about an absent third party, an actual insult to a face. Softer cousin: 4차원 (sa-chawon, "4-dimensional") for endearing weirdos.
- Is "또라이" 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 "또라이"?
- Say it "ttoh-RAH-ee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: t͈o.ɾa.i.
Related in Korean
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "That's crazy".
- French C'est ouf ! That's insane! / Crazy! (good or bad)
- German einen Vogel zeigen You've got a screw loose / you're insane
- Greek τρελάθηκες; Are you crazy?! / Have you lost your mind?
- Japanese やばい Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context
- Polish masakra A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'
- Portuguese Sinistro Sick! / Insane! (both awesome and scary)
- Russian Псих! Psycho / nutcase
- Turkish Deli oluyorum! I'm losing my mind / this is driving me crazy
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.