How do you pronounce "니 애미"?

Say it "nee EH-mee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ni ɛ.mi.

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Korean · Words You'll Hear But Must Never Say

니 애미

ni aemi

nee EH-mee · /ni ɛ.mi/

The Korean 'your mom' — the nuclear escalation of any argument. Never say it.

5/5 Do not deploy

nuclear/taboo — comprehension only, never recommended

Literally

"your mother (in the lowest possible form)"

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

How to use it

We're telling you so you understand it, not so you say it. 애미 is the degraded, honorific- stripped form of "mother," and dragging someone's mother into a Korean argument — 니 애미 (your mother…), the verb usually left unsaid or unprintable, or the compound 애미 뒤진 ("dead-mothered") that infests game chat — is the recognized point of no return. In a culture where filial piety still anchors the moral universe, mother-insults don't spice an argument, they end it: fists, lawsuits (Korea criminalizes public insult), or a permanent ban. When you hear 애미 in the wild, the conversation is over and you should be elsewhere. Comprehension-only, forever.

Heard in the wild

[The point of no return in game chat and street fights; comprehension only.]

[When the mother comes up, the argument is over — leave.]

Where it lands

South Korea (universal); nuclear-tier, comprehension-only

Quick answers

What does "니 애미" mean?: In Korean, "니 애미" means "The Korean 'your mom' — the nuclear escalation of any argument. Never say it.". Literally it's "your mother (in the lowest possible form)". We're telling you so you understand it, not so you say it. 애미 is the degraded, honorific- stripped form of "mother," and dragging someone's mother into a Korean argument — 니 애미 (your mother…), the verb usually left unsaid or unprintable, or the compound 애미 뒤진 ("dead-mothered") that infests game chat — is the recognized point of no return. In a culture where filial piety still anchors the moral universe, mother-insults don't spice an argument, they end it: fists, lawsuits (Korea criminalizes public insult), or a permanent ban. When you hear 애미 in the wild, the conversation is over and you should be elsewhere. Comprehension-only, forever.
Is "니 애미" offensive?: Yes — very. It rates 5/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Do not deploy). nuclear/taboo — comprehension only, never recommended. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
How do you pronounce "니 애미"?: Say it "nee EH-mee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ni ɛ.mi.

Related in Korean

병신 byeongsin byung-SHEEN Moron / useless idiot — extremely common, and an ableist slur at its root. Never say it. 짱깨 jjanggae JJAHNG-kkeh An ethnic slur for Chinese people — also slang for Chinese food, which does not launder it. Never say it. 쪽바리 jjokbari JJOHK-bah-ree An ethnic slur for Japanese people, rooted in colonial-era hatred. Never say it. 김치녀 kimchinyeo keem-chee-NYUH A misogynist slur labeling Korean women as gold-diggers. You'll see it online; never use it. 씨발 ssibal sshee-BAHL Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse. 미친 michin mee-CHEEN Crazy — from 'that's insane(ly good)!' to 'you lunatic' to a genuine slur on someone's sanity.

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