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Korean · Aegyo & Fish Farms

바람둥이

baramdungi

bah-rahm-DOONG-ee · /pa.ɾam.duŋ.i/

Player / womanizer — a serial flirt with commitment allergies.

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"wind-person (one who makes wind)"

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

How to use it

In Korean, infidelity is meteorology: 바람 (wind) is the affair — 바람 피우다, "to make wind," is to cheat — and a 바람둥이 is the person constitutionally prone to weather. It's a warning between friends ("걔 바람둥이야, 조심해" — he's a player, careful) more than a face-to-face accusation, and mild enough for teasing an incorrigible flirt. A 2: real disapproval, no vulgarity. The actual cheating accusation — "너 바람 피웠지" (you cheated, didn't you) — is a different conversation entirely and needs no severity rating because the plates will communicate the register.

Heard in the wild

걔 소개받지 마. 유명한 바람둥이야.

Don't let them set you up with him. He's a famous player.

Where it lands

South Korea (universal)

Quick answers

What does "바람둥이" mean?
In Korean, "바람둥이" means "Player / womanizer — a serial flirt with commitment allergies.". Literally it's "wind-person (one who makes wind)". In Korean, infidelity is meteorology: 바람 (wind) is the affair — 바람 피우다, "to make wind," is to cheat — and a 바람둥이 is the person constitutionally prone to weather. It's a warning between friends ("걔 바람둥이야, 조심해" — he's a player, careful) more than a face-to-face accusation, and mild enough for teasing an incorrigible flirt. A 2: real disapproval, no vulgarity. The actual cheating accusation — "너 바람 피웠지" (you cheated, didn't you) — is a different conversation entirely and needs no severity rating because the plates will communicate the register.
Is "바람둥이" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "바람둥이"?
Say it "bah-rahm-DOONG-ee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: pa.ɾam.duŋ.i.

Related in Korean

개새끼 gaesaekki geh-SEH-kkee Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading. 새끼 saekki SEH-kkee Punk / little shit — literally a baby animal, and that's the insult. 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.

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