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Korean · Stadiums & PC Bangs

잘~한다

jalhanda

jahl-HAHN-dah · /tɕal.han.da/

Niiice going — praise curdled into sarcasm by one stretched vowel.

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"(you're) doing well"

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

How to use it

Straight, 잘한다 is real praise: "you're doing great!" Stretch the first syllable — 잘~~~한다 — and it inverts completely: "oh, GREAT job," said as the striker skies the penalty or your friend drops the phone he just bought. The sarcasm is carried entirely by the vowel, a masterclass in Korean tone mechanics. Stadium-standard at underperforming home teams, family-standard at siblings. A gentle 2 — the bite is real but the register is playful. "아주 잘~한다" (VERY nice going) doubles down; "잘났다" (aren't YOU something) is the sibling word for deflating a show-off.

Heard in the wild

어이구, 잘~한다. 그걸 거기서 놓치냐.

Ohhh, NICE going. How do you miss it from there.

Where it lands

South Korea (universal)

Quick answers

What does "잘~한다" mean?
In Korean, "잘~한다" means "Niiice going — praise curdled into sarcasm by one stretched vowel.". Literally it's "(you're) doing well". Straight, 잘한다 is real praise: "you're doing great!" Stretch the first syllable — 잘~~~한다 — and it inverts completely: "oh, GREAT job," said as the striker skies the penalty or your friend drops the phone he just bought. The sarcasm is carried entirely by the vowel, a masterclass in Korean tone mechanics. Stadium-standard at underperforming home teams, family-standard at siblings. A gentle 2 — the bite is real but the register is playful. "아주 잘~한다" (VERY nice going) doubles down; "잘났다" (aren't YOU something) is the sibling word for deflating a show-off.
Is "잘~한다" 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 "잘~한다"?
Say it "jahl-HAHN-dah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: tɕal.han.da.

Related in Korean

개발렸다 gaeballyeotda geh-bahl-LYUHT-dah Got absolutely destroyed / stomped — the scoreline was a crime scene. 발컨 balkeon bahl-KUHN Trash mechanics / plays like the controller's on the floor — the e-sports jab. 트롤 teurol teu-ROHL A thrower / int-er — the teammate actively ruining the game. 심판 뭐 하냐! simpan mwo hanya sheem-PAHN mwuh hah-NYAH What is the ref DOING?! — the universal cry at a blown call. 대~한민국! (짝짝 짝 짝짝) daehanminguk DEH-hahn-meen-GOOK KO-RE-A! — the national chant, complete with its mandatory clap pattern. 씨발 ssibal sshee-BAHL Fuck / fucking hell — the load-bearing Korean curse.

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