너 못생겼어
neo motsaenggyeosseo
The phrase "pangit ka" is often mistakenly attributed to Korean, but the actual way to say "you are ugly" in Korean is 너 못생겼어 (neo motsaenggyeosseo).
너 못생겼어 is used to tell someone that they are ugly.
How do you pronounce it?
neo motsaenggyeosseo
What mistakes should you avoid?
The phrase pangit ka is actually Tagalog, not Korean and should not be used when attempting to speak Korean.
Did you know?
- The word 너 for 'you' may be a relative of the Old Japanese word na, which also meant 'you'.
- Using 너 못생겼어 can be very offensive because the word 너 for 'you' is informal and can sound confrontational or condescending to someone of higher status.
- In Korean culture, calling someone 'ugly' 못생겼어 is often used as a playful or teasing term between very close friends or couples rather than a genuine insult.
Examples in context
- 너 못생겼어.neo mot-saeng-gyeot-eo.You are ugly.
- 거울 봐, 너 못생겼어.geo-ul bwa, neo mot-saeng-gyeot-eo.Look in the mirror, you are ugly.
Example conversation
Two friends are teasing each other while looking at a photo.
- 민준 Min-jun이 사진 봐, 너 못생겼어.i sajin bwa, neo motsaenggyeosseo.Look at this photo, you are ugly.
- 수빈 Su-bin뭐라고? 진짜 너무해!mworago? jinjja neomuhae!What? That's really mean!
- 민준 Min-jun장난이야, 웃겨서 그래.jangnaniya, utgyeoseo geurae.I'm kidding, it's just because it's funny.
- 수빈 Su-bin다음에는 예쁜 사진 찍어줘.da-eum-eneun yeppeun sajin jjigeojwo.Take a pretty photo for me next time.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 너, CC BY-SA 4.0.
