똥
ttong[t͈o̞ŋ]
The Korean word for poop is 똥 (ttong). It is the plain, informal word for feces that children and adults use in everyday talk.
똥 names the waste itself. To talk about the act of pooping, Koreans put it in a verb phrase such as 똥을 누다 (to poop). To say you feel the urge to go, use 똥이 마렵다.
Meaning: feces (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
In 똥을 누다, 똥 is the noun, 을 is the object marker and 누다 is the verb for relieving oneself.
Which one should you use?
똥을 누다 is the standard, somewhat childish way to say to poop. Using 싸다 instead of 누다 is blunter and more informal, closer to the English word shit. 똥이 마렵다 is only about the physical urge to go.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, 똥 takes the object marker 을 in 똥을 누다 and the subject marker in 똥이 마렵다.
How do you pronounce it?
똥 is romanized as ttong.
Did you know?
- In Korea, there is a traditional belief that if you dream about 똥 (poop), it is a sign of extreme good luck and often suggests you should buy a lottery ticket.
- The Middle Korean ancestor of 똥 was recorded in 1459 as ᄯᅩᇰ, which was pronounced as 'stwòng'.
- The word 똥 can be used as a prefix in slang to describe something of very poor quality or a complete failure, similar to calling something 'crap' in English.
Examples in context
- 똥을 누다/싸다/마렵다To poop / to shit / to feel like poopingThe line 똥을 누다/싸다/마렵다 shows the three common verbs that go with 똥: to poop, to shit and to feel like pooping.
- 어제 너랑 놀 때, 강아지가 똥을 싸더라!When we were hanging out yesterday, a puppy pooped!
- 강아지가 길에 똥을 쌌어요.gang-a-ji-ga gil-e ddong-eul ssa-sseo-yo.The puppy left poop on the street.
- 아기가 똥을 쌌는지 확인해 봐요.a-gi-ga ddong-eul ssa-sse-neun-ji hwa-gin-hae bwa-yo.Check if the baby has pooped.
Example conversation
A couple is walking in the park with their puppy.
- 민지 Min-ji도현 씨, 저기 강아지 똥이 있어요.Do-hyeon ssi, jeo-gi gang-a-ji ddong-i iss-eo-yo.Dohyun, there is puppy poop over there.
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말이네요. 얼른 치워야겠어요.jeong-mal-i-ne-yo. eol-leun chi-wo-ya-get-eo-yo.You're right. I should clean it up quickly.
- 민지 Min-ji제가 봉투를 가져왔어요.je-ga bong-tu-reul ga-jeo-wa-sseo-yo.I brought a bag.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워요, 민지 씨.go-ma-wo-yo, Min-ji ssi.Thank you, Minji.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poop” translations and entries 똥, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 똥, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
