말도 안 돼
maldo an dwae
The Korean phrase for ridiculous is 말도 안 돼 (maldo an dwae).
말도 안 돼 is used to express that a situation is absurd or ridiculous, or to show disbelief regarding a piece of news or a claim, much like saying "No way" or "That's impossible." In a casual context, if you want to express that something is "hilariously ridiculous" in a positive sense, you might use 개웃기다.
Meaning: foolish, absurd (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "even words do not work" or "it doesn't even make sense as words."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on politeness. Adding the suffix –요 to the end creates the polite form 말도 안 돼요, while the informal version is 말도 안 돼.
How do you pronounce it?
maldo an dwae
Did you know?
- While 말도 안 돼 expresses disbelief, the slang 개웃기다 uses the prefix 개 meaning 'dog' to intensify the feeling of something being 'ridiculously funny'.
- The word 말 in this phrase is a homonym that can mean 'word' 'speech' 'horse' or 'end'. In this context, it exclusively refers to speech.
- In a heated argument, 말도 안 돼 is often accompanied by a sharp exhale or a slight head tilt to emphasize that the other person's claim is completely illogical.
Examples in context
- 말도 안 돼!That's ridiculous!This sentence is useful for expressing disbelief or reacting to something absurd using 말도 안 돼.Tatoeba #13205118 by atitarev, translation #1515056 by CK
- 정부가 이런 룰을 고수한다니 미친 소리입니다!It's ridiculous that the government sticks to such rules!
- 그건 정말 말도 안 돼.geugeon jeongmal maldo an dwae.That is truly ridiculous.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyeon are discussing a very expensive price for a simple meal.
- 서연 Seo-yeon이 샌드위치가 만 원이라고?i saendeuwichiga man won-irago?This sandwich is ten thousand won?
- 도현 Do-hyeon응, 정말 말도 안 돼.eung, jeongmal maldo an dwae.Yeah, it's totally ridiculous.
- 서연 Seo-yeon너무 비싸서 못 사겠어.neomu bissaseo mot sagesseo.It's too expensive, I can't buy it.
- 도현 Do-hyeon그냥 다른 데로 가자.geunyang dareun dero gaja.Let's just go somewhere else.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
