속어
sogeo[sʰo̞ɡʌ̹]
The English phrase "slangs" is translated into Korean as 속어 (sogeo).
속어 refers to informal words and phrases used by particular groups of people. In Korean, this includes various types of colloquialisms such as 멘붕, which is a slang term for a mental breakdown or 쩐다, used to say something is amazing or cool. You may also encounter shortened slang forms like 괜춘, which is a condensed version of the word 괜찮아.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 빵터지다 is a blend word used to describe extreme laughter, combining the components 빵 and 터지다.
How do you pronounce it?
sogeo
Did you know?
- Some Korean slang uses numbers to convey meaning, such as 18, which is a homophone for a strong swear word and is used as an aggressive slang expression.
- A common way to create slang in Korean is through 'consonant abbreviations' where only the initial consonants of a phrase are used. For example, instead of writing full words, people might only type ㄱㅅ for 'thank you' (고마워).
- The word 속어 is composed of Hanja, specifically the characters 俗 meaning 'common' and 語 meaning 'language'. This reveals that the concept of slang is rooted in the distinction between the language of the common people and the formal language of the elite.
Examples in context
- 그건 너무 심한 속어예요.geugeon neomu simhan sogeo-yeyo.That is too much slang.
- 요즘 젊은이들은 속어를 많이 써요.yojeum jeolmeunideureun sogeoreul mani sseoyo.Young people use a lot of slang these days.
- 이 책에는 온갖 속어가 가득해요.i chaegeneun ongak sogeoga gadeukhaeyo.This book is full of all sorts of slang.
Example conversation
Jieun and Dohyeon are discussing a textbook they found.
- 지은 Ji-eun이 책은 너무 어렵네요.i chaegun neomu eoryeopneyo.This book is too difficult.
- 도현 Do-hyeon속어가 너무 많아서 그래요.sogeoga neomu manaseo geuraeyo.It is because there is too much slang.
- 지은 Ji-eun도현 씨는 속어를 잘 알아요?Dohyeon ssi-neun sogeoreul jal arayo?Dohyeon, do you know slang well?
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니요, 저도 잘 몰라요.aniyo, jeodo jal mollayo.No, I don't know it well either.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 속어, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 속어, CC BY-SA 4.0.
