죽을래
juk-eullae
The English phrase "you wanna die" can be translated into Korean as 죽을래 (juk-eullae).
While it can be used as a literal question about someone's desire to die, it is most commonly used as a rhetorical threat or an expression of extreme annoyance.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
It should only be used with close friends, people younger than you or in heated confrontations. A more polite version using the –고 싶다 (want to) construction is 죽고 싶어요?, though using this phrase in a polite manner is rare because the content itself is aggressive.
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken Korean, the question is often indicated by a rising intonation at the end rather than a change in the word itself.
How do you pronounce it?
juk-eullae
Did you know?
- If someone responds to 죽을래 with 어 ('yes') or 응 ('yeah'), it is usually a defiant way of saying 'do your worst' or 'I'm not scared of you', rather than a literal admission of wanting to die.
- In modern internet slang, variations of the idea of 'dying' are often used to describe being extremely overwhelmed by something cute or something very funny.
- The grammar in 죽을래 uses a suffix that implies a choice or intention. This makes the phrase feel more like 'Do you choose to die?' which implies the victim is bringing the consequence upon themselves through their own behavior.
Examples in context
- 너 진짜 죽을래?neo jin-jja jug-eul-lae?Do you seriously wanna die?
- 자꾸 그러면 죽을래?ja-kku geu-reo-myeon jug-eul-lae?If you keep doing that, you wanna die?
- 한 번만 더 까불면 죽을래?han beon-man deo kka-bul-myeon jug-eul-lae?If you mess around one more time, you wanna die?
Example conversation
Minji is annoyed because Dohyeon keeps teasing her.
- 민지 Min-ji도현아, 적당히 해. 죽을래?Do-hyeon-a, jeok-dang-hi hae. jug-eul-lae?Dohyeon, stop it. You wanna die?
- 도현 Do-hyeon미안, 장난이었어.mi-an, jang-nan-i-eoss-eo.Sorry, I was just joking.
- 민지 Min-ji장난치지 마, 진짜 화나.jang-nan-chi-ji ma, jin-jja hwa-na.Don't joke around, I'm really angry.
- 도현 Do-hyeon알았어, 이제 조용히 할게.al-at-seo, i-je jo-yong-hi hal-ge.Okay, I'll be quiet now.
