Korean swear words
English subtitles soften almost all Korean swearing. 씨발 becomes “damn”, 병신 becomes “idiot”, and a scene that was brutal in Korean reads as merely tense. This page gives you the weight instead of the translation.
The part subtitles leave out
A Korean insult carries more social weight than its English gloss suggests, and several of the most common ones started as slurs about disability. That is the part a subtitle cannot fit — so each entry below says who can say it to whom.
Which is also the one thing to take away: this list is for recognising what you hear, not for saying it.
씨발
ssibalSeverethe strongest Korean swear word
The heaviest profanity in Korean, used the way English uses the f-word — as an insult, an intensifier, or just as a shout when something goes wrong.
Literally: originally a crude reference to sex
Who can say it — Never say this to a person. Subtitles usually render it as 'damn' or 'shit', which badly understates it.
개새끼
gaesaekkiSevereson of a bitch
A direct insult aimed at a person. One of the most common serious insults in dramas.
Literally: dog's offspring
Who can say it — A real insult, not banter. Directed at someone it is a fight starter.
새끼
saekkiStrongbastard — or 'kid', depending on who says it
On its own it means an animal's young. Aimed at a person it is an insult, but close friends and parents also use it affectionately, which is why subtitles translate it so inconsistently.
Literally: the young of an animal
Who can say it — The affectionate use only works between people who are already close. From a stranger it is an insult.
병신
byeongsinSeveremoron — originally a slur for a disabled person
Used to call someone stupid or useless. The word literally refers to physical disability.
Literally: diseased body
Who can say it — Ableist in origin and still heard that way by many Koreans. Recognise it; do not reach for it.
지랄
jiralStrongbullshit; stop messing around
Thrown at someone who is talking nonsense or making a scene. Very common in dramas.
Literally: a seizure
Who can say it — Like 병신, the word comes from a medical condition and lands badly for that reason.
좆
jotSeverevulgar word for penis, used as an intensifier
Rarely used literally. Usually attached to another word (좆같다 — 'this is awful') to make it crude.
Literally: penis
Who can say it — Crude in any register. Subtitles almost never translate it directly.
미친
michinMildcrazy; insane
Attached to a noun as an intensifier — 미친 소리 (crazy talk). Mild on its own, which is why you hear it constantly.
Literally: gone mad
Who can say it — Fine among friends about a situation. Aimed at a person it becomes an insult.
미친놈 / 미친년
michinnom / michinnyeonSeverecrazy bastard (m) / crazy bitch (f)
The gendered pair. 놈 for men, 년 for women — and 년 lands much harder than 놈 does.
Literally: crazy guy / crazy woman
Who can say it — 년 is significantly more offensive than its male counterpart. Do not treat them as equivalent.
년
nyeonSeverebitch
A derogatory word for a woman, usually attached to a modifier.
Literally: a derogatory counter for a woman
Who can say it — Heavily gendered and heavily offensive. There is no casual use.
놈
nomMildguy — dismissive
A rough word for a man. Milder than 년, and older speakers sometimes use it almost neutrally about someone younger.
Literally: fellow
Who can say it — Still dismissive. Safe to understand, risky to use about a person present.
닥쳐
dakcheoStrongshut up
A blunt command to stop talking. Common in arguments on screen.
Literally: close (your mouth)
Who can say it — Rude in any situation. 조용히 해 is the neutral way to ask for quiet.
꺼져
kkeojeoStrongget lost
Telling someone to go away, harshly.
Literally: be extinguished
Who can say it — Aggressive. Between close friends it can be joking; otherwise it is not.
죽을래?
jugeullae?Strongyou wanna die?
A threat in an argument — but also a very common playful scold between friends and couples, which is why it sounds alarming in subtitles and is not always meant that way.
Literally: do you want to die?
Who can say it — Tone decides everything here. In a real argument it is a threat.
엿 먹어
yeot meogeoStrongscrew you
An idiom, not a food suggestion. Roughly 'get stuffed'.
Literally: eat taffy
Who can say it — Openly rude. The literal reading makes it sound harmless — it is not.
재수 없어
jaesu eopseoMildyou're obnoxious; what rotten luck
Said about a person it means they are unpleasant. Said about a situation it just means bad luck.
Literally: no luck
Who can say it — About a person this is an insult, even though the words look neutral.
젠장
jenjangMilddamn it
A mild curse thrown at a situation, never at a person. Sounds slightly dated, which is why dramas give it to older characters.
Literally: an old contraction of a curse
Who can say it — About as safe as Korean cursing gets, but still not for formal settings.
제기랄
jegiralMilddamn it
Same register as 젠장 — frustration at a situation.
Literally: an old exclamation
Who can say it — Aimed at circumstances, not people. Still coarse in polite company.
빌어먹을
bireomeogeulMilddamned; bloody
An adjective of frustration attached to a noun — 빌어먹을 세상 (this damned world).
Literally: to be begged for and eaten
Who can say it — Literary and a bit theatrical. Common in dramas, rarer in real conversation.
젠장맞을
jenjangmajeulMilddamn it all
An emphatic form of 젠장.
Literally: may it be cursed
Who can say it — Same register as 젠장 — situations, not people.
씨발놈
ssiballomSeveref---ing bastard
The two heaviest pieces stacked together. About as strong as Korean insults get.
Literally: combines the strongest profanity with a derogatory word for a man
Who can say it — Understand it and leave it there. There is no context in which a learner needs to produce this.