From music to makeup and from drama to food, the Hallyu, or The Korean Wave has taken over the world by a storm since the late 1990s and we have fallen in love with everything South Korean.
Whether we realize it or not, at some point we have all been riding this wave. Be it, making some dalgona coffee in the pandemic, doing skincare with sheet masks or slurping ramyeon and binge watching k-dramas.
In India, the millennials and Gen-z are riding the Hallyu and are getting increasingly hooked to all things Korean. Their song playlists are filled with k-pop numbers and they are deep into the viral 10-step korean skincare routine. Korean restaurants and take outs are going up and so are the Korean language learners on duolingo.
Among Duolingo learners in the 13-22 age group in India, Korean emerges as the most learnt language, with over 65% of learners in this demographic having shown interest in the language.
Kdramas are stealing the show in India. With Netflix’s ‘What we watched in the first half of 2024’ report highlighting stellar performances from Korean hits like Queen of Tears (29M views), Parasyte : The Grey (25M views) and My Demon (18M views) - which outperformed Indian heavyweights - its official : India is riding the Hallyu wave.
Expanding popularity of Korean dramas has helped promote an interest in learning Hangul with fans wanting to watch their favourite episodes without turning on the english subtitles , which are not always translated correctly and often miss the cultural and emotional nuances.
Despite no professional or formal training of Hangul or the Korean language, below are some of the common korean phrases we come across in most of the dramas that are easy to follow :
Fighting!
화이팅!
[romanized: hwa-i-ting]
- Used to cheer someone on.
I have something to say
할 말이 있어
[romanized: hal ma-ri i-sseo]
- 할 말이: something to say
- Used before making a confession.
Be careful
조심하세요
[romanized: jo-shim-ha-se-yo]
- 조심: caution
- 하세요: please do
- Used to warn someone to be cautious.
Nothing happened
아무일도 없었어
[romanized: a-mu-il-do eop-seo-sseo]
- 아무일도: no event at all
- Used to dismiss concerns.
Call me later!
이따 연락해!
[romanized: i-tta yeol-lak-hae]
- 이따: later
- 연락하다: to contact
- Used when asking someone to call later.
How did you know that?
어떻게 알았어?
[romanized: eo-tto-kke a-ra-seo?]
- 어떻게: how
- 알다: to know
- Used when surprised that someone knew something.
Do you want to go for a drink?
술 마실래요?
[romanized: sul-ma-shil-le-yo]
- 술: alcoholic drink
- Used to invite someone for drinks.
I’ll tell you honestly
솔직히 말할게
[romanized: sol-chi-gi mal-hal-ke]
- 솔직히: honestly
- 말할게: I’ll tell you
- Used before sharing an honest opinion.
This is just right
딱 좋은데요
[romanized: ttak cho-heun-de-yo]
- 딱: right
- 좋은데요: good
- Used when something is perfect.
Are you crazy?
너 미쳤어?
[romanized: neo mi-chyeo-sseo]
- 너: you
- 미쳤어: are crazy
- Used to express disbelief or shock.
You are not alone
넌 혼자가 아니야
[romanized: neon hon-ja-ga a-ni-ya]
- 넌: you
- 혼자가: alone
- 아니야: not
- Used to comfort someone feeling lonely.
Don’t you remember?
기억 안나?
[romanized: khi-eok an-na]
- 기억: remember
- Used when asking someone to recall something important.
Cheers!
건배
[romanized: geon-bae]
- Equivalent to “Bottoms up!” Used when clinking glasses.
You startled me!
깜짝이야!
[romanized: kkam-cchak-i-ya]
- Similar to “Oh my god!” Used when surprised or startled.
Don’t worry
걱정하지 마세요
[romanized: kheok-cheong-ha-ji-ma-se-yo]
- 걱정하다: to worry
- 지 마세요: to not do
- Used to tell someone not to worry about something.
Can I ask you out?
나랑 데이트 하실래요?
[romanized: na-rang de-i-theu ha-shil-le-yo?]
- 나랑: with me
- 데이트: date
- 하실래요: would you like to
- Used to ask someone on a date.
I see
그렇구나
[romanized: kheu-reo-khu-na]
- Used to express understanding or realization.
Why all of a sudden?
갑자기 왜?
[romanized: khap-cha-gi wae]
- 갑자기: all of a sudden
- 왜: why
- Used when something happens unexpectedly.
I will handle it myself
내가 알아서 할게
[romanized: naega ar-a-seo hal-ke]
- 내가: I
- 알아서: on my own
- 할게: will do
- Used when taking responsibility for something.
I will leave first
나 먼저 갈게
[romanized: na mun-jeo khal-ke]
- 나: I
- 먼저: first
- 갈게: will go
- Used to say “I’ll get going” before leaving.
What a relief!
다행이다!
[romanized: da-heng-i-da]
- Used when relieved that something bad didn’t happen.
What are you talking about?
무슨 소리야?
[romanized: mu-seun so-ri-ya]
- 무슨: what
- 소리야: sound
- Used to express confusion or disbelief.
I miss you!
보고 싶어!
[romanized: bo-go shi-peo]
- 보다: to see
- 고 싶어: want to
- Used to express longing for someone.
I’ll think about it
생각해 볼게요
[romanized: saeng-gak-hae bol-ke-yo]
- 생각하다: to think
- 볼게요: I’ll look at it
- Used when considering a proposal.
Look at this!
이거 봐 봐요!
[romanized: i-geo bwa bwa-yo]
- 이거: this
- 봐요: see
- Used to ask someone to check something out.
Long time no see!
오랜만이야!
[romanized: o-raen-man-i-ya]
- 오랜만: long time
- Used when meeting someone after a long time.
Did you wait long?
오래 기다렸어?
[romanized: o-rae khi-da-ryeo-sseo?]
- 오래: long time
- 기다리다: to wait
- Used when checking if someone waited for you.
Be careful
조심하세요
[romanized: jo-shim-ha-se-yo]
- 조심: caution
- 하세요: please do
- Used to warn someone to be cautious.
Are you kidding me?
장난해?
[romanized: jang-nan-hae]
- 장난: play, mischief
- Used when in disbelief.
I said don’t do that
하지 말라고
[romanized: ha-ji mal-la-go]
- Used when someone ignores a previous warning.
Isn’t this a dream?
혹시 꿈 아니야?
[romanized: hok-shi kkum-a-ni-ya?]
- 혹시: by any chance
- 꿈: dream
- Used when something feels too good to be true.
