Language
Korean swear words
A guide to swearing in Korean: 25 words and phrases from the Swear Atlas catalogue, organised from mild to strong and explained in plain English. Every entry links to its full page with meaning, pronunciation and a 1–5 Burn Rating.
Common Korean swear words
The recognisable everyday expressions, with what each one actually means.
- 개뿔 · gaeppul This term refers to something worthless and is used to dismiss a claim as nonsense. It literally translates to 'dog horn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- 구라 · gura It means a lie or bullshit, often used in casual conversations. It's a slang term that conveys dishonesty or exaggeration. 2/5 · Coarse
- 꼬봉 · kkobong It means a lackey or underling, referring to someone who is subservient or does menial tasks for someone else. 2/5 · Coarse
- 눈깔 · nunkkal This is a coarse term for someone's eyes, often used in a derogatory way. It can imply that the person's eyes are unattractive or undesirable. 2/5 · Coarse
- 대가리 · daegari This is a coarse term for a human head, often used in a derogatory sense. It's more neutral when referring to the heads of some animals. 2/5 · Coarse
- 생쇼 · saengsyo Literally “raw show”. It refers to a ridiculous performance or unnecessary fuss someone is making. Think of it as calling out someone's over-the-top antics. 2/5 · Coarse
- 개구라 · gaegura It means complete bullshit or a blatant lie. The literal translation is 'dog lie,' which adds a bit of flair to the insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개뻥 · gaeppeong This means a blatant lie or complete nonsense. It's a more intense way to call out a lie. 3/5 · Vulgar
Milder expressions
Gentler exclamations and everyday grumbles.
- 개뿔 · gaeppul This term refers to something worthless and is used to dismiss a claim as nonsense. It literally translates to 'dog horn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- 구라 · gura It means a lie or bullshit, often used in casual conversations. It's a slang term that conveys dishonesty or exaggeration. 2/5 · Coarse
- 꼬봉 · kkobong It means a lackey or underling, referring to someone who is subservient or does menial tasks for someone else. 2/5 · Coarse
- 눈깔 · nunkkal This is a coarse term for someone's eyes, often used in a derogatory way. It can imply that the person's eyes are unattractive or undesirable. 2/5 · Coarse
- 대가리 · daegari This is a coarse term for a human head, often used in a derogatory sense. It's more neutral when referring to the heads of some animals. 2/5 · Coarse
- 생쇼 · saengsyo Literally “raw show”. It refers to a ridiculous performance or unnecessary fuss someone is making. Think of it as calling out someone's over-the-top antics. 2/5 · Coarse
Stronger stuff
The heavier end of the scale — handle with care.
- 개새끼 · gaesaekki Literally “dog offspring”. This is a strong personal insult, akin to calling someone a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개자식 · gaejasik Literally “dog offspring”. It's a strong insult aimed at someone you find contemptible, like calling them a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 보지 · boji This is a vulgar term for vulva, often used in a derogatory sense. It's a direct reference to female genitalia. 4/5 · Strong
- 씨발 · ssibal A very strong exclamation similar to 'fuck.' 4/5 · Strong
- 씹창 · ssipchang It refers to something that is completely wrecked or in a ruined state. It's often used to emphasize total destruction or failure. 4/5 · Strong
- 좆 · jot It's a very vulgar term for 'penis' and often used as a swear word. It serves as a root for various other insults in Korean. 4/5 · Strong
- 좆밥 · jotbap This is a derogatory term for someone viewed as weak or insignificant, essentially calling them 'dick rice.' 4/5 · Strong
Korean insults
Words aimed at a person rather than shouted at the world.
- 개새끼 · gaesaekki Literally “dog offspring”. This is a strong personal insult, akin to calling someone a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개자식 · gaejasik Literally “dog offspring”. It's a strong insult aimed at someone you find contemptible, like calling them a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 좆밥 · jotbap This is a derogatory term for someone viewed as weak or insignificant, essentially calling them 'dick rice.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개구라 · gaegura It means complete bullshit or a blatant lie. The literal translation is 'dog lie,' which adds a bit of flair to the insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개뻥 · gaeppeong This means a blatant lie or complete nonsense. It's a more intense way to call out a lie. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개소리 · gaesori It means bullshit or nonsense, essentially dismissing what someone has said as unworthy of consideration. The literal translation is 'dog sound.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개수작 · gaesujak It refers to a contemptible trick or manipulative behavior, often used to express disdain for someone's actions. The literal translation, 'dog scheming,' adds an element of insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개차반 · gaechaban This is an insult aimed at someone with terrible manners or behavior. It doesn't refer to an actual animal despite the term's components. 3/5 · Vulgar
How to pronounce them
An English-friendly “sounds like” cue for each.
- 개뿔 · gaeppul Sounds like “geh-ppul”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 구라 · gura Sounds like “goo-RAH”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 꼬봉 · kkobong Sounds like “kko-BONG”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 눈깔 · nunkkal Sounds like “noon-KAL”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 대가리 · daegari Sounds like “DEH-gah-ree”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 생쇼 · saengsyo Sounds like “SENG-sho”. 2/5 · Coarse
- 개구라 · gaegura Sounds like “geh-goo-RAH”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개뻥 · gaeppeong Sounds like “geh-ppung”. 3/5 · Vulgar
Curious literal translations
What these expressions say word-for-word, versus what they really mean.
- 생쇼 · saengsyo Literally “raw show” — It refers to a ridiculous performance or unnecessary fuss someone is making. Think of it as calling out someone's over-the-top antics. 2/5 · Coarse
- 개새끼 · gaesaekki Literally “dog offspring” — This is a strong personal insult, akin to calling someone a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개자식 · gaejasik Literally “dog offspring” — It's a strong insult aimed at someone you find contemptible, like calling them a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
How strong is Korean swearing?
Burn Rating spread across all 25 Korean entries (1 = mild, 5 = extreme).
- 1 · Mild 0
- 2 · Coarse 6
- 3 · Vulgar 12
- 4 · Strong 7
- 5 · Extreme 0
All Korean words A–Z
개
- 개구라 · gaegura It means complete bullshit or a blatant lie. The literal translation is 'dog lie,' which adds a bit of flair to the insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개뻥 · gaeppeong This means a blatant lie or complete nonsense. It's a more intense way to call out a lie. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개뿔 · gaeppul This term refers to something worthless and is used to dismiss a claim as nonsense. It literally translates to 'dog horn.' 2/5 · Coarse
- 개새끼 · gaesaekki This is a strong personal insult, akin to calling someone a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개소리 · gaesori It means bullshit or nonsense, essentially dismissing what someone has said as unworthy of consideration. The literal translation is 'dog sound.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개수작 · gaesujak It refers to a contemptible trick or manipulative behavior, often used to express disdain for someone's actions. The literal translation, 'dog scheming,' adds an element of insult. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개자식 · gaejasik It's a strong insult aimed at someone you find contemptible, like calling them a 'son of a bitch.' 4/5 · Strong
- 개차반 · gaechaban This is an insult aimed at someone with terrible manners or behavior. It doesn't refer to an actual animal despite the term's components. 3/5 · Vulgar
- 개허접 · gaeheojeop This is an insult aimed at someone who is extremely incompetent or useless, often used in a gaming context. 3/5 · Vulgar
구
꼬
눈
- 눈깔 · nunkkal This is a coarse term for someone's eyes, often used in a derogatory way. It can imply that the person's eyes are unattractive or undesirable. 2/5 · Coarse
- 눈깔어 · nunkkareo It's an aggressive command telling someone to stop staring or challenging you. Literally, it means 'lower your eyes.' 3/5 · Vulgar