JUST KIDDING in Korean

Today we’re learning how to say JUST KIDDING in Korean. There are a couple ways, so stick around the learn them all!

One way to say just kidding is 장난이야 (jang-nan-ee-ya). 장난 (jang-nan) by itself means "joke." 이야 (ee-ya) means “it is.” The literal translation of 장난이야 is “It’s a joke.” But remember 장난이야 is the Korean way to say JK, just kidding. 장난이야 is informal, so use it towards those your age and those younger than you. Much like “just kidding,” you can say 장난이야 in various situations. Typically you’d say a little lie first, then say just kidding. Here's an example:

You say:
어머 어머. 움직이지 마!
Omo omo. Oomjikiji ma!
OMG. Don’t move!

Your friend says:
왜?
Wae?
Why?

You say:
네 머리에 벌레 있어!
Ne muriae buhllae issuh!
There’s a bug in your hair!

Your friend says:
빨리 떼 뻐려!!!!
Bballee ddae bbuhryuh!!!!
Hurry up and take it off!!!

You say:
장난이야. 벌레 없어.
Jangnaniya. Buhllae ubssuh,
Just kidding. There’s no bug.

So we know that 장난이야 (jang-nan-ee-ya) is INFORMAL. The FORMAL version is 장난이에요 (jang-nan-ee-ae-yo). Use this version towards those older than you.

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Before I teach you the second way to say JUST KIDDING, here are some phrases using 장난:

당연히 장난이지.
Dangyunhee jangnanigi.
Of course I’m just kidding.

장난할 때가 아냐.
Jangnanhal ddaega ahnya.
This is no time for a joke.

내가 장난하는 것처럼 보여?
Naega jangnanhaneun gutchuhrum boyuh?
Does it look like I’m joking around?

장난 하지마.
Jangnan hajima.
Don’t joke around.

장난인 줄 알았어.
Jangnaneen jool arassuh.
I knew it was a joke.

장난아니야. 진짜야.
Jangnanahniya. Jinjjaya.
I’m not kidding. It’s for real.

장난이었어도 너무 심했다.
Jangnaniussuhdo nuhmoo shimhetda.
Even though if it was a joke, it was harsh.

트래픽 장난 아니다.
Teuraepik jangnan anida.
This traffic is no joke.

울지마. 장난이야.
Ooljima. Jangnaniya.
Don’t cry. I’m just kidding.

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Another way to say JUST KIDDING is 농담이야 (nong-dam-ee-ya). 농담 (nong-dam) by itself also means joke. 농담이야 is informal. The FORMAL way to say this is 농담이에요. Example situations:

You tell your bro:
김치없어. 내가 다 먹었어.
Kimchi obssuh. Naega da mugussuh.
There’s no more kimchi. I ate it all.

Your bro goes:
뭐?!
Mwo?!
What?!

You say:
농담이야! 여기 더 있지롱~
Nongdamiya! Yuhgi duh itjirong~
Just kidding! There’s more here~

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Here are some phrases using 농담:

농담이지?
Nongdamiji?
You’re kidding, right?

농담이었으면 좋겠다.
Nongdami uhsseumyun joketda.
I wish it was a joke.

난 농담 안해.
Nan nongdam anhae.
I don’t do jokes.

농담할 때가 아냐.
Nongdamhal ddaega anya.
This is no time for jokes.

무슨 농담이 그래?
Mooseun nongdami geurae?
What kind of joke is that?

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The third way to say “just kidding” is 뻥이야 (bbung-ee-ya). Use it when something is obviously a big lie. And yet another way to say “just kidding” is 구라야. It’s similar to 뻥이야.

We’ve learned four ways to say “just kidding.” Which one should you use?

장난이야 and 농담이야 are the most common ways to say “just kidding.” Their formal versions can be used towards those older than you. Use 뻥이야 and 구라야 towards those your age or younger.

See you next week on my YouTube channel to learn more about Korea!

BAD WORDS in Korean

Today we’re getting bad to the bone. Whether you’re a Kpop fan, a Korean drama addict, or just plain interested in Korea, you gotta know today’s featured word because you’ll see it over and over and over again: 나쁘다 (na-bbeu-da). 나쁘다 (nadbbeuda) means bad and poor. Poor as in low quality. Here are some phrases using 나쁘다:

Note: The following phrases are informal, so use them towards those your age or younger.

기분 진짜 나쁘다. 넌 어때?
Giboon jinjja nabbeudah. Nun uhddae?
I’m in a really bad mood. How about you?

나쁘다 너… 정말 못됐어.
Nabbeudah nuh… Jungmal motdwaessuh.
You’re bad… You’re really mean.

저 남자 성격 진짜 나쁘다.
Juh namja sunggyuk jinjja nabbeudah.
That man has a very bad personality.

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나쁘다 can be conjugated into 나쁜. Then you can place a noun after it. For example:

나쁜 말 (nabbeun mal) = bad word
나쁜 남자 (nabbeun namja) = bad guy
나쁜 놈 (nabbeun nom) = bad guy, jerk, son of a gun
나쁜 피 (nabbeun pee) = bad blood (Hey, that's the name of Taylor Swift's song!)

Here are some Korean movie titles using 나쁜:
나쁜놈은 죽는다 (nabbeun nomeun jukneunda) = Bad Guys Always Die
나쁜 사랑 (nabbeun sarang) = Bad Love
나쁜 나라 (nabbeun nara) = Bad Nation, aka: Cruel State
나쁜 이웃들 (nabbeun eootdeul) = Bad Neighbors. This one's an American flick!
나쁜 교육 (nabbeun gyoyuk) = Bad Education. A Spanish film!

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Onto some Korean drama-ish phrases using 나쁜. You can also use them in real life. No one’s stopping you.

넌 정말 나쁜 놈이야. 알아?
Nun jungmal nabbeun nomeya. Ara?
You’re a really bad guy. Do you know that?

아 참나... 왜 자꾸 나쁜 일만 생기지?
Ah chamna… Wae jaggoo nabbeun ilman senggiji?
What the heck… Why do only bad things keep happening?

나쁜 말 또하면 맴매한다.
Nabbeun mal ddohamyun memmaehandah.
If you say bad words again, I’m going to spank you.

나쁜 기억 다 지워버려.
Nabbeun giyuk dah jiwoburyuh.
Erase all the bad memories.

야, 넌 입 열 때마다 왜 나쁜 말만 나와?
Ya, nun eep yul ddaemada wae nabbeun malman nawa?
Hey, how come every time you open your mouth, only bad words come out?

나쁜 소식 들어서 입맛이 떨어졌어.
Nabbeun soshik deuluhsuh eepmatshi dduluhjyeossuh.
I lost my appetite after hearing the bad news.

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나쁘다 has many other conjugations. Here are some examples:

미안해, 기분 나쁘게 해서.
Mianhae, giboon nabbeugye haesuh.
I’m sorry for putting you in a bad mood.

영화 어땠어? 좋았어? 나빴어?
Younghwa uhddessuh? Joassuh? Nabbassuh?
How was the movie? Was it good? Was it bad?

나빴어. 우리 같이 간다고 그랬잖아.
Nabbassuh. Oori gatchi gandago geuretjanah. You’re bad.
You said we would go together.

사장님 앞에선 조심해 기분 나빠도.
Sajangnim apaesun joshimhae giboon nabbado.
Be careful in front of the boss, even if you’re in a bad mood.

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So we learned about the bad. what about the good? The opposite of bad is 좋다 (jota). You can use it to describe anything, whether it’s a person or non-living object. Just like how we use “good” in English.

오늘 날씨 좋다.
Oneul nalsshi jota.
The weather is good today.

운동해서 그런지 기분이 좋다.
Oondonghaesuh geurunji gibooni jota.
Maybe it’s because I exercised, but I feel good.

이 차 좋다.
Ee cha jota.
This car is good.

That is a wrap for this week's lesson. Tune in next week on my YouTube channel to learn more about Korea!

Why Koreans say GUCCI all the time

Viewers and friends have asked me many times before: why do Koreans say "gucci" so much? Are they talking about fashion or am I mistaking it for something else?

Sometimes they are talking about Gucci the brand. Most of the time, they are saying 그치 (geuchi). 그치 means “isn’t it?” and “right?” 그치 is an agreeing expression. It can be used a both a statement and a question.

Question: 그치? Right?
Statement: 그치! Right!

For the fashionistas out there, the Korean way of saying Gucci the brand is 구찌 (goo-jjee). “Right?" and "Isn’t it” is 그치 (geuchi). 구찌 (goo-jjee) and 그치 (geu-chi) may sound similar, but knowing how to pronounce the subtle differences make a huge impact.

Here’s an example using both 구찌 and 그치:

네 가방… 구찌지, 그치?
Ne gabang… goojjeeji, geuchi?
Your bag… It’s Gucci, right?

그치, 난 구찌만 사.
Geuchi, nan goojjeeman sa.
Right, I only buy Gucci.

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When I lived in LA for seven years, a lot of girls and guys would say, “RIGHTTT~~~?” It didn’t matter if they were a stranger or a friend. If I said something was cute or delicious, they would reply in agreement… RIGHT~? You can think of 그치 (geuchi) as the Korean version of "Right~?" Except in my experience, "Right~?" tends to be used by young people and 그치 (geuchi) is used by all ages.

CONVERSATION AT THE RESTAURANT:
와~ 이 갈비 진짜 맛있다!
Wah~ E galbi jinjja masshitda!
Oh gawd, these short ribs are super delicious!

그치? 많이 먹자!
Geuchi? Mani mukja!
Right? Isn’t it? Let’s eat tons!

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CONVERSATION WITH FANGIRLS:
태양 노래 진짜 잘 불러.
Taeyang norae jinjja jal boolluh.
Taeyang is really good at singing.

그치? 어제 홍대에서 봤어.
Geuchi? Uhjae hongdae-aesuh bwassuh.
Right? Isn’t he? I saw him at Hongdae yesterday.

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CONVERSATION WITH GRANDMA:
Grandma: 어느 색이 나? 이거 아니면 이거?
Uhneu segi na? Eguh animyun eguh?
Which color is better? This one or this one?

Girl: 파란게 더 잘 어울려요, 할머니.
Parangeh duh jal uhoollyuyo, halmuhni.
The blue one fits you more, Grandma.

Grandma: 그치? 나도 그 생각 했어.
Geuchi? Nado geu senggak haessuh.
Right? I was thinking that, too.

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그치 (geuchi) is informal. The FORMAL way of saying it is 그쵸 (geuchyo). Use 그치 (geuchi) towards friends and those younger than you. 그쵸 (geuchyo) is used towards your elders and in situations you’d like to be formal.

오늘 날씨 좋아요, 그쵸?
Uneul nalsshi joayo, geuchyo?
The weather is great today, right?

제가 만들었지만, 이 잡채 참 맛있어요. 그쵸?
Jega mandeulutjiman, e japchae cham masshissuhyo, geuchyo?
I know I’m the one who made it, but this japchae is pretty delicious. Right?

그쵸. 누구 한테서 배우셨는데요?
Geuchyo, nugu hantaesuh bae-oohshyutneundeyo?
Right. Who’s the one who taught you?

그치 (geuchi) and 그쵸 (geuchyo) are shortened versions of 그렇지 (geu-ruh-chi) and 그렇죠 (geu-ruh-chyo). 그치 and 그쵸 are used often in spoken form. 그렇지 and 그렇죠 are more proper and seen in books. When text messaging, Koreans often use the shorter versions as it is faster to type and gets the point across. It’s like saying SEE YA or CU, instead of “I’ll see you later.”

Hope you enjoyed learning the subtle yet important differences of Gucci and Geuchi. See you next week on my YouTube channel for more on Korea!