Vocabulary
돌아가시다
verb
Beginner
to pass away (honorific form of 죽다)
family emotions
할아버지는 작년에 돌아가셨어요.
My grandfather passed away last year.
섭섭하다
adjective
Beginner
to feel hurt, disappointed, or let down by someone
emotions
친구가 제 생일을 잊어버려서 좀 섭섭했어요.
I felt a bit hurt that my friend forgot my birthday.
아프다
adjective
Beginner
to be sick, to be in pain
medical family
어디가 아프시면 꼭 병원에 가세요.
If you're in pain somewhere, please make sure to go to the hospital.
잡수시다
verb
Beginner
to eat (honorific form of 먹다)
food family
할머니, 저녁 잘 잡수셨어요?
Grandma, did you eat dinner well?
전깃값
noun
Beginner
electricity bill, cost of electricity
food emotions
여름에는 에어컨 때문에 전깃값이 많이 나와요.
In summer, the electricity bill is high because of the air conditioner.
아무렇지도 않다
expression
Beginner
to feel nothing, to be unaffected, to be fine (often said to mask true feelings)
emotions
처음엔 힘들었지만 지금은 아무렇지도 않아요.
It was hard at first, but now I feel nothing about it.
물벼락
noun
Intermediate
a sudden dousing of water; a 'water ambush' (figurative and literal)
emotions
갑자기 비가 와서 물벼락을 맞았어요.
It suddenly rained and I got completely drenched.
넙죽넙죽
adverb
Intermediate
readily and without hesitation (especially accepting things); eagerly bowing or receiving
emotions
선물을 넙죽넙죽 다 받으면 좀 그렇지 않아요?
Isn't it a bit much to accept every gift so readily?
버티다
verb
Intermediate
to hold out, to resist, to stubbornly refuse to budge
medical emotions
치료가 필요한데도 할머니가 계속 버티세요.
Even though she needs treatment, Grandma keeps holding out.
손질하다
verb
Intermediate
to clean and prepare (food); to trim or tend to something
food
생선을 요리하기 전에 먼저 잘 손질해야 해요.
Before cooking the fish, you have to clean and prepare it properly first.
지겹다
adjective
Intermediate
to be sick and tired of something, to be thoroughly fed up
emotions food
매일 같은 메뉴라서 이제 지겨워요.
I'm sick and tired of it now because it's the same menu every day.
위하다
verb
Intermediate
to care for, to do something for the sake of someone
family emotions
가족을 위해서라도 건강을 챙겨야 해요.
You need to take care of your health, if not for yourself then for your family.
챙기다
verb
Intermediate
to take care of, to look after, to make sure to have or do something
family medical
바쁘더라도 밥은 꼭 챙겨 드세요.
Even if you're busy, please make sure to eat your meals.
질기다
adjective
Intermediate
to be tough, chewy, hard to bite through (of food); also figuratively, stubborn or tenacious
food emotions
고기가 너무 질겨서 씹기가 힘들었어요.
The meat was so tough that it was hard to chew.
뿔따구
noun
Advanced
anger, temper (colloquial/dialectal); being in a huff; one's furious expression
emotions
그 사람 뿔따구 나면 정말 무서워요.
When that person loses their temper, they're really scary.
애잔하다
adjective
Advanced
to feel bittersweet, sorrowful, and touching all at once; poignantly sad
emotions family
그 장면이 너무 애잔해서 눈물이 났어요.
That scene was so poignantly sad that I teared up.
목메다
verb
Advanced
to have one's voice choked with emotion; to be choked up
emotions family
작별 인사를 하면서 목이 메어 말을 잇지 못했어요.
Saying goodbye, I got so choked up I couldn't continue speaking.
Key Expressions
Deflecting or downplaying emotion
아무렇지도 않아요
"I am not any-way (unaffected)"
Used to insist one is fine or unaffected, often masking true feelings; a polite, subdued way to deflect concern or sympathy.
괜찮아요, 저 정말 아무렇지도 않아요.
I'm fine, really—I'm not affected by it at all.
Expressing caring concern for someone's wellbeing
건강 잘 챙겨야 한다
"Must look after health well"
A warm, parental phrase used to urge someone to take care of themselves; -야 한다 marks it as an earnest obligation rather than a mere suggestion.
날씨가 추워지니까 건강 잘 챙겨야 해요.
The weather is getting cold, so you really need to take good care of your health.
Light complaint and playful banter
잔소리는
"Nagging / lectures—"
A short, slightly exasperated reaction when someone keeps giving unwanted advice; leaves the sentence trailing to signal mild irritation while not being truly rude.
알겠다니까요, 잔소리는.
I said I got it—enough with the nagging.
Sharing emotional memories involving loved ones
-이래요 / -이라고 하더라고요
"They say it is / I heard that it is"
Used to relay something heard from another person or a general saying; softens the statement and attributes it to external wisdom rather than personal opinion.
행복은 가까운 곳에 있는 거래요.
They say happiness is found close to home.
Grammar Patterns
-(으)면 어쩌려고
Anxious rhetorical question about consequences
This pattern combines the conditional -(으)면 ('if') with 어쩌려고 ('what do you intend to do') to form a worried rhetorical question. The speaker is not expecting a real answer but is expressing concern that the listener hasn't thought about a negative consequence. It is softer than a direct accusation and carries a parental or caring undertone.
Practice sentences
밥도 안 먹고 일만 하면 어쩌려고 그래요?
What are you going to do if you keep working without eating?
우산도 없이 비 맞으면 어쩌려고 그냥 나가요?
What will you do if you get soaked with no umbrella?
💡 Don't confuse 어쩌려고 with 어쩌나 (worried exclamation)—어쩌려고 always targets the listener's questionable action and implies they haven't thought it through.
-는 거래 / -(이)래
Hearsay or reported wisdom
This pattern is a colloquial contraction of -는다고 해 or -(이)라고 해, used to relay something heard, read, or passed down as common wisdom. It softens a claim by presenting it as external information rather than the speaker's own opinion, and is very common in casual conversation and emotional disclosures.
Practice sentences
그 식당 음식이 정말 맛있대요.
I heard the food at that restaurant is really delicious.
사랑은 가까운 곳에 있는 거래요.
They say love is found close to home.
💡 -(이)래 and -는 거래 are both contracted hearsay forms; do not confuse them with -래요 used as a direct command ('Do X for me'), which has a completely different function.
-(으)ㄴ 지 한참 됐다
A long time has passed since doing something
This pattern expresses that a significant amount of time has elapsed since a past event or state. -(으)ㄴ 지 marks the elapsed time since the action in the preceding clause, and 한참 됐다 emphasizes that it has been quite a while. It often carries a tone of longing, nostalgia, or mild sadness.
Practice sentences
그분을 만난 지 한참 됐어요.
It has been a long time since I last met that person.
바다를 본 지 한참 됐는데 보고 싶어요.
It's been a long time since I've seen the sea—I miss it.
💡 Be careful with the tense before 지: use the past/completed verb form -(으)ㄴ + 지 for completed actions, not the present -는 지 which means 'whether (one does)'—these are easily confused.
Cultural Notes
용돈 봉투 (Allowance envelopes) in Korean family culture
In Korea, it is a widespread custom for adult children to give their elderly parents cash in white envelopes, known as 용돈 봉투, as a regular expression of filial duty and respect. Accepting this money graciously is considered natural, which is why Du-sik playfully points out the inconsistency when Gamri refuses his money but readily accepts her son's.
여름 감기는 개도 안 걸린다
This is a well-known Korean proverb meaning 'Even dogs don't catch summer colds,' used humorously to suggest that catching a cold in summer is especially foolish or avoidable. Gamri cites it cheekily to deflect Du-sik's complaint about being splashed with water, showcasing the playful use of traditional sayings in everyday speech.
Food as an emotional bridge in Korean culture
Sharing a favourite food or connecting through food preferences is a deeply meaningful act in Korean culture. Hye-jin's revelation that her late mother loved soonday, parallel to Gamri's love of squid, functions as an unspoken bond between two people processing loss. Food memories frequently carry the weight of grief, love, and belonging in K-drama narratives and in everyday Korean life.
Honorific speech when discussing the elderly
Korean requires speakers to use honorific verb forms when talking about or to elderly people. Verbs like 돌아가시다 (pass away), 잡수시다 (eat), and 계시다 (be/stay) replace their plain equivalents out of respect. Du-sik consistently uses these forms when speaking about or to Gamri, which reveals his genuine affection and respect for her despite the teasing surface of their relationship.