Badass Korean
You're cool like Korea... You’re a real BADASS, so learn to speak like one!Learn some Korean slang from the GreyRat before you become the linguistic equivalent of a 99-pound weakling.
From great to grey through #빡세다
Some days demand more than a polite sigh. This expression gives the hard slog a name.
빡세다
[bbak-soe-da]
go grey from hard work get the life sucked from you
[bbak-soe-da] will take you from great to grey! will kill you — this job is sucking the life out of me!
Meaning & context
글자그대로는 머리가 회색으로, 하얗게 혹은 창백해진 것을 의미한다. ‘빡’은 누군가의 머 리를 낮춰 이르는 말로서 정중한 대화에서 사용해서는 안되는 표현이며, ‘세다’는 힘든 일 로인해 머리카락이 하얗게 변한 것을 뜻한다.
Literally “to make your head turn grey, white or even pale.” Bbak (빡) is a low expression for someone’s head so this should not be used in polite conversation, and soeda (세다) means to turn white, ostensibly from hard work.
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 131–131. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
최종 기한
English
The Deadline
여기 앉아서, 너랑 책 쓰는 일은 빡세.
Sitting here working with you on this book is bbaksoeda.
그래, 나도 알아. 25살도 안됐는데 벌써 머리가 샜어.
Yeah, I can tell. You’re already getting grey and you’re not even 25.
장난하냐? 뭐야, 나 흰머리 있냐?
You’re joking?! Oh no, I have grey hair?
하! 그냥 농담이야! 너 낚였지! ㅋㅋ 니 얼굴 창백해 지는걸 봤어야 하는데!
Ha! Just kidding! I really had you going, didn’t I! Kh kh. You should have seen your face turn pale!
창백한 얼굴? 너가 백인이잖아... 내가 이렇게 책쓰는 일을 통해 얻는 것이라고는 단지, ‘빡세다! 빡세다!’ 뿐이야.
Pale face? You’re the white one. . . That’s all I’ll ever get from writing this book! Just Bbaksoeda! Bbaksoeda!
Get the complete illustrated book: As Much as a Rat’s Tail.
Buy the book!
#SeoulTips
#TIK
