Say "Crazy" in Korean - Common K-pop Word (KWOW #43)

April 3, 2012

Micheossuh (미쳤어) means "crazy." The unconjugated version of this verb is michida (미치다), which means "to go crazy" or "to be out of one's mind." Watch KWOW episode 43 to learn more:

There's a lot of songs that use micheossuh and the various conjugations of michida. But no other K-pop song uses this word more than Son Dambi's "Crazy":

Here are some phrases from Son Dambi's song:

At 0:24
내가 미쳤어 정말 미쳤어
(Nega micheossuh jungmal micheossuh)
I'm crazy really crazy

At 0:40
미쳤어, 내가 미쳤어, 그땐 미쳐 널 잡지 못했어
(Micheossuh, nega micheossuh, geudden micheo nuhl jabji motaessuh)
Crazy, I'm crazy, I'm going crazy because I didn't hold onto you

In 2NE1's "Fire" song at 1:30, they say…

"난 미미미미미미미치고싶어"
(Nan mi mi mi mi mi mi michigoshipuh)

This translates to "I want to go c-c-c-c-c-c-crazy." Check it out here:

T’ara’s “I Go Crazy Because of You” is yet another song that uses variations of “michida.”

At 0:30
너땜에 온종일 미쳐
(Nuh ddemae onjongil micheo)
I go crazy all day because of you

At 0:32
내 영혼 마저 미쳐
(Neh yoounghon majuh micheo)
Even my soul goes crazy

At 0:39
너땜에 내가 미쳐
(Nuh ddemae nega micheo)
I go crazy because of you

Can you think of other K-pop songs that use micheossuh and the varied conjugations of michida? Let us know in the discussion area below :)

What's "AJOOMA" & "AJUSSHI"? (KWOW #42)

March 28, 2012

This week's episode on KWOW featured two very common words in Korean dramas: AJOOMA and AJUSSHI. If you haven't seen it yet, watcha waiting for? Watch the video below.

When I visited Seoul, I saw a woman walking on the street who lives up to the Ajooma Standard.

Short permed hair? Check. Mismatching patterned clothes and slippers? Check. She wasn't plump, but she's definitely an awesome cook. How do I know this? Because this ajooma is my mother!

If my mom finds out I posted this photo, I'll probably be grounded for the next few weeks. Regardless of how old I am. I must mention: my mother is now more fashion-conscious and wears a balanced amount of patterns.

As we learned in KWOW #42, ajooma is used towards middle-aged women. Ajusshi is the term for middle-aged males.

For those who love Lee Minho, this is for you. Scene from "City Hunter" using the term ajusshi:

There's a movie titled "Ajusshi," starring Won Bin. You'll notice the young girl calling the main character "ajusshi" even though he is not middle-aged. Remember that "ajusshi" also means "mister," thus is acceptable to use toward younger males. However it is not recommended to call females "ajooma" if they are younger than 40 years of age.

Trailer for the "Ajusshi" movie:

Another situation where ajusshi is used as "mister" rather than as "middle-aged man":

Check back next Wednesday! :)

What's "JJANG"? (KWOW #41)

March 21, 2012

In KWOW episode 41 (see below) we learned about the famous Korean slang word JJANG (짱), which means "best" or "the best."

Jjang is used by itself or in a sentence. It can also be combined with other words. Ever heard of "uljjang" (얼짱)? Also romanized as "ulzzang" with double Z's, this term literally means "best face." Ulzzang is popularly used towards females who do their makeup in a specific style of wearing circle lenses and long fake eyelashes. They tend to have small lips and light skin. It helps to take the photo at an higher angle.

Meet some ulzzang girls: