[Korean Culture & Language] Someone who brings bad luck into your life

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A barking dog will most certainly scare away a burglar attempting to break into your house. 

KGW8 in Oregon investigated 86 burglars. According to the survey, most robbers would stay away if a homeowner had a huge, boisterous dog. Dogs have incredible hearing abilities, and no matter how quiet a thief is, dogs are likely to hear them. 

https://www.adt.com/resources/will-your-dog-prevent-a-burglary


However, on an unlucky day, they wouldn’t react to a stranger who breaks into your home. In Korea, there’s a saying: “도둑을 맞으려면 개도 안 짖는다 (If you were meant to be robbed, even your dog isn’t going to bark)”. That means, if you were meant to be unlucky one day, the whole universe is going to work against you. 

도둑 means thief

개 means dog

안 means don’t

짖는다 means bark


Have you ever experienced a day when it feels like nothing works out the way you want, or all bad things happen at once? We call those days “재수 없는 날”. ‘재수’ means ‘good fortune,’ ‘없는’ means ‘don’t have,’ ‘날’means ‘day’. 

However, “재수 없다” these days is used more often to describe a person who is unpleasant to be around or arrogant. When someone says “재수 없어” to someone, it means “it is unpleasant to be around you” or “You bring bad luck into my life”. It is also used as a joke when a friend is being arrogant. 

Ex) 

A: 쟤가 나보다 더 예뻐? Is she prettier than me?

B: 그게 무슨 상관이야? Why does that matter?

A: 원래는 내가 학교에서 제일 예뻤거든. 나보다 더 예쁠 수는 없어! I used to be the cutest girl in school. There should be no one cuter than me!

B: 아, 재수없다 Oh, I hate being around you. / Oh, you’re so arrogant.


Have you ever had a ‘재수없는’ friend? What about a ‘재수없는’ day? If you have, what have you gone through on a ‘재수없는’ day?

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