[Korean Culture & Language] Answer-Set-You


Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


Have you ever encountered someone who asks a question or makes a seemingly humble or self-deprecating comment to bring attention to something they are proud of? 

In Korea, this kind of person is called ‘답정너’. ‘답’ means ‘answer,’ ‘정’ means ‘set,’ and ‘너’ means ‘you’.

It’s an abbreviation of ‘답은 정해져 있고 너는 대답만 하면 돼,’ which means ‘I already have the right answer for this question. All you have to do now is to give me that answer.’ They usually manipulate or force people to agree with them or to say things they want to hear, and if you give them a different answer or reaction than what they expect, they are likely to be upset. 

Below is an example of 답정너:

https://www.newsnack.tv/ive-iu-looks-like-my-life-the-ultimate-answer-jeongneo-katok/

It reads:
A: Hey, do I resemble IU? ☹ (A famous Korean female singer who is adored by all Koreans)
B: Nope lol
A: But the Oppas (older guy friends) keep telling me that I look like her ☹
B: ? I don’t think so.
A: They say I resemble her even more now that I’ve had my hair cut. ☹
B: I think you look more like Shin Bong-sun (A famous Korean comedienne and entertainer)
A: But they said I look like IU. ☹


답정너 is similar to humble-braggers in some aspects, although 답정너 appear to be a little more obsessed with getting the reaction they want from others. It’s pretty obvious that A wants to brag about Oppas complimenting her by telling her that she looks like one of the most attractive Korean female singers, and she wants B to say the same.


Have you ever been a 답정너? Or have you ever met one before?

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