[Korean Culture & Language] Besties

Hello, this is Uptempo!


‘절친’ means ‘besties’ or ‘best friends’. It came from the phrase ‘절친하다,’ which means ‘very close’. 

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

Ex)

A: 우리 내일 점심 먹으러 갈 때 은희도 오나?
Is Eun-hee coming for lunch tomorrow?

B: 민정이가 오니까 은희도 오겠지
Min-jeong is coming. That most likely means that Eun-hee’s coming, too.

A: 아 맞네, 은희랑 민정이랑 절친이잖아!
Oh, that’s right. I forgot that Eun-hee and Min-jeong are besties.

The meme below demonstrates common characteristics shared among closest friends: 

https://www.pinterest.co.kr/pin/608619337130925774/

1. 서로의 흑역사를 줄줄이 꿰고 있음
1. Besties know every embarrassing story of each other

‘흑역사’ directly translates to ‘dark history’ but it actually means ‘embarrassing stories’


2. 아무 말 안 해도 하나도 안 어색함
2. Besties feel comfortable being around each other without even saying a word.
아무 (any)
말 (words)
안하다 (don’t)
하나도 (not even a little)
어색하다 (awkward) 


3. 나 아니면 놀아줄 사람 없는 것 같음 ( + 나도 마찬가지)
3. It seems like my bestie has no friends other than me ( + Same for me)


4. 다치거나 창피한 일 생기면 일단 웃고 봄
4. If one of us gets hurt or feels embarrassed about something, the first thing we do is laugh at each other.


5. 오랜만에 봐도 어제 본 것 같음
5. It feels as though we saw each other yesterday, even when we haven’t seen each other in a long time, 


6. 어떻게 친해졌는지 모르겠음
6. No one remembers how we became such good friends.


7. 꼬투리 하나 생기면 평생 놀림거리 됨
7. Besties make fun of each other for no reason.


8. 아무리 봐도 이상한 애 같음
8. Think of each other as weirdos.


Do you have a ‘절친’ who makes you feel like 1-8?

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