[Korean Culture & Language] Having Strong Energy
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While strong, confident women are usually respected in Western cultures, weak and submissive women are often praised in Korea.
If a girl is too strong, they are judged and called ‘기가 세다,’ ‘센 언니,’ ‘센 누나’.
‘기’ means ‘energy,’ ‘세다’ means 'strong.' Even though each word has no bad connotations on its own, when two of them are combined, they produce a negative connotation. Some people define ‘기가 센’ person as ‘stubborn,’ ‘aggressive,’ and ‘obsessive,’ while others argue that the only reason the word ‘기가 센’ has a negative connotation is that people are jealous of the ‘센’ people’s confidence.
Even though the term is usually associated with negative connotations, it may have both positive and negative connotations depending on the context and the speaker’s intention. For example, during a competition, it’s a compliment to call someone ‘기가 세다’. In that situation, it means the ‘기 센’ person seems to be winning.
The terms ‘센 언니’ and ‘센 누나’ are used particularly for women. ‘센 언니들’ or ‘센 누나들’ are known to like disputing, nitpicking other people’s faults, and standing up for themselves.
‘걸 크러쉬 (girl-crushes)’ are typically directed toward them.
The antonym for ‘센 언니’ is ‘초식남,’ which refers to guys who spend most of their time enjoying their hobbies but aren’t as interested in dating women.
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