[Korean Culture & Language] When Gen MZ Gets Old

Hello, this is Uptempo!


Language constantly evolves. It varies between social groups, and across time and space.

Many young people use slang, which is an informal or non-standard language that’s often seasonal. According to USC Trojan Family, teenagers usually feel the need to distinguish themselves from others, and language is another means to do so, in addition to their clothing and music.

https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/why-language-changes-evolution-of-speech/


The below video is titled ‘MZ 세대가 늙으면 생기는 일 (What happens when Gen MZ gets old).’


https://youtube.com/shorts/DuOCqw2j3Ao?feature=share


Even though most countries view Millennials and Gen Z as separate and distinct demographic cohorts, Koreans often combine them together, thinking that they have many similarities. They both are digitally fluent, come from diverse backgrounds, and are usually better educated than previous generations.


In the video, a kid pretends to shoot his grandpa with a toy gun.


The grandpa says, “응 안 죽죠? (Yeah, I won’t die, right?)” 


The kid replies, “할아버지 요즘 그런 말 안 쓴다고. 언제 적 말이야.(I told you we don’t use that kind of language anymore, grandpa. So old.)” “다시, 빵야빵야! (Again, Bang Bang!)”


The grandpa repeats, “응 못죽이죠? (Yeah, You can’t kill me, right?)


“-죠?” or “-쥬?” is a trending language among Gen MZs to make the other person annoyed.


While having dinner, he says “존맛탱.” ‘존맛탱’ is a slang word for ‘so freaking delicious.’


What are some Gen-MZ words that you always hear?

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