Korean Mimetic Words: Fun Vocabulary You’ll Love (의태어)

Mimetic Korean Words are unique and special vocabulary that help describe a movement, such as the twinkle of a star. They’re used all the time in Korean, and really help paint a picture of what’s going on.

The Korean word for them is called 의태어 (uitaeeo).

The closest we have to it in English is onomatopoeia, which is a word that is similar to a sound. For example, “arf arf” is sometimes used as onomatopoeia for a dog barking.

Curious what these magical words are? Read on to find out!

We’ll give you a bit of background if you’re curious about what mimetic Korean words are all about and help with your Korean learning. You can also just skip ahead and go directly to the vocabulary.

What are Korean Mimetic Words?

In English, there is a term called “onomatopoeia” which is a word that imitates a sound it describes. Some examples are “zoom” for a motorcycle, “beep-beep” for a car horn, and “moo” for a cow. Here’s where you can learn about the Korean onomatopoeia (의성어 | uiseongeo) words.

The cool thing is that Korean takes this concept a step further with the concept of “mimetic” words (의태어 | uitaeeo). Mimetic words are similar to onomatopoeia, except they are describing a movement instead of just a sound. An easy way to think about this concept is to imagine a street mime.

The mime is stuck in a box, but can’t get out. He can’t speak. Instead, he must silently demonstrate his motions. The mimetic words would help describe his motions.

In English, we don’t use onomatopoeia in quite the same way as Koreans do. If someone said, “Yesterday a bunch of motorcycles rode by my house vroom-vroom really loudly”, you might think it was a little strange.

However, using mimetic words in Korean is much different. They are seen as very rich, descriptive, and colorful words that help paint a picture of what is really happening. Koreans learning English say that they have a hard time explaining themselves sometimes because these words don’t have a direct translation in English.

Incorporating mimetic words into your vocabulary as you learn Korean will make your descriptions much more powerful. The words below are in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. It’s a big advantage to know how to read it if you don’t already!

Quite a fun concept, isn’t it? Well, let’s get to it!

Here are 7 common mimetic words that you can use to up your nativeness AND surprise your friends.

Top 7 Korean Mimetic Words

1. 반짝반짝 (banjjakbanjjak)

반짝반짝 (banjjakbanjjak) is similar to saying that something is twinkling or glittering. Remember the song “twinkle-twinkle little star”? Well, imagine looking up at the stars and hearing “반짝반짝 (banjjakbanjjak) little star” instead! Use 반짝반짝 (banjjakbanjjak) to describe sparkling things such as jewelry or stars.

2. 두근두근 (dugeundugeun)

Think back to your first crush you had. Maybe it was in high school, and every time you saw that person, your heart began throbbing 두근두근 (dugeundugeun)! You can use this word to help describe a heart throbbing, often because of an exciting situation.

3. 주룩주룩 (jurukjuruk)

If you’ve been in Korea in June, then you’ve definitely heard the sound of rain pouring down 주룩주룩 (jurukjuruk). This mimetic word is similar to the word “streaming” or “dripping”, and is often used with rainfall or tears.

4. 쿵쿵 (kungkung)

Imagine that you live in a large two-story house with ten kids that run around all day long. As you sit on the sofa and enjoy your new book, you constantly hear the sound of footsteps pounding 쿵쿵 (kungkung) up and down the stairs. Time to get some Tylenol!

You can use 쿵쿵 (kungkung) to describe thump noises, such as someone going up the stairs (쿵쿵 | kungkung) or something being dropped on the floor (쿵 | kung).

5. 쨍쨍 (jjaengjjaeng)

If you’ve ever been to Haeundae Beach in July, then you know that the sun will be blazing 쨍쨍 (jjaengjjaeng)down on you. 쨍쨍 (jjaengjjaeng) is used to describe a blazing hot sun. Make sure you get an umbrella and bring plenty of sunscreen!

6. 솔솔 (solsol)

After setting up your umbrella and laying out your beach blanket, you finally get to relax. Thankfully, a gentle breeze begins blowing 솔솔 (sol) to cool you down. Use 솔솔 (sol) to describe a gentle, soft breeze.

7. 말랑말랑 (mallangmallang)

You’re all set up on the beach, so now you can finally enjoy the delicious snacks you brought with you. You pull out gummy bears and marshmallows. Those snacks are so soft 말랑말랑 (mallangmallang)! You can use 말랑말랑 (mallangmallang) to describe specific soft and chewy food, such as chewy candy, marshmallows, or Korean rice cakes (떡 | tteok).

Now that you know these words, it’s time to put them to use! Even if you aren’t conversational at Korean yet, try using them to help describe things in English. Your Korean friends will appreciate the extra richness and vividness of your words! Or use the topic for conversation to make new Korean friends!

If you’d like to see a unique representation of some mimetic words in Korean, check out this amazing project called “The Mimetic Words of Hangeul.” It displays the words in a magical way.

What are your favorite mimetic words to use? Feel free to leave a comment below!