Korean & Konglish Jokes That Everyone (Especially Dad) Will Love

You might be familiar with South Korea because of K-pop or Korean dramas, but do you also know Korean jokes? If you love to laugh and have fun, then you’re going to love what you’re about to read. There’s more to Korean culture than just the traditional things. There’s also a lot of humor!

We’ve got the best of Korean jokes, Konglish jokes, and Korean Dad Jokes (아재개그 / ajaegaegeu) common in Korean society all in one spot. 

To keep the laughs rolling anywhere you go, we also created a free PDF that you can download and take with you.

Korean and Konglish Jokes Explanation

Most of the jokes here are a mix of Korean and English. This is what the word “Konglish” means. They may be a play on words in either of the languages. 

Try to figure out the meaning on your own. If you can’t, not worry! We wrote down the explanation below each one.

Do I need to know Korean?

You don’t need to know Korean. We’ve written the jokes in both English and Hangeul. If you know some basic Korean, it will be easier to understand the jokes. It can also be fun to mix these into your routine for learning Korean or in conversations with locals if you’re in Korea. 

Since the jokes are a mix of Korean and English, it helps if you know at least some basic Korean. If you can’t read Korean yet, here’s how to learn in about 1 hour. 

What Are Korean Dad Jokes?

There’s a word in Korean called 아재개그 (ajaegaegeu), which means “Korean Dad Joke.” 아재 (ajae) is a shortened version of the word 아저씨 (ajeossi), which means “middle-aged man.” 아재개그 (ajaegaegeu)  jokes are silly jokes that someone’s dad might say. Most of the jokes on this page can be considered Korean Dad Jokes.

List of jokes in Korea

Below we’ve got a list of amazing Korean jokes organized by category.

Can you explain the meanings of these jokes? If not, we’ve got you covered! Each joke has an explanation below it.

Once you understand them, try them on your Korean friends or with Korean students in the classroom. You might get mixed results with some, but overall you’re sure to get a lot of laughs!

Food and drink Korean Jokes

Are you a foodie? Then you are going to love these jokes about food. Here is some hilarious humor related to food, such as meals, fruits, vegetables, and drinks.

 

Korean Joke #1

Q: What is the biggest bean in the world?

A: 킹콩! (kingkong)

 

Explanation: The word 콩 (kong) in Korean means “bean,” and 킹 (king) sounds like “king.” Put them together, and you’ve got the big bean boss, King Kong!

 

Korean Joke #2

Q: What does a vampire drink in the morning?

A: 코피! (kopi)

 

Explanation: We all know that vampires usually drink blood, right? The word for “blood” in Korean is 피 (pi), and 코 (ko) means “nose.” Put them together, and you’ve got 커피 (kopi, which sounds like “coffee”). 

 

Korean Joke #3

Q: Why couldn’t the ice cream cones cross the road?

A: 차가와서! (chagawaseo)

 

Explanation: If you’re going to eat ice cream, it’s got to be cold. In Korean, cold is 차갑다 (chagapda). Now, what passes through roads are cars. The Korean word for cars is 차 (cha), and 와서 (waseo) means “because something came.” This makes 차가와서 (chagawaseo) means the car came. So, ice cream cones cannot cross the road because cars came.

 

Korean Joke #4

Q: What did the cookie say to his friends when he was ready to go?

A: 과자! (gwaja)

 

Explanation: If it’s time to leave, you say “let’s go” to friends. In Korean, you can say the phrase “let’s go” as 가자 (gaja). This phrase sounds like the word 과자 (gwaja), which means snack in Korean. And cookies are considered snacks. So when a bossy cookie is ready to go, he’ll say to his other cookie friends 과자 (gwaja)!

 

Korean Joke #5

Q: What do you call a coffee that can’t move?

A: 모카! (moka)

 

Explanation: In Korean, you say 못 가 (mot ga) when you can’t go to a certain place or event. This phrase 못 가 (mot ga) sounds like 모카 (moka), your favorite drink at Starbucks! 

 

Korean Joke #6

Q: What is a robot’s favorite food?

A: 비빔밥! (bibimbap)

 

Explanation: What’s that “beep, beep” noise? It sounds like a robot, doesn’t it? And the syllables 비빔 (bibim) in 비빔밥 (bibimbap) sound like “beep, beep” when pronounced quickly. 밥 (bap), on the other hand, means rice. So, the favorite food of those hungry robots is 비빔밥 (bibimbap).

 

Korean Joke #7

Q: What did the boneless fish say? 

A: 오 마이 가시! (o mai gasi)

 

Explanation: The word 가시 (gasi) means fish bones. So when we remove the fish bones, the fish will say 오 마이 가시! (o mai gasi)

 

 

Korean Joke #8

Q: What do you say if you don’t have enough money at the pojang macha?

A: 오댕! (odaeng)

 

Explanation: 포장 마차 (pojang macha) means snack cart. And, when you are in a 포장 마차 (pojang macha), you’ll normally buy something. But if you don’t have enough money to buy what you want, you’ll say 오댕 (odaeng) which sounds like “Oh, dang!” in English.

 

Korean Joke #9

Q: Where does lettuce go for worship?

A: 상추외리! (sangchuoeri)

 

Explanation: Korean’s word for “lettuce” is 상추 (sangchu). A sanctuary is where you go to worship, and the first part sounds like 상추 (sangchu). 

 

Korean Joke #10

Q: What do you call a 5-year-old onion?

A: 오년! (onyeon)

 

Explanation: The number 5 in Korean is 오 (o). And “year” is expressed as 년 (nyeon). So, a 5-year-old onion is called 오년 (onyeon). It literally means 5 years, and it sounds like the word onion. Whatever you do, don’t eat that 오년 (onyeon)!

 

Korean Joke #11

Q: What should you do if a watermelon sues you?

A: 수박! (subak)

 

Explanation: The word 수박 (subak) means watermelon in Korean. And, if you listen to it carefully, 수박 (subak) sounds like sue back in English. So if a watermelon sues, make sure you lawyer up and 수박 (sue back)!

 

Korean Joke #12

Q: Why did the pear go to the hospital?

A: 배아파서 (baeapaseo)

 

Explanation: The word 배 (bae) can mean two things in Korean. It can mean pear and stomach. And, 아파 (apa) from the word 아프다 (apeuda) means pain or ache. So, if a pear goes to the hospital, it is because of a stomach ache which can be expressed as 배아파서 (baeapaseo).

 

Korean Joke #13

Q: What is the most apologetic fruit?

A: 사과! (sagwa)

 

Explanation: 사과 (sagwa) means two things in Korean. It can mean apple and apology. Sometimes, when people want to apologize to someone, they give an apple to show they’re sorry.

 

Korean Joke #14

Q: Which celebrity used to bag groceries?

A: 짐캐리 (jimkaeri)

 

Explanation: The word 짐 (jim) in Korean means baggage, and 캐리 sounds like carry. 짐캐리 (jimkaeri) sounds like the actor Jim Carrey. So, his name sounds like carrying a bag of groceries.

Korean Jokes About People

The following are jokes related to people, such as jobs or professions.

 

Korean Joke #15

Q: What do you call a cute guy with no ears?

A: 귀없다! (gwieopda)

 

Explanation: The word 귀 (gwi) means ears, and the word 없다 (eopda) means none or not existing. So, the word 귀없다 (gwieopda) means no ears. When it’s pronounced quickly, it sounds like the Korean word for cute, which is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda).

 

Korean Joke #16

Q: What do you call a news reporter who interviews the sun?

A: 해리포터 (haeripoteo)

 

Explanation:  해 (hae) means sun in Korean, while 리포터 (ripoteo) is how the English word reporter is spelled in Korean. So a reporter who interviews the sun is a 해리포터 (haeripoteo), which sounds like Harry Potter.

 

Korean Joke #17

Q: What’s a real estate agent’s favorite mountain to hike?

A: 부동산! (budongsan)

 

Explanation: The word 부동산 (budongsan) means real estate, and the syllable 산 (san) means mountain. So, the name of the mountain that a real estate agent loves to hike is 부동산 (budongsan).

 

Korean Joke #18

Q: Where does a Korean grandfather look for love?

A: e-할머니! (e-halmeoni)

 

Explanation: The word 할머니 (halmeoni) means grandmother. If you add an e at the beginning, you get e-할머니 (e-halmeoni), which sounds like the online dating website eharmony.

 

Korean Jokes About Places

Traveling is always fun, but it’s more fun if we have a handful of jokes in our pockets! Here are jokes related to places and countries.

 

Korean Joke #19

Q: What do Koreans smoke at the horse racetrack?

A: 말보로 (malboro)

 

Explanation: We all know the international brand of cigarette called Marlboro. This brand is pronounced as 말보로 (malboro) in Korean. And the word 말 (mal) in 말보로 (malboro) means horse in Korean. Thus, 말보로 (malboro) is the cigarette smoked on the horse racetrack. 

 

Korean Joke #20

Q: Where do Australians keep their money?

A: 호주머니 (hojumeoni)

 

Explanation: All of us have put money in our pockets, right? In Korean, the word for pocket is 호주머 (hojumeoni). But why Australians? It’s because the word 호주 (hoju) in 호주머니 (hojumeoni) means Australia. 

 

Korean Joke #21

Q: What country has the biggest noses in the world?

A: 멕시코! (meksiko)

 

Explanation: In Korean, 멕시코 (meksiko) is the way you spell Mexico. The end of the word 코 (ko) means nose. And 멕시 (meksi) sounds like maxi or big. So, if you put them together, it sounds like maxi nose.

 

Korean Joke #22

Q: Which country has 4 arms?

A: 네팔! (nepal)

 

Explanation: In the native Korean number system, the number 4 is read as 넷 (net). But the ㅅ in 넷 (net) is usually omitted when combined with nouns. Meanwhile, arms is expressed as 팔 (pal). So, 네팔 (nepal), a country name, literally means 4 arms in Korea.

 

Korean Joke #23

Q: What do you call scary water?

A: 괴물! (goemul)

 

Explanation: If the idea of monsters indeed exists, we’ll be all scared of them. They’re scary! For this joke,  the word 괴물 (goemul) means monster. And the word 물 (mul) means water. So, what’s scary water? It’s 괴물 (goemul)!

 

Korean Joke #24

Q: What’s the ocean’s favorite number?

A: 십! (sip)

 

Explanation: 십 (sip) is number 10 in Korean and is pronounced as ship. And in English, a ship is the means of transportation when traveling by water.

Korean Jokes About Things

Here are jokes related to things like your personal belongings.

 

Korean Joke #25

Q: Who is the hairiest robot?

A: 털미네이터! (teolmineiteo)

 

Explanation: This Korean word 털미네이터 (teolmineiteo) is a pun for the word 터미네이터. We all know the movie Terminator, right? It’s the name of a famous cyborg assassin. In Korean, it’s pronounced as 터미네이터 (teomineiteo). And the word 털 (teol) means hair in Korean. So, a 털미네이터 (teolmineiteo) is hairy robot, and it’s the hairiest of all. 

 

Korean Joke #26

Q: What do you call a broken motorcycle?

A: 못타 사이클! (motta saikeul)

 

Explanation: When a motorcycle is broken, no one can use it, and no one can ride on it. 못타 (motta) means can’t ride. So, when a motorcycle is broken, we call it 못타 사이클 (motta saikeul) because no one can ride on it.

 

Korean Joke #27

Q: How much does a Korean blanket cost?

A: 이불! (ibul)

 

Explanation: By definition, 이불 (ibul) means blanket, but if you take out each of the syllables individually, we’ll have 이 (i) and 불 (bul). 이 (i) means 2, and 불 (bul) means dollar, but an informal word. So a Korean blanket costs 이불 (ibul) or $2.

 

Korean Joke #28

Q: What noise does a toaster make?

A: 빵! (ppang)

 

Explanation: The word 빵 (ppang) sounds like the bang when shooting something. And a toaster, as we all know, is used for toasting bread which is 빵 (ppang) in Korean. So the sound that a toaster makes is 빵 (ppang)! 

 

Korean Joke #29

Q: What do you call a large piece of tissue?

A: 휴지! (hyuji)

 

Explanation: 휴지 (hyuji) means tissue, which sounds like “huge” in English.

 

Korean Jokes About Animals

Below are jokes related to animals, insects, and all of our nature friends out there.

 

Korean Joke #30

Q: Why did the mosquito go to the hospital?

A: 모기아파서 (mogiapaseo)

 

Explanation: The word 모기 (mogi) in 모기아파서 (mogiapaseo) means mosquito. This word sounds like 머리 (meori), which means head. And, 아파서 (apaseo) from the word 아프다 (apeuda) means pain or ache. So, the mosquito went to the hospital because of a headache.

 

Korean Joke #31

Q: What do you call a pig who plays the guitar?

A: 포크무시크! (pokeumusikeu)

 

Explanation: The word 포크뮤시크 (pokeumusikeu) means pork music, where 포크 (pokeu) is pork and 뮤시크 (musikeu) is music. So a pig playing the guitar is a 포크뮤시크 (pokeumusikeu).

 

 

Korean Joke #32

Q: What language do sheep speak?

A: 양말! (yangmal)

 

Explanation: The word 양말 means socks. But the word 양 means sheep, and 말 means words or speech making it sheep language if we take the meaning syllable per syllable. So the language of a sheep is 양말. 

 

Korean Joke #33

Q: Why don’t you care about a small cow?

A: It’s so-so. 소소 (so so)

 

Explanation: 소 (so) means cow, and 소소 (so so) is from the word 소소하다 (sosohada), which means small or minor. This joke means that a person doesn’t care about a small cow because it’s small, which makes it unimportant.

Other Korean Jokes

Here are more jokes related to other things, such as nature.

 

Korean Joke #34

Q: What do you bring to a party in the rain?

A: 비 와요. 비. (bi wayo bi)

 

Explanation: We say 비 (bi) for rain and 와요 (wayo) for come. And during parties, there’s a saying BYOB which stands for “bring your bottle.” So when it rains, you bring 비 와요. 비. (bi wayo bi).

 

Korean Joke #35

Q: When is the best time to catch a snowman?

A: After 눈 (nun)

 

Explanation: The word 눈 (nun) has 2 meanings, snow and afternoon. With the double meaning, that’s why the best time to catch a snowman is in the afternoon!

Korean Joke Vocabulary

Now that you’ve learned some examples of Korean jokes, here are some of the common Korean words related to them.

“Joke” in Korean

The Korean word for “joke” is 농담 (nongdam). Another Korean word that translates to “joke” is 장난 (jangnan).

Sample sentence:

우리는 농담을 주고 받았어요. (urineun nongdameul jugo badasseoyo)

We joked around.

그건 그냥 농담이야. (geugeon geunyang nongdamiya)

That’s just a joke. 

음식 가지고 장난치지 마세요. (eumsik gajigo jangnanchiji maseyo)

Don’t play with food.

또 장난 전화예요. (tto jangnan jeonhwayeyo)

It’s a prank call again.

“Laugh” in Korean

The word “laugh” can be used as a noun or a verb. If you want to say “laugh” in the Korean language as a noun, the word to use is 웃음 (useum). While if you’ll say it as a verb, you can say 웃다 (utda).

Sample Sentences:

나는 웃음을 참을 수 없었어요. (naneun useumeul chameul su eopseosseoyo)

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

그는 평소에 잘 웃지 않아요. (geuneun pyeongsoe jal utji anayo)

He doesn’t usually laugh.

“Laughing” in Korean

You can express different emotions like happiness through Korean emoticons. But did you know that expressing your laughter also comes in different forms in Korean? Here are the different ways to “laugh” through text.

1. ㅋㅋㅋ

This is pronounced as “크크크” (keukeukeu) and is the most common way to express laughter in Korean. If you find something funny, you can use one ㅋ or even many. There are no rules to it! If  you want, you can even add more ㅋs like this: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. ㅎㅎㅎ

Another character you can use to show laughter is ㅎ. It sounds similar to the English “h” so ㅎㅎㅎ can be interpreted as “hahaha.” This is considered to be the shorter version of 하하하 which sounds exactly like “hahaha” in English.

3. 헤헤헤

Pronounced as “hehehe,” this laugh has a similar usage as ㅋㅋㅋ and ㅎㅎㅎ.

4. ㅍㅎㅎ

This is a shortened version of 푸하하 (puhaha) which expresses a sudden burst of laughter. This is also similar to “bwahaha” which expresses intense laughter.

5. 키키키

If you want to sound cute, this is the one to use! It functions similarly as ㅋㅋㅋ but in a cuter way.

Did you enjoy the Korean jokes above? Learning the jokes in the Korean language will also help you appreciate Korean humor and Korean culture more! Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll add them to the list!