Romance words in K-dramas

썸 (sseom) comes from English 'something' and describes the ambiguous stage when two people like each other but are not dating yet. 썸 탄다 (sseom tanda) means being in that stage. Dramas use it for the period before the leads become a couple, full of hints and mixed signals.

고백 (gobaek) means confessing your feelings to someone. In Korea a clear confession before dating is traditionally seen as important, so it often becomes a big scene in dramas. You will hear 고백했어 (gobaekaesseo, 'I confessed') and 고백 받았어 (gobaek badasseo, 'someone confessed to me').

사귀다 (sagwida) means to date or go out with someone, so 우리 사귈래? (uri sagwillae) is 'Do you want to go out with me?' A reply of 좋아 (joa) or 응 (eung) starts the relationship. The verb also covers friendships, as in 친구를 사귀다 (chingureul sagwida), 'to make friends.'

짝사랑 (jjaksarang) means one-sided or unrequited love. In K-dramas, the second lead often has a 짝사랑 for one of the main characters, a storyline that pulls many viewers' heartstrings. You can say 짝사랑 중이야 (jjaksarang jungiya), 'I have a crush that isn't returned.'

첫사랑 (cheotsarang) means first love. A classic K-drama plot has someone meet their school-days first love again as an adult. In pronunciation the second syllable becomes tense, sounding like [cheotssarang]. The word carries a nostalgic, bittersweet feeling in Korean culture.

삼각관계 (samgakgwangye) is a love triangle, a romantic tangle among three people. The typical setup is two people falling for the same person. It is one of the most common ways romance dramas create tension, and fans often debate which side of the triangle they support.

밀당 (mildang) is short for 밀고 당기기, 'pushing and pulling.' It describes playing hot and cold in a relationship to test someone's feelings. 밀당하지 마 (mildanghaji ma) means 'stop playing games, just be honest.' The word appears often in both drama dialogue and variety shows.

소개팅 (sogaeting) is a blind date set up by a friend or acquaintance. The word blends 소개 (sogae, introduction) with the English 'meeting.' Many K-dramas show leads meeting for the first time at an awkward 소개팅, and it remains a common way people meet partners in Korea.

헤어지자 (heeojija) means 'let's break up.' It is the signature line of K-drama breakup scenes. To say a couple has split, use 헤어졌어 (heeojyeosseo), 'we broke up.' The base verb 헤어지다 (heeojida) also simply means parting ways with anyone, such as saying goodbye after meeting a friend.

사랑 (sarang) is love in the broad sense, for family, friends or a partner, while 연애 (yeonae) is the act or state of dating. 연애 중이야 (yeonae jungiya) means 'I'm seeing someone.' Romance dramas are sometimes called 연애물 (yeonaemul), stories about dating relationships.

직진 (jikjin) literally means going straight ahead, and in romance it describes someone who shows their feelings directly without hesitating. A 직진 남주 (jikjin namju) is a male lead who never hides how he feels. Viewers tend to love this type of character because there is no frustrating guessing game.

재회 (jaehoe) means meeting again after being apart, a reunion. In dramas it often describes running into a former partner or first love years later. You will see phrases like 몇 년 만의 재회 (myeot nyeon manui jaehoe), 'a reunion after several years,' in previews and episode titles.

계약 (gyeyak) means contract, and 계약 연애 (gyeyak yeonae) is a fake relationship two people agree to for some practical reason. The fake-dating-turns-real storyline is a popular romance drama trope. 계약 결혼 (gyeyak gyeolhon), a contract marriage, is a close cousin of the same idea.

첫눈 (cheonnun) is the first snow of the year. In Korea there is a popular romantic notion that meeting or confessing to someone on the day of the first snow brings luck in love, so dramas use it often. Note the pronunciation: the ㅅ sound changes, so it sounds like [cheonnun].

비밀 연애 (bimil yeonae) means a secret relationship, dating without telling the people around you. Dramas use it for coworkers or celebrity characters hiding their romance. The opposite, a relationship made public, is called 공개 연애 (gonggae yeonae), 'an open relationship' in the sense of publicly known.

여사친 (yeosachin) is short for 'female person friend' and 남사친 (namsachin) for 'male person friend,' meaning a friend of the opposite sex who is not a partner. The terms were coined to distinguish them from 여친 and 남친 (girlfriend and boyfriend). Friends-to-lovers dramas use them a lot.

데이트 (deiteu) comes from 'date,' and 데이트하자 (deiteuhaja) means 'let's go on a date.' A softer, polite version is 데이트할래요? (deiteuhallaeyo), 'Would you like to go on a date?' Koreans sometimes jokingly call an outing with a close friend a 데이트 too.

프러포즈 (peureopojeu) means a marriage proposal, and that is the standard spelling. The classic drama line is 나랑 결혼해 줄래? (narang gyeolhonhae jullae), 'Will you marry me?' A more traditional Sino-Korean word with the same meaning is 청혼 (cheonghon), which you will see in news and formal writing.

질투 (jiltu) means jealousy, and 질투하는 거야? (jiltuhaneun geoya) asks 'Are you jealous?' It usually comes up when one character sulks after seeing their love interest get close to someone else. The line is often teasing rather than serious, and it tends to reveal hidden feelings.

우리 무슨 사이야? (uri museun saiya) means 'What are we to each other?' It is the question someone asks when they want to define a relationship stuck in the ambiguous 썸 stage. 사이 (sai) literally means 'between' and, here, the relationship between two people.