1. ㅋ (HAHA)

This originates from 크크. This is the text slang equivalent of "LOL" in English in Korean.

It's normal to see entire strings of ㅋ; the more you include, the more chuckles you'll get. Whatever you said made your conversation partner laugh.


2. ㅎㅎㅎ (laughing)

This originates from 하하하.ㅎノㅎ conveys the same idea but suggests a softer kind of laugh, even though ㅋㅋ is usually used more. The ㅋㅋ rule also holds true in this situation: the more ㅎ you include, the more fun you're having.


3. ㅍノㅎ (Puhaha)
This is a slightly stronger abbreviation for 푸하하 than ㅋㅋ and ㅎㅎㅎ. The first syllable could represent the person's (ineffective) attempt to contain their laughter, which ultimately spills out more forcefully than they likely planned (or wanted).
 

4. ㅇㅋ (OK)

This is an illustration of an English-derived Korean word. "OK" would be 오케이 in standard Korean, and it can be further reduced to 오키.
All it really does is take the first two consonants, 흤 and 윧. Like in English, the meaning is straightforward: it's an acknowledgment.
 

5. ㅇㅇ (Yes)

This is a basic, informal manner of responding to "yes," derived from 응. Yes is properly expressed with 네, as you are surely already aware, but keep in mind that text lingo in Korea suggests a casual and laid-back tone of voice.
 

6. ㄴㄴ (No No)

This is a transcription of the English word "no no," which is abbreviated to 노텸. It conveys the exact opposite message that it sounds like.
 

7. ㅎㅇ (Hi)

This is another transcription of an English word with a similar meaning and pronunciation, short for 하이. Thankfully, you may use it to quickly greet friends and family because it simply consists of two characters.
 

8. ㅂㅂ / ㅃㅃ (Bye-bye)

These originate from 바이바이 and the adorable 빠이빠이, in that order. Both are cordial ways to terminate a conversation. Perhaps write ㅂㅇ in its place.
 

9. ㄱㄱ (Go Go / Let’s Go)

This originates from 고.It's a directive to do something, like go hang out with the sender, or get out.
 

10. ㅈㅈ (GG / Good Game)

Take caution not to mistake ㄱ for ㅈㅈ. The latter is an acronym for "good game," or "GG," which is what participants say to one another when a game is over.
 

11. ㅊㅋ (Congrats)

Based on 쌕하해요, this is a typical Korean expression of congratulations; 축하 is a less formal and shorter version.
 

12. ㄱㅅ (Thanks)

This is just a colloquial way of saying "thank you." Conversely, 감사 is a condensed version of the more formal 감사합니다.
 

13. ㅅㄱ (Good Work)

This one is derived from the expression "수고하세요," which is used to commend someone for a job well done. To avoid confusing the other person, make sure you don't unintentionally flip the characters to write ㄱㅅ!
 

14.  헉! (OMG)

In addition to 헉, which sounds like a strangled, shocked voice, you can also say 헐, which means the same thing. When you want to express anything like "Whoa!" or "No way!" use this.
 

15. ㄷㄷ (Expressing Fear, Shock or Amazement)

The word "shivering" or "quivering" is derived from 덜덜. When something gives you the chills, you utilise this. Just as with text slang for laughing, the more ℷ you use, the more goosebumps you get.
 

16. 어케 (How?)

어케 is derived from the proper way to ask “how” or 어떻게. But when spoken at a normal speed, it can sound a bit like 어떠케, since the enunciation of 떻 ends rather sharply with the ㅎ  consonant lingering at the bottom.
 

17. 잼게  / 잼께  (Have Fun)

This is derived from the phrase "having fun," which is 재미있게. This slang abbreviates slightly differently; instead of combining \ with the next syllable's ㅁ, it combines the full last syllable of the phrase.
 

18. 노잼  (No Fun)

The Korean character 노 sounds like the English word “no,” and as you’ve seen from the last entry, 잼 means “fun.”

It’s exactly what it sounds like if you say that someone is 노잼, you’re saying they’re a wet blanket.

 

19. ㅁㄹ (IDK)

This one is short for 몰라, which means “I don’t know.” IDK is pretty common in English text slang, and the Korean version is just one character shorter.

 

20. OTL  /ㅇㅈㄴ (Emoticon for Defeat or Disappointment)

Unlike the other text slang discussed so far, this is more of an emoticon than an informal abbreviation.

If you look closely, you can see the image of a person kneeling—with their head (O or ㅇ) down, their torso and arms to the ground (T or ㅈ) and their legs (L or ㄴ) bent in a 90-degree angle. This is used to express defeat, disappointment or exasperation.

 

21. ㅠㅠ/ㅜㅜ (Emoticon for Crying Eyes)

Another emoticon using the vowel ㅠ or ㅜ, this one resembles a pair of closed eyes with tears streaming down them.

 

22. ㅇㅁㅇ (Emoticon for Shocked Face)

Imagine the two circles as eyes and the square as a mouth hung open in surprise. Just with these three Korean character, you can already convey extreme surprise about something.

 

23. 0ㅠ0 (Emoticon for Vomiting)

Now, replace the ㅁ in the last entry with the ㅠ vowel, and you can “draw” a face with a puke coming out of its mouth. Use this when you’re sickened by what you just read—or if you actually feel like throwing up.

 

24.ㅇㅈ? (Right?)

This is shorthand for 인정? (lit. “I admit / “I acknowledge”). You normally use this phrase when you’re trying to check if the other person agrees with you—or you want them to agree with you.
 

25. ㄱㅊㄱㅊ (It’s Okay, It’s Okay)

Sometimes written as just ㄱㅊ (It’s okay) and based on 괜찮아, this is a phrase you can use to reassure someone else (or yourself) that everything will turn out fine.

 

26. ㄱㅇㄷ (Lucky!)

This comes from 개이득 (lit. “dog gain”). While the translation of its longer version may seem funny or weird, it’s actually a phrase you use when something great happens to you entirely by chance.

 

27. ㅈㅅ (Sorry)

It’s never easy to apologize to others. If you’re not quite up to typing out 죄송하다는  (I’m sorry) to someone you wronged, this one will suffice

 

28. ㅇㅅㅇ (Emoticon for Sweet Face)

Also written as “ㅇㅂㅇ,” this is the Korean equivalent of English (UwU), which can be positive or negative depending on who you’re talking to and how they feel about this particular emoticon.

29.ㅇㄷ (Where Are You?)

Shorthand for 어디, this is a quick message you can send to someone when you’re on the way to a meeting place, but you’re not quite sure if that someone is already there or not. Younger Koreans sometimes useㅇㄷㄱ as well.

 

30. ㄷㅊ (Shut Up)

Derived from 닥쳐, this is a blunt way to get someone who annoys you to stop talking. Of course, if you don’t want to cause offense, make sure you’re only using this one with someone close to you.

 

31. ㅎㅈㅇㅇ (TL;DR)

A quick version of 한줄요약  (lit. “one-line summary”), this is the Korean equivalent of the English “TL;DR” (Too Long; Didn’t Read). If someone sends you a wall of text that would take you at least several minutes to get through, you can fire “ㅎㅈㅇㅇ” back at them.

 

32. ㄹㅇ (Real / Really)

ㄹㅇ can be translated as “real” like the adjective (레알) or “really” like the adverb (리얼리). Either way, you use it to emphasize a point or the fact that something exists or is true.

 

33. ㅎㅅㄴ (Wink Emoticon)

Picture the ㅎ as an eye with a flat eyebrow, the ㅅ as an upturned mouth, and the ㄴas a half-closed eye, and you can see how this becomes a way to tell someone, Hey, here’s a secret between you and me.
 

34. ㄴㄱ? (Who?)

This is a shorter way to say 누구? It’s one of the more straightforward words on this list: if you want to clarify who the other person is talking about (or just want to be cool about getting to know that cute stranger you have your eye on), send this one STAT.

 

35. ㄱㄷ (Wait)

Shorthand for 기달, ㄱㄷ also has a straightforward meaning. Next time someone sends you a barrage of incoherent texts, text this back right afterwards.

 

36.ㅇㄱㄹㅇ(Too True)

When you abbreviate 이거레알  (this is real), you get ㅇㄱㄹㅇ. If you want to express that you agree with someone, say this.

 

37. ㅇㅎ (A-ha!)

Yet another transliteration of an English expression, this one is based on 아하. Like its English counterpart, you say this when you have a realization about something—or when you catch someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

 

38. ㅉㅉ (Tsk-tsk)

After catching the aforementioned someone for doing something they shouldn’t, you can type out this shorthand for 쯧쯧.

 

39. ㅇㄴ (Just Woke Up)

This expression is short for 인남, which in turn is an abbreviation of 일어나다. The next time you get a text at an ungodly hour followed by a string of “Hey, what’s up? Where are you? Are you still alive?” replying with this should be enough to reassure the other person.

 

40. ㄹㄷ (Are You Ready?)

ㄹㄷ is short for 레디, the Korean transliteration of the English word “ready.” Once you’re done fixing yourself up after you text ㅇㄴ, expect the other person to reply with this one shortly afterwards.

 

41. ㅅㅇㅊㅋ (Happy Birthday)

This one speaks for itself. If you’re a bit too busy to say 생일축하해 to someone on their special day, you can text ㅅㅇㅊㅋ instead.

 

42. ㅎㄹ (What The…?)

Short for 헐, ㅎㄹ is used to express surprise or shock.

 

43. ㅁㅊ (Crazy)

Now we’re getting to the text slang that shouldn’t be used in polite company at all. ㅁㅊ comes from 미친, which you say when you find something (or someone) utterly unbelievable or insane.

 

44. ㅈㄴ (Vulgar Version of “Very”)

This is an abbreviation of 존나, which is a very informal (and often vulgar) way to emphasize a point. It’s the Korean equivalent of saying “I’m f***ing happy” or “I’m f***ing cold.”

 

45. ㄷㅈㄹ (Want to Die?)

Again, you should never say this shorthand for 뒤질래 in polite company. You only say it to someone close to you who is teasing you—and even then, never with any real malice behind it.

 

46. ㅅㅂ (Korean Swear Word)

If you text this or its longer equivalent 시발 to your boss or grandparent, prepare to get chewed out, because this is a very vulgar word. For more Korean swear words you should probably never say.

 

47. ㄲㅈ (Go Away)

This is short for 꺼져. Sometimes, you just want to be left alone (whether it’s because you want to sulk or the other person just annoys you that much) and this would be an appropriate response to such situations.

 

48. ㅗ (Emoticon for Middle Finger)

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an English equivalent of this emoticon, as opposed to the more explicit emoji version? Jokes aside, if you get one of these (or several in quick succession), you know the other person is absolutely stewing.

49. 8282 (Quickly, Quickly)

To understand this text slang, you have to understand Korna. The Korean translation of “quickly, quickly” is 빨리빨리, which sounds like  팔  and  이.

You say this to someone you’re close to when you want them to get something done ASAP.

50. 091012 (Study Hard)

This is another piece of text slang that requires some knowledge of Korean numbers. “Study hard” in Korean is 공부 열심히  , which is like a combination of 공 , 구 , 열 and 십이.