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Korean for K-drama fans
Dramas are where many learners first hear Korean, and they are full of short words that do a great deal of work: 오빠, 대박, 아이고, 진짜, 헐, 화이팅. This guide explains what they actually mean, who says them to whom, and which a learner can use without sounding odd.
The main thing to know first is that most drama dialogue is 반말 (banmal), the casual Korean used between close friends, family and people younger than you, and copying it with a stranger comes across as rude. Most of the words here are safe on their own, and where one is not, the guide says so. Day 36 of the daily course introduces casual speech properly and day 69 covers the phrases dramas use most.
What people call each other
Family words, stretched to cover close friends:
Which word you use depends on your own sex as well as theirs, as day 24 explains. 오빠 (oppa) gets the most attention because a woman also uses it for a boyfriend or a man she is fond of, which is why it carries romance on screen. Using any of these with someone you have just met sounds forward; wait until you are clearly friends, or the older person suggests it. In restaurants and markets family words also go to strangers: customers often call an older waitress 이모 (imo), 'aunt'.
Reactions
The one-word responses you hear in every episode:
진짜 (jinjja) 'really' is safe anywhere, and with 요 on the end, 진짜요?, it is a polite reaction to someone's news. 대박 (daebak) started as 'a big hit' and now covers anything from 'amazing' to 'unbelievable'; it is casual but friendly, and young Koreans are happy to hear a learner use it. 헐 (heol) is younger slang for shock or disbelief, best kept for friends. 아이고 (aigo) is the sigh of someone tired, dismayed or sitting down heavily, and is used by all ages.
Encouragement
What people say before an exam, a match or a hard day:
화이팅 (hwaiting), from the English 'fighting', means 'go for it' or 'good luck', and is said before exams, matches and interviews, often with a raised fist. The dictionary spelling is 파이팅, but 화이팅 is what most people say and write. 힘내세요 means 'gather your strength', and uses the polite -(으)세요 so it is safe with anyone older. 수고했어요 thanks someone for effort rather than praising a result.
Feelings
The lines that carry the emotional scenes:
보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo) is literally 'I want to see you', from the -고 싶어요 of day 22, and it is how Korean says 'I miss you'. 사랑해요 is heard constantly on screen but said more sparingly in life, mostly between couples and between parents and children, and rarely between friends. On screen most of these come without the 요, 미안해 and 고마워, because the characters are close; the 요 forms here are the ones to use yourself.
Casual lines you will hear
These are 반말. Understand them, but answer with the 요 form:
These are the 반말 forms that day 36 covers: largely the same verbs with the 요 removed or the ending swapped, so 괜찮아 is 괜찮아요 without the 요, and 뭐야 is a casual 뭐예요. Drama dialogue sits at this level because most scenes are between family, couples and friends. A learner saying these to a stranger sounds rude rather than natural, but with Korean friends of your own age who have suggested dropping 요, they are exactly right.
These phrases get built into real conversation in the daily lessons. The first thirty days need no account, and the Hangul course will have you reading every sign in the guide.