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Reacting to a stage

Day 2 of 15~12 min대박, 미쳤다, 레전드 and the compliments that fit a performance.
Romanisation help

Fan reactions come in two kinds: slang that sounds big, like 대박 (daebak) and 미쳤다 (michyeotda), and ordinary compliments anyone can use, like 멋있다 (meositda) 'cool'. Today covers both, and who can hear which. By the end you can react to a performance in Korean, and pick the version that suits the person next to you.

The big four

Each of these is a reaction to a stage that went well. All four are casual:

daebak
amazing, huge; wow
Originally 'a big hit, a jackpot'. It works for bad surprises too: 대박, 늦었다 (daebak, neujeotda) is 'oh no, I'm late'.
michyeotda
it's insane (in a good way)
Literally 'it has gone mad'. About a stage, a song or an outfit it is high praise; about a person, 미쳤어? is 'are you out of your mind?'
rejeondeu
legendary; an all-time great
From English 'legend'. 이 무대 레전드다 (i mudae rejeondeuda) is 'this performance is legendary'.
jjijeotda
they killed it, they owned the stage
Literally 'tore it': 찢다 is 'to tear', as you tear paper. Said [찌젇따].
Why it works

Two of the four are past tense, and that is the trick: 미쳤다 is 'has gone mad', so 'is mad now', and 찢었다 reports something finished. The -다 ending is the plain dictionary form, and used as an exclamation it is aimed at nobody, which is why fans can shout it at a screen. 대박 and 레전드 are nouns and need no ending. All four are slang, but of different ages: 대박 is old enough that parents say it, while 찢었다 is newer and mostly heard from people under thirty.

Ordinary compliments

These three are standard Korean, not slang. What changes is who hears you:

cool, looks greata performance, an outfit, a person
Blurted out
meositda
To a friend
meosisseo
To anyone else
meosisseoyo

Said [머시써요], like 맛있어요. For a finished stage, use the past: 멋있었어요 (meosisseosseoyo).

handsomea man, any age
Blurted out
jalsaenggyeotda
To a friend
jalsaenggyeosseo
To anyone else
jalsaenggyeosseoyo

Past in form, present in meaning: 잘생기다 is 'to be well made', and the past says he has turned out that way.

cuteanyone or anything; in fandom, grown men too
Blurted out
gwiyeopda
To a friend
gwiyeowo
To anyone else
gwiyeowoyo

The ㅂ of 귀엽다 turns into 우 before -어요, so it is 귀여워요, never 귀엽어요.

Why it works

The first column is the dictionary form ending in -다, used as a blurt. Because it is said to nobody, it sits outside the speech levels, and a polite speaker can murmur 와, 멋있다 in front of a teacher without being rude. The moment you say it to someone, you have to choose a level: 멋있어 to a friend, 멋있어요 to everyone else. The formal 멋있습니다 (meositseumnida) exists, but you will mostly hear it from a presenter on a stage, not from the fans in front of it.

Fan reaction, real-life reaction

The left column is for friends and comments. The right is for a stranger, an older person or someone at work:

That was amazing.
With fans
daebak!
With anyone
jeongmal daedanhaeyo.
대박 on its own is casual but not rude. To someone older, use a full sentence.
That was incredible.
With fans
michyeotda.
With anyone
jeongmal jalhasineyo.
To a stranger singing at karaoke, 'you're really good at this' is the natural compliment. 미쳤다 needs a listener who knows you mean the stage.
They owned the stage.
With fans
mudae jjijeotda.
With anyone
mudaega jeongmal joasseoyo.
좋았어요 'it was good' sounds modest in English, but in Korean it is a warm, complete compliment.
That's legendary.
With fans
rejeondeuda.
With anyone
jeongmal choegoyeyo.
최고 'the best' has the same 최 as 최애 from day 1. 최고예요 suits anyone, from a friend to a grandparent.
Why it works

The slang is not insulting, but it comes from a register built on exaggeration: madness, tearing things, legends. Among fans the exaggeration is the point, and a plain 좋았어요 can sound flat. With someone older, or at work, the same exaggeration sounds as if you are not taking them seriously. There is also the literal meaning: 미쳤다 about a person means 'they've gone mad', and a listener who is not a fan may hear that first.

choeae
your favourite, the member you like most
keombaek
comeback: a new release and the promotion around it
ipdeok
getting into a group, becoming a fan
mudae
stage; one live performance of a song

Check yourself

8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.