“Cute” in Korean and 44 More “Aegyo” Korean Phrases

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If you’re learning Korean, you may have wondered how to say “cute” or what aegyo means. You'll often encounter this playful way of acting cute in Korean entertainment.

In fact, if you’ve watched Korean dramas at all, you’ve most definitely heard and witnessed aegyo and Korean emphasis on cuteness.

Cuteness is a familiar theme in Korean entertainment, with some similarities to kawaii culture in Japan. Whether being called “cute” feels flattering depends on the person, your relationship and the situation.

The same is true in English: “cute” can be affectionate, flirtatious or patronising, depending on how you use it.

So, here’s how to say “cute” in Korean — as well as some bonus words, phrases, and tips for sounding cute!

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Korean for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

How to Say “Cute” in Korean

“Cute” in Korean is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda). That’s its dictionary form, so it actually means “to be cute.”

귀엽다 (gwiyeopda) is perfectly fine to say to yourself, or in exclamation about something cute you see — like a cute puppy! (Because don’t we all do that?)

But like all things in Korean, you need to remember to change the ending of the word to be the appropriate politeness level.

Use the casual form with people you already speak casually with, such as close friends. Being the same age or younger doesn't automatically make casual speech appropriate with a stranger.

귀엽다 follows a ㅂ-irregular pattern: remove -다, then the stem's ㅂ changes to 우 before -어, contracting to give 귀여워 (gwiyeowo).

For the polite form, add -yo: 귀여워요 (gwiyeowoyo). This ending is a useful default when you're not on casual terms. It doesn't make calling your boss or teacher “cute” appropriate, though!

Last up, the most formal way to say “cute” is by adding the -seumnida ending. For this one, drop the -da and add -seumnida to the dictionary form: 귀엽습니다 (gwiyeopseumnida).

This formal-polite form can appear in presentations, broadcasts and other formal speech. You might hear it in a discussion of aegyo, too.

But you’ll use the casual or polite forms most often.

“You are Cute” in Korean

To say “you are cute” in Korean, you actually don’t need to change anything at all. You can just say 귀여워 (gwiyeowo) (or the appropriate variation).

In Korean, the subject is often left out as long as it’s understood. So you can use this phrase to mean “it’s cute,” “she’s cute” or “you’re cute”.

But if you want to use “cute” to modify a noun, then you’d use 귀여운 (gwiyeoun).

For example, 귀여운 소녀 (gwiyeoun sonyeo) means “a cute girl”. 소녀 usually refers to a young girl, not an adult woman.

A cute puppy? That’s 귀여운 강아지 (gwiyeoun gangaji).

Here are some other nouns you may want to pair with 귀여운 (gwiyeoun):

• Baby: 아기 (agi)
• Cat: 고양이 (goyang-i)
• Animal: 동물 (dongmul)
• Dress: 드레스 (deureseu)
• Shoes: 신발 (sinbal)
• Outfit: 차림새 (charimsae)
• Person: 사람 (saram)

For that last one though, you could also say 귀요미 (gwiyomi), which means “cutie” or “cute person”.

For “So cute!”, add 너무 (neomu, “too” or “very”, depending on context): 너무 귀여워! (neomu gwiyeowo!).

Complimenting a Guy: “Handsome” in Korean

You can call a guy cute with 귀엽다. If you mean “handsome” or “good-looking”, use 잘생겼다 (jalsaenggyeotda). Choose the compliment that fits what you mean and your relationship.

The dictionary form is 잘생기다. 잘생겼다 has past-tense marking but commonly describes how someone looks now. Its polite and casual forms differ from those of 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda):

Casual: 잘생겼어 (jalsaenggyeosseo)
Polite: 잘생겼어요 (jalsaenggyeosseoyo)
Formal: 잘생겼습니다 (jalsaenggyeotseumnida)

Aegyo Korean — What is Aegyo?

For a fun primer on the culture behind all this, here are 10 Korean culture facts to get you pumped to learn Korean:

애교 (aegyo) refers to behaviour intended to seem cute or endearing, including ways of speaking and acting.

Aegyo is super popular among Korean celebrities, especially K-Pop idols (both genders) and actresses.

Babyish speech or exaggerated expressions can be part of it, but aegyo isn't limited to those. Cute clothing may contribute to someone's image, while the word itself mainly describes their manner or behaviour.

Aegyo can be a way to flirt, show affection or joke around. People of different genders use it.

That said, aegyo can come off a bit whiny or annoying. So even though “cute” culture is popular and common in “Hallyuwood” (the “Korean wave” + Hollywood, meaning the Korean entertainment industry), it’s not always well-received. In fact, some people straight-up hate aegyo.

Because of that, some women use it on purpose to tease their husband or boyfriend, or to joke around.

Whether aegyo lands well depends on the audience and context, not a rule about who is “naturally cute”. Exaggerated aegyo can be a comedy performance; people of different ages can use aegyo.

You can enjoy the joke without treating it as a rule for how anyone should behave.

How to Use Aegyo

There are lots of ways to use aegyo. Two playful aegyo speech patterns are drawing out a final vowel or adding ㅁ (“m”) or ㅇ (“ng”) at the end. These are informal effects, not standard endings to attach to every word.

A familiar aegyo example is 오빠 (oppa). Women use it for an older brother or an older man they're close to, which can include a partner. The word itself isn't automatically flirtatious or babyish.

Since it’s often used with one’s significant other, it’s super common to hear women draw out the “ah” sound at the end to make it sound “cuter.” So it ends up sounding like “Oppaaaaaaa!”

If you’ve watched K-Dramas at ALL, I know you’ve heard what I’m talking about here.

You might also hear 어떻게 (eotteoke, “How?”) or 세상에 (sesange, “Oh my goodness!” or “What in the world?!”) drawn out. 배고팡 (baegopang) is a playful version of 배고파, “I'm hungry”. Don't mistake it for the standard spelling.

This video on YouTube shows you just how dramatic it can sound.

Now, when it comes to the second way to use aegyo in speech, you’ll add the “m” or “ng” sound to the end of the word.

Looking at oppa again, it becomes 오빵 (oppang). Another common one is 어디야 (eodiya) which means “Where are you?”. Add on the “m” sound and it becomes 어디얌 (eodiyam).

You’ll see this often in text, as well, followed by tons of cute emojis.

But you can also use aegyo with your body language. For example, bbuing bbuing, or the “crying” gesture is a favourite among K-Pop idols. You’ll also see lots of hearts and face-framing!

Cute Korean Words and Phrases

Here's a video on expressing love in Korean, so you can hear these sweet phrases out loud:

Okay, you’ve learned about aegyo, so now it’s time to learn some cute Korean words and phrases! You can use these with your significant other or friends whenever you want to sound extra cute. Plus, some cute and romantic phrases in Korean to say to your love interests.

• “I'm cute, right?” – 내가 귀엽지? (naega gwiyeopji)
• “I love you” – 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo)
• “I miss you” – 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo)
• “Romantic partner” – 애인 (ae-in), a word for someone's partner rather than a usual pet name to call them
• “Honey” or “Darling” – 여보 (yeobo), typically used between spouses
• “Honey” or “Babe” – 자기야 (jagiya), an affectionate way to address a partner
• “Don’t go” – 가지 마 (gaji ma)
• “BFF” – 베프 (bepeu)
• “Really fun” – 꿀잼 (kkuljaem), slang combining 꿀 (“honey”) with a shortening of 재미 (“fun”)
• “Be happy” – 행쇼 (haengsyo), playful slang shortened from 행복하십쇼, sometimes used as a sign-off
• “You’re pretty” – 예쁘네요 (yeppeuneyo)
• “Don't lie” or “Stop kidding” – 뻥치지 마 (ppeongchiji ma), informal
• “Like this?” – 이렇게 (ireoke)
• “Buy it for me” – 사 줘 (sa jwo), casual; use playfully only with someone who's comfortable with it
• “I promise” – 약속해요 (yaksokhaeyo)

These examples mix casual and polite forms, and some are slang rather than inherently cute phrases. Save exaggerated endings for playful conversations with people who welcome them.

And don’t forget to pair it with your cute hand gestures!

Go On – Be Cute in Korean!

Go ahead and show your cute side off in Korean! And if you want more examples, make sure you watch some Korean TV shows and see how aegyo is done.

But wait — 가지 마! (gaji ma!), “Don’t go!”

There’s still so much Korean left to learn!

If you’re new to the language, then you have to learn these Korean phrases to ace your first conversation. And the 101 core Korean words are so helpful for building your Korean vocabulary fast!

And if you want to know more about Korean and Korean culture, then learn WTF is mukbang or check out my review of 90 Day Korean so you can master the language while learning the culture!

Want more cute words to play with? Take a look at our roundup of cute nicknames from around the world.