Badass Korean — As Much as a Rat’s Tail

시원하다

[si-won-ha-da]

to hit the spot; what a relief; whew!

The Flashcard

The original illustrated card, front and back.

Korean Pop Culture card back시원하다 — to hit the spot; what a relief; whew!

Meaning & context

글자 그대로는 선선하고 서늘하다라는 뜻 (추운것과 같이). 비속어로 쓰일 때 이는 개운한 감정을 의미한다. 이는 친구들 사이에서 장난스럽게, 특히 화장실 다녀온 후 자주 사용한다.

Literally “it’s cool” (as in a bit brisk or bracing). Here it refers to the cool sensation of feeling refreshed or revitalized after “relieving” oneself in the bathroom. Used jokingly among friends, particularly males, it is most often used to describe the relaxing feeling of voiding one’s bladder.

From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 145–145. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.

STORY TIME

See it in conversation

Korean

따뜻한 물

English

Warm Water

WonDong

수영 어땠어?

원동

How was your swim?

TaeYong

와우, 정말 시원했어.

태용

Wow, that was siwonhada.

WonDong

시원했다고? 말도안돼! 너 진짜 안에서 싼거야? 미친새끼야! 나 바로 옆 레인에 있었다고!

원동

Siwonhada?! You didn’t! Did you really go in the pool? You ass! I was in the next lane!

TaeYong

나를 위한 시원함. 그리고 너를 위한 따뜻함. ㅋㅋ

태용

Siwonhada for me and warm for you. Kh kh.

As Much as a Rat’s Tail

TAKE THE WHOLE BOOK WITH YOU

As Much as a Rat’s Tail

Illustrated Korean, bilingual conversations, and the stories behind the expressions. Read here, then keep the complete book close.

Find the book Korean for lovers →