쌩얼
[ssaeng-eol]
au naturel; a fresh face
Meaning & context
글자 그대로, 생의 얼굴. 신선함 혹은 날것을 의미하는 쌩과 얼굴을 의미하는 얼의 합성어 이다. 전통적으로 한국인들은 집을 나오기 전에 화장하는 것을 기본적 예의로 믿었다. 하 지만 요즘은 쌩얼 화장법이 유행이다.
Literally “a raw face.” This is a combination of ssaeng (쌩) for fresh or raw and eol (얼) for eolgul (얼굴), which simply means face. Traditionally, Koreans believe that it is basic manners to apply makeup before leaving the house, but a recent trend calls for ssaengeol, a bare minimum of makeup or makeup that looks more natural.
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 155–155. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
독신으로 남기
English
Staying Single
그 얼굴 꼬라지는 뭐야? 너 선보러 나오는데 쌩얼로 온거야? 이제 너 엄마한테 죽었다!
What kind of face is that? Did you come out with ssaengeol . . . to a seon?! Mom’s gonna kill you!
아니야, 했어. 이게 바로 꾸미지 않은, 깨끗한 – 새로운 쌩얼 스타일이야. 남자들은 더이상 떡칠한 얼굴을 원하지 않는다고.
No, I did it. This is the new style, fresh and clean – ssaengeol style. Guys don’t want to see a girl all covered up any more.
그래, 아무리 그래도 너 옷은 좀 갖춰 입어야하는거 아니냐?
Yeah, but you should at least have dressed up a little?
뭐? 이 청바지 300,000원짜리야!
What? These jeans were 300,000 won!
From the book: notes & culture
The Straight Scoop
선 [seon] a marriage introduction, usually arranged by parents of upper middle class families as a possible stepping stone to marriage.
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 →