Originally the letter 각 itself means “angle”, but it’s often used (in slang) to mean “It looks like a great fit/timing for” something.
What is the meaning of the Korean word 각 and how do you use it?
- Originally the letter 각 itself means “angle”, but it’s often used (in slang) to mean “It looks like a great fit/timing for” something.
This word is known to have originated from billiard games (당구) where you have some good “angles” from which you can hit the balls. So if you have a good angle, you say 각이 나온다 and if you don’t have a good angle, it’s a 각이 안 나온다 situation.
And now, it’s widely used as a slang expression that means “this will be great for (something)” or “it looks like it’s time to (do something)”.
How do you use it in a sentence?
- You use a noun and then just add 각 and say the 이다 verb ([noun]각이다) and conjugate it accordingly.
Examples
- If you think that’s a good time to have fried chicken (or if you just need an excuse), you can say 치킨각. (이거 치킨각인데?)
- If you filmed a short video that would be great or popular on TikTok, you can say 틱톡각. (이거 틱톡각인데? / 이거 틱톡각 아니야?)
The usages can be literally limitless because you can put 각 after any noun, but you need to be careful because if you use this word too much, you will sound too casual and sometimes rude in certain situations.
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