DAEBAK (대박) Meaning — How Koreans Say "OH WOW!" | SingSay Korean
How Koreans say
“Wow!” when the
whole room shouts.
Someone opens a gift, tastes something delicious
or hears surprising news.
And everyone shouts the same thing.
What does ‘대박’ mean?
‘대박’ (Daebak) means “Wow!”, “Awesome!” or “That’s Huge!”
It comes from the idea of a jackpot: a big win.
Over time it grew into an all-purpose reaction
for anything impressive, shocking or unexpectedly great.
The very first word we teach on SingSay Korean, and Koreans of every age use it.
only?
Not always. ‘대박’ works for good news, or just big news.
If it is huge, surprising or hard to believe, ‘대박’ fits.
When Koreans say it
Same word, four situations.
The bigger the moment, the bigger the ‘대박’.
Level it up
‘완전’ (Wanjeon) means “Totally” or “Completely.”
Put it in front and the reaction gets stronger.
And when something is truly beyond words, Koreans stretch the vowel out.
Stretching a word is one of the most natural things you can do in spoken Korean.
It is not slang and not rude. It is just how excitement sounds.
A note on tone
‘대박’ is casual. Use it freely with friends, classmates and people your age.
meeting?
In a job interview or a meeting with your boss,
pick something more neutral.
Lyrics
When something’s great, you say:
대박! 대박! 대박!
When something’s great, you say: daebak!BRIDGE
Your friend got a good grade? 완전 대박!!
You eat the most delicious food? 대애박!!
The whole song is a call-and-response,
so the easiest way to learn it is to answer back.
Play it once and listen. Play it twice and shout along.
Words in this song
This is song one of Korean Reactions, Vol. 1.
Want all six reactions in one place? See the album guide.
Want to keep ‘대박’ handy?
Save the word cards on Instagram @singsaykorean.
Watch the full song on YouTube @SingSayKorean
and sing it until it sticks.
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