Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
기(氣)가 죽다 giga jukda
To have one's spirit, confidence, or workplace morale crushed by an overbearing superior.
What does 기(氣)가 죽다 mean?
기(氣)가 죽다 (giga jukda) means: To have one's spirit, confidence, or workplace morale crushed by an overbearing superior.
In the rigid, highly pressurized ecosystem of the Korean office, maintaining your *chemyeon* (face) and projecting steady confidence is a form of survival. When a team leader publically tears apart your quarterly report or unleashes a stinging reprimand (*kkorichigi* style), your internal energy—your *gi*—is instantly deflated. Natives reach for this phrase not just to describe feeling sad, but to pinpoint that specific, suffocating moment of public subordination where your aura shrinks and you lose the nerve to speak up during a meeting. Learners often misuse it as a general synonym for 'being shy,' but natives know it specifically tracks the power dynamic of a superior breaking a junior's spirit.
Other sides of 기(氣)가 죽다
◆ Social Intimidation — Textbooks love to translate this as 'to lose spirit,' but that misses the visceral, social humiliation of it. Natives reach for 기가 죽다 when *chae-myeon* (face/reputation) takes a massive hit—not from failure, but from pure intimidation by elite environments or impossibly chic people. You walk into a Hannam-dong café dressed in sweatpants, see groups of effortless trendsetters speaking in hushed, confident tones, and suddenly your internal energy just evaporates. Learners often confuse it with sadness or burnout, but it is purely about social shrinkage: your *gi* (life force or aura) getting physically crushed by someone else's overwhelming presence.
◆ Parental Scolding — In Korean culture, the dynamic of '꾸중' (a heavy parental scolding) is often less about the specific mistake and more about the child’s '눈치'—their ability to read the atmosphere of parental disappointment. When a child is caught, they don't just feel guilty; they physically shrink, avoiding eye contact to show they’ve absorbed the weight of the authority figure’s disapproval. Learners often mistake this for simple sadness, but it’s actually a social performance of submission meant to restore the parent's '체면' (face) and signal that the lesson has been received. If you use this to describe a friend who is just 'bummed out,' you sound like you're talking down to them as if they were a scolded toddler.
◆ Parental Scolding — In Korean culture, the dynamic of '꾸중' (a heavy parental scolding) is often less about the specific mistake and more about the child’s '눈치'—their ability to read the atmosphere of parental disappointment. When a child is caught, they don't just feel guilty; they physically shrink, avoiding eye contact to show they’ve absorbed the weight of the authority figure’s disapproval. Learners often mistake this for simple sadness, but it’s actually a social performance of submission meant to restore the parent's '체면' (face) and signal that the lesson has been received. If you use this to describe a friend who is just 'bummed out,' you sound like you're talking down to them as if they were a scolded toddler.
🎙️ 기(氣)가 죽다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [기(氣)가 죽따]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 부장님한테 한 소리 듣고 나니까 갑자기 기가 죽어서 대답도 제대로 못 했어.
bujangnim-hante han sori deutgo nanikka gapjagi giga jugeoseo daedapdo jedaero mot haesseo.
After getting an earful from the department head, my spirit was so crushed I couldn't even answer properly.
💡 Reveals how instantly a superior's verbal reprimand can paralyze a junior's ability to respond. - 신입사원이라고 기 죽을 필요 전혀 없어요. 당당하게 하세요.
sinipsawonirago gi jugeul piryo jeonhyeo eopseoyo. dangdanghage haseoyo.
There's zero need to let your spirit get crushed just because you're the new hire. Be confident.
💡 Often used as comforting encouragement by seniors to remind juniors not to internalize the steep hierarchy. - 기 살려주려고 회식 때 일부러 칭찬해 줬는데, 아까 너무 기가 죽어 있더라고.
gi sallyeojuryeogo hoesik ttae ilbureo chingchanhae jwonneunde, akka neomu giga jugeo itdorageo.
I deliberately praised them at the company dinner to boost their morale, but earlier they looked totally deflated.
💡 Shows the direct linguistic counterpart (*gi salrida* - to revive one's spirit) used in office mentorship.
Related words in Social Situations
고생하셨습니다 go-saeng-has-yeot-seum-ni-da골치가 아프다 gol-chi-ga a-peu-da고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다 Gorae ssaume saeu deung teojinda고생 끝에 낙이 온다 Gosaeng kkeute nagi onda과연 gwayeon