Nuance Dictionary / Culture & Language
국수를 먹다 Guksureul meokda
To attend someone's wedding or ask when they are finally getting married, literally meaning 'to eat noodles'.
What does 국수를 먹다 mean?
국수를 먹다 (Guksureul meokda) means: To attend someone's wedding or ask when they are finally getting married, literally meaning 'to eat noodles'.
Speakers use this expression to playfully inquire about an acquaintance's wedding plans or marriage timeline. It links the physical act of eating noodles directly to attending a wedding feast. It typically appears in casual conversations among friends, older relatives, and acquaintances.
Depending on the listener's age and relationship to the speaker, this can feel like an affectionate push toward settling down, or an intrusive question about personal life milestones.
Depending on the listener's age and relationship to the speaker, this can feel like an affectionate push toward settling down, or an intrusive question about personal life milestones.
Other sides of 국수를 먹다
◆ The Avoidance Strategy — Speakers use this phrase to bring up the topic of marriage without directly naming the word 결혼. It commonly appears in conversational questions directed toward younger acquaintances or unmarried adults. It serves as a roundabout way to ask about future wedding plans during casual social exchanges.
Depending on the tone and the age difference between speakers, this approach can feel warm and humorous or slightly intrusive, allowing speakers to nudge about a wedding timeline with a layer of plausible deniability.
◆ The Teasing Inquiry — Speakers use this phrase among close acquaintances to gently or persistently inquire about someone's wedding plans. It is often delivered with a teasing tone in casual social settings between friends or family members. The expression turns up frequently in conversational banter regarding dating and marriage milestones.
Depending on the delivery, this can feel like warm interest or unwelcome pressure from busybodies, often carrying a mixture of affection and light mockery.
Depending on the tone and the age difference between speakers, this approach can feel warm and humorous or slightly intrusive, allowing speakers to nudge about a wedding timeline with a layer of plausible deniability.
◆ The Teasing Inquiry — Speakers use this phrase among close acquaintances to gently or persistently inquire about someone's wedding plans. It is often delivered with a teasing tone in casual social settings between friends or family members. The expression turns up frequently in conversational banter regarding dating and marriage milestones.
Depending on the delivery, this can feel like warm interest or unwelcome pressure from busybodies, often carrying a mixture of affection and light mockery.
🎙️ 국수를 먹다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [국쑤를 먹따]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 언제 국수 먹여 줄 거야?
eon-je guk-su meog-yeo jul geo-ya?
When are you going to treat me to wedding noodles? (When are you getting married?)
💡 A casual inquiry directed at an unmarried friend or younger person. - 우리 언제 국수 먹는 겁니까?
u-ri eon-je guk-su meong-neun geom-ni-kka?
When will we be eating noodles for you?
💡 A polite yet playful question about marriage plans. - 국수 먹을 때가 되었는데 소식이 없네요.
guk-su meog-eul ttae-ga doe-eot-neun-de so-si-i eop-ne-yo.
It's about time we ate your wedding noodles, but there's no news.
💡 A slightly more direct hint about someone's delayed marriage plans.
Related words in Culture & Language
군필 gun-pil귀가 가렵다 Gwiga garyeopda한잔 하다 Hanjan hada힐링 hil-ling회식 hoe-sik