Nuance Dictionary / Sounds & Sensations
주룩주룩 ju-ruk-ju-ruk
The sensory experience of a relentless, high-volume downpour falling vertically and without interruption.
What does 주룩주룩 mean?
주룩주룩 (ju-ruk-ju-ruk) means: The sensory experience of a relentless, high-volume downpour falling vertically and without interruption.
When a native uses '주룩주룩,' they aren't just describing rain; they are describing a mood of being trapped or overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the weather. It carries a sense of gravity and continuity that lighter words like '보슬보슬' lack. Learners often mistake it for a generic term for rain, but it’s specifically reserved for those moments when you look out the window and feel the urge to cancel your plans because the sky is genuinely dumping water.
Other sides of 주룩주룩
◆ Visceral Emotional Projection — While textbooks define this as 'pouring rain,' natives use it to externalize a state of total emotional surrender. When you say someone is crying '주룩주룩,' you aren't just saying they are sad; you are painting a picture of them being physically overtaken by their grief, as if their body has become a landscape for the weather of their soul. Learners often stick to the meteorological meaning, missing the way this word transforms a quiet, pathetic sob into a cinematic, high-drama moment of release.
◆ Viscous Flow — When natives use '주룩주룩' for liquids like honey, heavy gravy, or condensed milk, they are highlighting the satisfying, unbroken weight of the pour. Learners often mistakenly reserve this strictly for rain, but in a kitchen or cafe setting, it signals a deliberate, generous flow that feels almost tactile. It isn't just about the liquid moving; it’s about the visual indulgence of seeing something thick coat a surface.
◆ Viscous Flow — When natives use '주룩주룩' for liquids like honey, heavy gravy, or condensed milk, they are highlighting the satisfying, unbroken weight of the pour. Learners often mistakenly reserve this strictly for rain, but in a kitchen or cafe setting, it signals a deliberate, generous flow that feels almost tactile. It isn't just about the liquid moving; it’s about the visual indulgence of seeing something thick coat a surface.
🎙️ 주룩주룩은 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [주룩쭈룩]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 창밖으로 비가 주룩주룩 오는데 나가야 하나 고민이야.
chang-bakk-eu-ro bi-ga ju-ruk-ju-ruk o-neun-de na-ga-ya ha-na go-min-i-ya.
It's pouring down outside and I'm debating whether I should even go out.
💡 Highlights the social dilemma of being deterred by the intensity of a downpour. - 어제는 하루 종일 주룩주룩 비가 내려서 집에서 파전이나 부쳐 먹었어.
eo-je-neun ha-ru jong-il ju-ruk-ju-ruk bi-ga nae-ryeo-seo jib-e-seo pa-jeon-i-na bu-chyeo meog-eoss-eo.
It rained hard all day yesterday, so I just stayed home and fried up some scallion pancakes.
💡 Connects the sensory weight of the rain to the classic Korean cultural response of eating comfort food. - 우산이 없는데 비가 주룩주룩 쏟아지기 시작했어.
u-san-i eop-neun-de bi-ga ju-ruk-ju-ruk sso-da-ji-gi si-jak-haess-eo.
I don't have an umbrella and it's started to pour buckets.
💡 Emphasizes the sudden, heavy, and inconvenient nature of the onset of the rain.
Related words in Sounds & Sensations
주섬주섬 ju-seom-ju-seom깡충깡충 kkang-chung-kkang-chung껄껄껄 kkeol-kkeol-kkeol끈적끈적 kkeun-jeok-kkeun-jeok꼬들꼬들 kko-deul-kko-deul