What does 키스 mean?
키스 (ki-seu) means: Kiss.
The direct English loanword is used to sound more modern, bold, and intense than the gentle, poetic Korean phrase '입맞춤' (matching mouths).
◆ Modern Intimacy — When characters in a drama use 'kiseu' instead of traditional expressions, it immediately signals a shift into contemporary, unfiltered emotional territory. It is a deliberate stylistic choice that strips away poetic distance to highlight a bold, modern confrontation of raw desire.
◆ Modern Intimacy — When characters in a drama use 'kiseu' instead of traditional expressions, it immediately signals a shift into contemporary, unfiltered emotional territory. It is a deliberate stylistic choice that strips away poetic distance to highlight a bold, modern confrontation of raw desire.
🔊 From part 2’s story
키스 — Ki-seu
오뚝한 코 — ottukhan ko, "high, straight nose"
눈매 — nunmae, "eye contour"
듣다 — Deut-da
내 말을 들어줘 — nae mal-eul deureo-jwo, "please listen to me"
들어주다 — deureo-juda
주다 — juda, "to give"
말하다 — Mal-ha-da
Other sides of 키스
◆ skinship — While '키스' strictly means a literal, romantic kiss, younger generations love to weaponize it as comedic hyperbole. If two close friends lean on each other too comfortably or share a long hug, someone will immediately yell '키스해!' (Kiss!) to tease them. It’s never used to redefine skinship as a clinical term, but rather as a playful social joke to make things intentionally awkward.
◆ indirect_loanword — While borrowed directly from the English 'kiss,' native speakers never use this word the way Westerners use its source. You do not give a quick peck hello to your mother, nor a friendly brush on the cheek to a buddy at a bar—attempting to use '키스' for casual greetings sounds bizarrely clinical or overly dramatic. Instead, it is reserved entirely for deliberate romantic encounters, dramatic K-drama tropes, and adult intimacy.
◆ indirect_loanword — While borrowed directly from the English 'kiss,' native speakers never use this word the way Westerners use its source. You do not give a quick peck hello to your mother, nor a friendly brush on the cheek to a buddy at a bar—attempting to use '키스' for casual greetings sounds bizarrely clinical or overly dramatic. Instead, it is reserved entirely for deliberate romantic encounters, dramatic K-drama tropes, and adult intimacy.
Read the full story → · More on this word (part 2) →
How it's actually used
- 드라마에서 주인공들이 갑자기 키스하는 장면이 나왔어.
deurama-eseo ju-in-gong-deuri gapjagi kiseuhaneun jangmyeon-i nawatseo.
There was a scene in the drama where the main characters suddenly kissed.
💡 Use the verb form '키스하다' in casual conversation. - 영화 마지막에 둘이 로맨틱한 키스를 나누더라고.
yeonghwa majimage duri romaentik-han kiseureul nanudeorago.
At the end of the movie, the two of them shared a romantic kiss.
💡 '키스를 나누다' is a natural collocation for sharing a kiss. - 그 영화의 마지막 장면에 나온 로맨틱한 키스는 오래도록 기억에 남았다.
geu yeonghwaui majimak jangmyeon-e naon romaentikhan kiseuneun oraedorok gieoge namatda.
The romantic kiss in the final scene of that movie stayed in my memory for a long time.
💡 Used as a direct loanword to describe a cinematic, romantic moment.