Nuance Dictionary / People & Relationships
밉상 Mipsang
A coworker who is technically competent but lacks the social awareness to read the room, making them a persistent source of low-level irritation.
What does 밉상 mean?
밉상 (Mipsang) means: A coworker who is technically competent but lacks the social awareness to read the room, making them a persistent source of low-level irritation.
Textbooks translate '밉상' as simply 'hateful' or 'disagreeable,' but in modern corporate life, it has a very specific, subtler bite. It’s not reserved for malicious villains; rather, it's the badge earned by the person who constantly replies-all to company-wide emails with useless commentary, or proudly finishes their work early while leaving a mess for the team. They aren't evil enough to report to HR, but they make you want to quietly bang your head against your desk every time they open their mouth.
Other sides of 밉상
◆ The 'Petty Rival' in Romance — Textbooks teach you that 밉상 means someone unlikable, but in romance, it is a term of absolute endearment weaponized against someone you adore too much. When your partner teases you mercilessly or wins an argument with a smug grin, calling them a 밉상 signals exasperated fondness rather than actual anger. Learners often misuse it to sound genuinely bitter, missing the eye-rolling, heart-fluttering intimacy behind it.
◆ The 'Public Figure' Critique — Textbooks teach you that 밉상 means someone unlikable, but in the wild world of Korean online comment sections, it’s the ultimate lazy-hate label for public figures. You don't need them to have committed a scandal or broken a law; if their vibe is smug, try-hard, or just inherently punchable, they get branded as a 밉상. It’s that petty, collective, highly contagious internet annoyance where even how they breathe annoys thousands of strangers.
◆ The 'Family Black Sheep' — While textbooks teach you this word just means 'someone annoying,' older generations deploy it with a much heavier, lingering sting within family walls. It isn't just about being clumsy or petty; it's reserved for the blood relative who perpetually disrupts the clan's unspoken order—the one who avoids ancestral rites, fails to marry by society's invisible timeline, or lives life entirely on their own stubborn terms. When an elder calls you this at a holiday dinner, it carries the weight of structural disapproval, signaling that you are the permanent blot on the family ledger.
◆ The 'Public Figure' Critique — Textbooks teach you that 밉상 means someone unlikable, but in the wild world of Korean online comment sections, it’s the ultimate lazy-hate label for public figures. You don't need them to have committed a scandal or broken a law; if their vibe is smug, try-hard, or just inherently punchable, they get branded as a 밉상. It’s that petty, collective, highly contagious internet annoyance where even how they breathe annoys thousands of strangers.
◆ The 'Family Black Sheep' — While textbooks teach you this word just means 'someone annoying,' older generations deploy it with a much heavier, lingering sting within family walls. It isn't just about being clumsy or petty; it's reserved for the blood relative who perpetually disrupts the clan's unspoken order—the one who avoids ancestral rites, fails to marry by society's invisible timeline, or lives life entirely on their own stubborn terms. When an elder calls you this at a holiday dinner, it carries the weight of structural disapproval, signaling that you are the permanent blot on the family ledger.
🎙️ 밉상은 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [밉쌍]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 일은 잘하는데, 그 눈치 없는 태도 때문에 팀에서 완벽한 밉상이야.
Ir-eun jal-haneun-de, geu nunchi eopsneun taedo ttaemun-e tim-eseo wan-byeok-han mipsang-iya.
She's good at her job, but because of that oblivious attitude, she's a total mipsang on the team.
💡 Highlights the classic disconnect: competence combined with zero social situational awareness. - 야근하는 사람 앞에서 오늘 칼퇴한다고 자랑하는 거 진짜 밉상이다.
Yageun-haneun saram ap-eseo oneul kaltoe-handago jarang-haneun geo jinjja mipsang-ida.
Bragging about leaving right on time in front of people pulling overtime is seriously obnoxious behavior.
💡 Shows how a single tone-deaf action instantly earns someone the mipsang label. - 밉상 짓 좀 그만해. 다들 너 뒤에서 한 소리씩 하니까.
Mipsang jit jom geuman-hae. Dadeul neo dwi-eseo han sori-ssik hanikka.
Stop acting like such a mipsang. Everyone's talking behind your back about it.
💡 Demonstrates the direct confrontation of socially grating habits among peers.
Related words in People & Relationships
내리사랑 nae-ri-sa-rang내 사람 nae sa-ram내숭 naesung남사친 nam-sa-chin낯을 가리다 Nat-eul gar-i-da