Nuance Dictionary / Sounds & Sensations
너덜너덜 neo-deol-neo-deol
Reduced to shreds, frayed, or falling apart through heavy use, age, or wear.
What does 너덜너덜 mean?
너덜너덜 (neo-deol-neo-deol) means: Reduced to shreds, frayed, or falling apart through heavy use, age, or wear.
Speakers reach for this word when describing physical objects like books, clothes, flags, or building paint that have become heavily worn, torn, or frayed into loose strips. It pairs with verbs of wearing down, falling apart, and fluttering, appearing as 너덜너덜 닳다, 너덜너덜 떨어지다, and 너덜너덜 해지다. In everyday conversations, speakers use it to describe personal items damaged over time, such as a travel bag worn out from a trip.
Other sides of 너덜너덜
◆ Mental & Emotional Exhaustion — Standard reference materials list this adverb for physically tattered items like worn-out books, torn flags, frayed clothing, or peeling paint, as well as an obsolete or dialectal sense regarding loose or improper speech. Speakers do not find this item in official word lists for mental or psychological fatigue. When native speakers use it for mental exhaustion, they are extending the physical image of frayed threads to an overworked mind or strained patience.
Among younger or casual speakers, applying this to a brain, schedule, or mental state often evokes the vivid image of a frayed rope about to snap, turning everyday stress into something visible and tangible.
Among younger or casual speakers, applying this to a brain, schedule, or mental state often evokes the vivid image of a frayed rope about to snap, turning everyday stress into something visible and tangible.
🎙️ 너덜너덜은 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [너덜러덜]로 소리나요 (유음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 여행을 다녀온 후에 가방이 너덜너덜 해졌어.
yeo-haeng-eul da-nyeo-on hu-e ga-bang-i neo-deol-neo-deol hae-jyeo-sseo.
My bag became tattered after coming back from the trip.
💡 A friend noting the worn state of a travel bag after a trip. - 동화책이 벌써 너덜너덜 낡았다.
dong-hwa-chaek-i beol-seo neo-deol-neo-deol nalg-at-da.
The children's book is already worn to shreds.
💡 Describing a book that has aged quickly from frequent use. - 십 년이 넘도록 입은 청바지는 아랫단이 너덜너덜 닳아 버렸다.
sip nyeon-i neom-do-rok ib-eun cheong-ba-jin-eun a-rat-dan-i neo-deol-neo-deol dal-a beo-ryeot-da.
The hem of the jeans worn for over ten years has frayed to pieces.
💡 Describing long-worn clothing showing heavy physical wear at the edges.
Related words in Sounds & Sensations
느릿느릿 neu-rit-neu-rit오밀조밀 o-mil-jo-mil오손도손 o-son-do-son오글오글 ogeul-ogeul옥신각신 ok-sin-gak-sin