Nuance Dictionary / People & Relationships
오지랖이 넓다 Ojirapi neolda
To have an overactive urge to stick your nose into other people's business under the thin disguise of being helpful.
What does 오지랖이 넓다 mean?
오지랖이 넓다 (Ojirapi neolda) means: To have an overactive urge to stick your nose into other people's business under the thin disguise of being helpful.
Textbooks love to translate this as 'broad-minded' or 'generous,' which is a trap that will get you side-eyed. In reality, it’s almost exclusively used as a complaint when someone crosses the invisible social boundary into private matters they were never invited into. It’s the exact energy of that relative who asks why you're still single at Thanksgiving, dressed up as friendly concern.
Other sides of 오지랖이 넓다
◆ The Warm-Hearted Busybody — While textbooks often frame 오지랖이 넓다 as purely negative interference, natives frequently use it with a fond, affectionate smile for someone who simply cannot look away when help is needed. It signals a deep-rooted sense of communal warmth and affectionate meddling, where the person organizing your life, worrying about whether you ate, and offering unsolicited advice is doing it purely out of love. Learners usually miss this cozy, mother-hen dynamic, assuming it's always an insult when it's often a badge of honor for the neighborhood caretaker.
◆ Self-Deprecating Disclaimer — When a native says this right before sticking their nose where it doesn't strictly belong, they aren't actually apologizing—they're deploying social lubricant. It says, 'I know I'm being a busybody, but I care enough to say it anyway, so don't bite my head off.' Learners often think it's a confession of deep personal flaw, but it's usually just a clever verbal permit to speak your mind without sounding like an arrogant know-it-all.
◆ Self-Deprecating Disclaimer — When a native says this right before sticking their nose where it doesn't strictly belong, they aren't actually apologizing—they're deploying social lubricant. It says, 'I know I'm being a busybody, but I care enough to say it anyway, so don't bite my head off.' Learners often think it's a confession of deep personal flaw, but it's usually just a clever verbal permit to speak your mind without sounding like an arrogant know-it-all.
🎙️ 오지랖이 넓다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [오지라피 널따]로 소리나요 (경음화, 연음법칙, 자음군단순화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 남의 연애사에 그렇게 오지랖 떨지 마.
Nam-ui yeon-ae-sa-e geureoh-ge ojirap tteol-ji ma.
Stop being such a busybody about other people's love lives.
💡 Shows the common pairing with '떨다' (to shake/act out) to describe the active behavior of meddling. - 진짜 오지랖 넓네, 네 일이나 똑바로 해.
Jinjja ojirap neol-ne, ne ir-ina ttok-baro hae.
You really love sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong; just worry about your own stuff.
💡 A classic, slightly sharp dismissal used when someone's unsolicited advice crosses the line. - 내가 오지랖 넓은 건 알지만, 이건 진짜 아니지.
Na-gae ojirap neol-beun geon al-jiman, igeon jinjja a-ni-ji.
I know I have a bad habit of meddling, but this is genuinely crossing the line.
💡 Demonstrates self-aware usage where the speaker admits their own overstepping before doubling down.
Related words in People & Relationships
생색내다 saeng-saek-nae-da사과하다 sagwahada센스 있다 Sense-it-da식구 sik-gu속을 썩이다 Sogeul sseogida