포동포동 po-dong-po-dong

Speakers use this to describe the healthy, chubby physique, limbs, and cheeks of infants and young children. It frequently appears alongside verbs indicating weight gain, such as 살찌다, 살이 붙다, and 살이 오르다, as well as the adjective 귀엽다. The example sentences show it used by adults commenting affectionately on a baby or a young child eating well and growing rounder. It occurs in standard polite descriptions within everyday conversation.

This word carries an affectionate warmth that frames childhood chubbiness as a sign of health, care, and vitality rather than mere weight.

◆ Pets and Animals — Speakers use this word to describe the healthy, rounded bodies of well-fed pets and animals, such as cats, puppies, or hamsters, where the plumpness signals affection rather than excess weight. It frequently combines with verbs of growing or gaining flesh, such as 살이 찌다, 살이 붙다, or 살이 오르다, to highlight a soft, well-nourished appearance. The sound itself carries a playful, affectionate warmth that softens any observation about weight gain.

Applying this to animals often invokes a protective, fond affection, framing their roundness as a sign of good care and cozy domesticity rather than a medical concern.

◆ Playful Self-Deprecation — Speakers use this word to describe getting rounder and heavier after eating well, often pairing it with verbs like 살이 찌다, 살이 붙다, or 살이 오르다. One example shows a speaker explaining to an acquaintance that their face and body filled out because they ate delicious food prepared at home. It appears naturally when discussing physical changes in a familiar tone.

When adults use this to describe their own slightly heavier cheeks or rounded stomachs, it often functions as self-deprecating humor, turning a neutral physical observation into something lighthearted.