Nuance Dictionary / Interpersonal Friction
얄밉다 yal-mip-da
Annoying and detestable, but in a cheeky, clever, or petty way
What does 얄밉다 mean?
얄밉다 (yal-mip-da) means: Annoying and detestable, but in a cheeky, clever, or petty way.
This isn't a deep hatred. It's the feeling you get toward a coworker who always manages to look busy when the boss is around but does zero work otherwise. They are clever about it, which makes them perfectly '얄밉다'.
🎙️ 얄밉다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [얄밉따]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 맨날 놀면서 시험 만점 받는 친구 보면 진짜 얄밉다.
maennal nolmyeonseo siheon manjeom banneun chingu bomyeon jinjja yalmibda.
It's so annoying when a friend always plays around but gets a perfect score on tests.
💡 Used for cheeky or petty annoyance toward someone's clever behavior. - 그 남자는 미운 소리만 골라서 하는데 묘하게 얄단 말이야.
geu namjaneun miun soriman golraseo haneunde myohage yalmipda.
That guy only says things that tick you off, but in a weirdly petty way.
💡 Describes someone who is irritating in a smart-aleck, hard-to-hate way. - 맨날 혼자 몰래 공부하더니 시험을 1등으로 통과한 동기가 묘하게 얄밉다.
maennal honja mollae gongbuhadeoni shiheomeul ildeungeuro tong-gwan donggiga myohage yalmipta.
The coworker who always secretly studies alone and then tops the exam is somehow annoyingly cheeky.
💡 Use for someone who is frustratingly clever or sneaky without doing direct harm.
Related words in Interpersonal Friction
괘씸하다 gwae-ssim-ha-da섭섭하다 seop-seop-ha-da서운하다 seo-un-ha-da떼쓰다 tte-sseu-da우기다 u-gi-da