Nuance Dictionary / Slang & Internet Culture
열받다 Yeol-bat-da
To experience a sudden, visceral surge of anger that feels like physical heat rising in the body.
What does 열받다 mean?
열받다 (Yeol-bat-da) means: To experience a sudden, visceral surge of anger that feels like physical heat rising in the body.
Speakers use this verb when describing a state where anger or excitement causes a physical sensation of heat in the body. It appears in contexts where annoyance reaches a boiling point, disrupting sleep or causing visible physical reactions like flushing. It combines with adverbial modifiers describing degree, such as 너무, and pairs with verbs or states expressing a lack of rest or visible bodily changes.
This can sound intensely raw and immediate, often painting a vivid picture of a person visibly flushed and boiling with frustration rather than maintaining a calm exterior.
This can sound intensely raw and immediate, often painting a vivid picture of a person visibly flushed and boiling with frustration rather than maintaining a calm exterior.
Other sides of 열받다
◆ The Performative Grumble — Speakers use this when recounting frustrating events or expressing exasperation over annoying behavior. It turns up in casual complaints about daily setbacks, delays, or repetitive annoyances. It pairs with modifiers indicating degree, such as '너무', and appears in descriptions of gradual physical reactions to frustration.
Among peers, sharing these moments can function as an invitation to mutual complaint, turning a personal annoyance into a shared grievance.
◆ The Ironic Understatement — Speakers use this to describe feeling hot or worked up due to anger or agitation. It turns up when someone's sleep is disrupted by frustration, or when a person's face turns red from escalating irritation. It also appears when warning someone against provoking further annoyance.
Among younger speakers, this can sometimes be used to describe minor everyday inconveniences with exaggerated gravity, turning a standard complaint into a humorous, self-deprecating comment.
Among peers, sharing these moments can function as an invitation to mutual complaint, turning a personal annoyance into a shared grievance.
◆ The Ironic Understatement — Speakers use this to describe feeling hot or worked up due to anger or agitation. It turns up when someone's sleep is disrupted by frustration, or when a person's face turns red from escalating irritation. It also appears when warning someone against provoking further annoyance.
Among younger speakers, this can sometimes be used to describe minor everyday inconveniences with exaggerated gravity, turning a standard complaint into a humorous, self-deprecating comment.
🎙️ 열받다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [열받따]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 너무 열받아서 잠이 안 온다.
neo-mu yeol-bat-a-seo jam-i an on-da.
I'm so heated with anger that I can't sleep.
💡 Shows frustration severe enough to disrupt sleep. - 그녀는 생각할수록 열받는지 점점 얼굴이 시뻘게졌다.
geu-nyeo-neun saeng-gak-hal-su-rok yeol-bat-neun-ji jeom-jeom eol-gul-i si-ppeol-ge-jyeot-da.
The more she thought about it, the more flushed her face became as she grew angry.
💡 Shows the physical reaction of a reddening face as anger builds. - 너 자꾸 열받게 굴지 마.
neo jak-ku yeol-bat-ge gul-ji ma.
Stop acting in a way that makes me so angry.
💡 Directly confronts someone whose behavior is provoking anger.
Related words in Slang & Internet Culture
열공 yeol-gong열일 yeol-il영고 yeong-go억까 eokkka취향저격 chwi-hyang-jeo-gyeok