This glossary explains exactly 30 Korean words and phrases associated with Squid Game, including what they mean, how they feel in context, and whether you should copy them or only recognize them.

You survived the scene because the English subtitle did the running. Then the screen went dark, and the Korean disappeared. These 30 entries give you something worth keeping—and tell you which expressions belong in real conversation and which should stay inside a life-or-death game.

Think of this Squid Game Korean glossary as the invitation card, not the whole game. First recognize the language. Then judge its social force. Finally, make one safe phrase come out of your own mouth.

The games: words you recognize before you understand them

Netflix’s official guide to the games and its Squid Game series hub confirm how strongly the story is built around Korean childhood games. WIRED’s game-by-game cultural explanation adds useful real-world context.

  1. 오징어 게임 (ojingeo geim) — Squid Game

    Use: recognize. 오징어 means squid; 게임 is the English loanword “game.” The name comes from the shape of the traditional playing court.

  2. 딱지 (ttakji; commonly written “ddakji”) — folded paper tile

    Use: safe as a game noun. Players throw one paper tile at another and try to flip it. The spelling “ddakji” is common in English coverage, while ttakji better reflects standard romanization.

  3. 무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다 (mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida) — “The Rose of Sharon has bloomed”

    Use: recognize as the game chant. English subtitles usually map the game to “Red Light, Green Light,” but that is a functional translation, not the literal sentence.

  4. 뽑기 (ppopgi) — picking or drawing; the candy-cutting game

    Use: context dependent. The noun comes from the idea of picking or drawing something. In the series, it refers to the challenge involving a shape pressed into brittle candy.

  5. 달고나 (dalgona) — Korean sugar candy

    Use: safe as a food noun. It is made from heated sugar and baking soda. Learners often use 달고나 and 뽑기 interchangeably, but one names the candy and the other can name the game or activity.

  6. 구슬 (guseul) — marble or bead

    Use: safe. In everyday Korean, the word can refer to a small round bead or marble. The emotional damage attached to it is, mercifully, series-specific.

  7. 줄다리기 (juldarigi) — tug-of-war

    Use: safe. It evokes pulling a rope. You may also encounter it figuratively for a struggle in which two sides keep pulling against each other.

  8. 규칙 (gyuchik) — rule

    Use: safe. Useful combinations include 규칙을 지키다 (follow the rules) and 규칙을 어기다 (break the rules). Learn the collocation, not only the isolated noun.

Money and survival: the nouns that make the games possible

A shorter vocabulary list might stop at candy and marbles. That misses the language driving the story: debt, prize money, gambling, life, and elimination. Lingopie’s Squid Game vocabulary guide also highlights the financial vocabulary behind the competition.

  1. 상금 (sanggeum) — prize money

    Use: safe. This is money awarded for winning a contest. Do not confuse it with 월급, a salary, or 상, a prize or award more broadly.

  2. 돈 (don) — money

    Use: safe and extremely common. Useful chunks include 돈이 없다 (have no money), 돈을 벌다 (earn money), and 돈을 갚다 (pay money back).

  3. 빚 (bit) — debt

    Use: safe but serious. The final consonant is not pronounced like the English word “bit.” Learn it in 빚이 있다 (be in debt) and 빚을 갚다 (repay a debt).

  4. 대출 (daechul) — loan

    Use: safe in financial contexts. A person can 대출을 받다 (take out a loan). The noun is more institutional than the broader idea of owing someone money.

  5. 도박 (dobak) — gambling

    Use: safe as a noun, but negative in many contexts. 도박을 하다 means to gamble. It can also be used figuratively for a reckless bet.

  6. 목숨 (moksum) — life, as something that can be lost or risked

    Use: register care. This is not the everyday word for “daily life.” It appears in expressions involving saving, risking, or losing one’s life.

  7. 탈락 (tallak) — elimination or failure to qualify

    Use: safe in contests, applications, and competitions. 탈락하다 means to be eliminated. In ordinary life, thankfully, elimination does not usually come with masked guards.

Pressure phrases: Korean that sounds simple because the situation is doing half the work

Pimsleur’s show-linked phrase guide and Lingopie’s list of desperate Squid Game phrases identify several expressions that recur in emotionally extreme scenes. Their meanings are useful; their intensity is not always portable.

  1. 도와주세요 (dowajuseyo) — Please help me

    Use: safe. This is a polite request for help. It works in real emergencies and ordinary situations, though your tone determines how urgent it sounds.

  2. 살려 주세요 (sallyeo juseyo) — Please save me or spare me

    Use: recognize; do not casually copy. This is far more desperate than a routine request for help. Use 도와주세요 when you simply need assistance.

  3. 안 돼 (an dwae) — No; you can’t; don’t

    Use: register care. It is casual and can sound blunt. The polite version 안 돼요 is safer, but the exact English meaning still depends on context.

  4. 제발 (jebal) — Please, I’m begging you

    Use: register care. It often carries emotional pressure. It is not the neutral “please” used in every polite request.

  5. 빨리 (ppalli) — quickly; hurry

    Use: register care. It is common, but shouting 빨리! can sound commanding. A softer request needs more language around it.

  6. 멈춰 (meomchwo) — Stop

    Use: register care. This is casual or forceful. 멈추세요 is more polite. Do not use the dramatic version on a stranger because a subtitle made it look efficient.

  7. 움직이면 안 돼 (umjigimyeon an dwae) — You must not move

    Use: recognize or adapt. The pattern -(으)면 안 돼 means “must not” or “it is not okay if.” This grammar is more reusable than the exact command.

  8. 죽지 마 (jukji ma) — Don’t die

    Use: recognize; do not treat as everyday practice. The useful grammar is -지 마, “don’t do,” but choose a calmer verb for real production.

Trust and relationships: where one English subtitle can hide a whole social decision

These final entries are quieter than the commands, but harder to use well. Casual Korean signals closeness, age, power, and emotion. A translation such as “sorry” or “trust me” cannot show all of that by itself.

  1. 미안해 (mianhae) — I’m sorry

    Use: register care. This is casual and belongs with someone close or socially equal. 미안해요 is polite; 죄송해요 is safer when more respect is needed.

  2. 괜찮아? (gwaenchana?) — Are you okay?

    Use: register care. Casual with someone close. Use 괜찮아요? when you need a polite version.

  3. 믿어 (mideo) — Trust me or believe it

    Use: register care. This casual command depends heavily on relationship and context. 믿어요 can mean “I believe you or it” politely, while a respectful request needs a fuller form.

  4. 약속 (yaksok) — promise or appointment

    Use: safe. Context decides whether it means a promise or a planned meeting. 약속하다 means to promise; 약속이 있다 often means to have plans.

  5. 선택 (seontaek) — choice or selection

    Use: safe. 선택하다 means to choose. It is useful far beyond the series, especially in formal or written contexts.

  6. 배신 (baesin) — betrayal

    Use: safe as a serious noun. 배신하다 means to betray. It is emotionally heavy, so do not use it for someone eating the last biscuit unless the household enjoys melodrama.

  7. 깐부 (kkanbu; widely written “gganbu”) — a close game partner who shares trust and resources

    Use: cultural and register care. “Friend” is too flat, while “best friend” is not an exact dictionary replacement. In the series, the word carries childhood-game intimacy, shared stakes, and trust—precisely why it lands so hard.

Register gate: would you say it outside the arena?

You need polite help at a station. Which phrase fits?
Check the answer

도와주세요 is the normal polite request. 살려 주세요 sounds like “save me” or “spare me.” Missing a platform is stressful, but probably not that stressful.

You apologize to a close friend. Which phrase is natural?
Check the answer

미안해 fits a close relationship. With a stranger or someone you should address respectfully, move to 미안해요 or 죄송해요.

You want to express “must not” in a new sentence. Which pattern matters?
Check the answer

-(으)면 안 돼 is the reusable grammar. Replace “move” with another verb instead of memorizing only the famous command.

You mean a trusted childhood-game partner. Which word carries that cultural weight?
Check the answer

깐부 is the series-defining answer. It is culturally specific, so use it with awareness rather than treating it as the universal Korean word for every friend.

One phrase leaves the arena: a 60-second recall challenge

A list can feel productive while becoming a very organized graveyard of words. Use this tiny challenge before saving anything else.

That is the moment the invitation card becomes practice: recognize, judge, speak.

Turn the glossary into a complete scene-learning loop

The 30 entries above give you the map. They cannot give you timing, voice, hesitation, or the split second in which a familiar word vanishes when the subtitle is hidden. That is where a fuller scene-based package becomes useful.

With FunFluen, you can study inside supported video pages: keep target-language subtitles above a support translation while meaning stabilizes, navigate one sentence at a time, replay a difficult line, look up a blocking word, and move through a Reading → Listening → Speaking loop. The first action is simple: isolate one short Korean line you already understand, listen again, then try to say an adapted version before revealing the text.

Turn one Squid Game line into Korean you can actually say.

FunFluen supports deliberate practice; it does not guarantee fluency, and available audio or subtitle tracks depend on the title, region, platform, and page. After the scene, you can keep the phrase moving with speaking practice.

FAQ

What does 깐부 mean in Squid Game?

It refers to a close partner in childhood games—someone with whom trust and resources are shared. “Friend” communicates part of the meaning, but not all of its cultural and emotional force.

Does 무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다 literally mean “Red Light, Green Light”?

No. It literally means “The Rose of Sharon has bloomed.” “Red Light, Green Light” is the familiar English game equivalent used to communicate the rules quickly.

Can I use these dramatic phrases in daily Korean?

Some, yes. 도와주세요, 약속, and 선택 travel well. Expressions such as 살려 주세요 and 죽지 마 belong to extreme contexts. Casual forms such as 미안해 and 괜찮아? require the right relationship.

Should I learn Hangul or romanization first?

Use romanization as a temporary bridge, but let Hangul become the main form. Romanization cannot reliably show every Korean sound, and it makes repeated subtitle recognition harder.

The subtitle got you through the scene. Now keep one line.

You do not need to leave with all 30 expressions ready for conversation. Leave with one phrase you can recognize without English, one register decision you can explain, and one sentence you have said in your own voice.

The glossary was the invitation card. The next step is not another list. It is hearing the Korean, recalling it before the reveal, and speaking back. Open FunFluen when you are ready to build that habit.

Sources

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