Sometimes you might run into situations where someone in your vicinity is either being too loud. Or, maybe you are having an argument and don’t want to hear the other person speak at that moment. Today we will teach you how to say ‘Shut up’ in Korean.

Since this is a bit of a harsh phrase, we will also cover its more polite sister ‘Please be quiet’. While it’s recommendable to try to avoid being rude on purpose towards anyone, it might still be necessary to also know how to say ‘shut up’ in Korean, just in case.

 

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‘Shut up’ in Korean

There are several ways to express ‘shut up’ in Korean, but the primary way is 입 닥쳐 (ib dakchyeo). 입 (ib) means ‘mouth’ while 닥쳐 (dakchyeo) simply means ‘shut up’ or ‘keeping one’s mouth shut’. This means that you don’t necessarily even need to add입 (ib) to express ‘shut up’, but it’s good for emphasis.

 

Sample Sentences

The following phrases are very informal, so make sure you use them accordingly!

 

제발 입 닥쳐 (jebal ib dakcheyo)

Please shut up

 

입 닥쳐! 웃긴소리 하지마! (ib dakchyeo! utkinsori hajima)

Shut up! Don’t be ridiculous!

 

Other Related Vocabulary

Although it might be fun and even useful to learn some bold Korean words, such as ‘shut up’, it’s even more important to know the more polite equivalent expressions that could be applicable to use in a daily life situation. Though, do take note that even ‘please be quiet’ is something that is considered quite informal in Korean language, no matter how formally you try to say it. Therefore, take that into consideration before telling anyone to be quiet – especially an elder person – no matter how annoyed by their loudness you might be.

 

시끄러워! (shiggeureoweo)

Be quiet! (The word comes from the verb 시끄럽다, which means ‘to be noisy’, so the literal meaning of the word is to exclaim that something or someone is being noisy.)

제발 조용히 좀 하세요 (jebal joyonghi jom haseyo)

Please be quiet

조용히 해주세요 (joyonghi haejuseyo)

Please be quiet

좀 조용히 해주실래요? (jom joyonghi haejusillaeyo?)

Could you please keep your voice down?

 

A word of caution about Romanization

While we offer a Romanization of the Korean words we teach, it’s best to actually learn the Korean alphabet, Hangul. We recommend that you use that more so than the Romanization which tends to have some variations that can get you and others confused. Romanization is perhaps best left to assist in learning the pronunciation of the words.

Learning Korean alphabet might seem like a scary idea, what with the completely new alphabet system and all, but it’s actually very systematic and simple alphabet to grasp! Indeed, you can actually learn to master Hangul in less than two hours!

 

It’s actually popular among Koreans to teach their foreigner friends how to say ‘Shut up’ in Korean – or one of its equivalent terms as some of the first things about Korean language. Therefore, you can also use this lesson as a way to impress your closest Korean friends, but please try to otherwise limit the use of ‘Shut up’ in Korean as not to needlessly offend anyone.

 

 *Want more Korean phrases? Go to our Korean Phrases Page for a complete list!