Aegyo is a term that refers to a cute or playful behavior or attitude, often expressed through facial expressions, gestures, and speech. In Korean culture, aegyo can be used to show affection or to get what one wants, and it is often associated with youth and femininity. Some common ways to express aegyo in Korean include using exaggerated, high-pitched speech, making cute or playful facial expressions, and using exaggerated hand gestures. Some people may also use aegyo to be more charming or attractive to others. Aegyo is not necessarily unique to Korean culture and can be found in other cultures as well.
If you’re a fan of Korean Dramas and K-Pop, you may have heard fans calling on their idols to do aegyo. You may be asking, “what is the meaning of the Korean word aegyo?”
Aegyo Meaning
The Korean word 애교 (aegyo ) literally means “behaving cutely.” This can be compared to the English term “cuteness.” The word is often translated as "cuteness" in English, and can be compared to the Chinese concept of sājiāo (撒嬌), or the Japanese concept of kawaii.
Aegyo is not limited to simply "acting cute," and includes several changes to speech, such as affrication, stopping, and /j/ insertion. Aegyo is essentially baby talk, with these changes to speech meant to mimic children. For example, replacing yo (Korean: 요) at the end of a phrase with yong (Korean: 용).
What is aegyo (애교)?
Aegyo (애교) is when a person acts cute or in a childish way, despite not being a young child themselves. Doing aegyo is a way of acting cute that is popular in Korean culture, especially among Korean Dramas and K-Pop idols.
Aegyo in Korean refers to a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures. Aegyo literally means behaving in a flirtatious, coquettish manner and it is commonly expected for both male and female K-pop idols. It's a bit of fanservice usually performed on request, though idols may display embarrassment or playful reluctance to perform it.
Aegyo (애교) Pronunciation
The word 애교 (aegyo) is pronounced similar to “egg-yo.” However, it should sound a bit more like “e-ggyo.”
Why is aegyo popular in Korea?
One reason for using aegyo to act cute is to flirt with a guy or girl you like. Many Koreans find it adorable to see your cute side. You can also use it to get something that you want. Aegyo is a great way to show affection to your friends, family, or loved ones and is a fixture of modern culture in South Korea.
Who uses aegyo?
Korean aegyo is generally performed by young Korean women, although some men might use it too from time to time. Some might find that when some men use aegyo, it makes them feel uncomfortable or weirded out. Having that kind of aegyo experience might even cause you to get 닭살 (dakssal | goosebumps)!
Of course, most people don’t use aegyo in an extreme way. In fact, quite a lot of Korean people hate it!
You can often find the more ridiculous examples of aegyo in Korean dramas or on comedy shows. Those examples are very different from how people might use them in real life since Korean dramas themselves aren’t a particularly accurate portrayal of Korea in such a way as they are oftentimes exaggerated.
These days you can see lots of Kpop idols and celebrities using aegyo not just among young women but with men too. In South Korea, you can see aegyo being used in many places.