Archive #22

Annyeong Daily #22: answers explained

October 26, 2026 · Today covered love, leaving a fandom, a winter street snack and "can't." You also learned a sound rule that hides in a very common word.

Want to try it first? The answers are below.Play #22

1Drama talk

A couple says goodbye at the airport: '사랑해.' What did they say?

사랑해 (saranghae)

Thank you
I love you
I miss you
Goodbye

Answer: I love you

사랑해 (saranghae) means "I love you." 사랑 (sarang) means love, and 하다 (hada) means "to do." Korean drops "I" and "you" when they are clear. Casual: 사랑해. Polite: 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo). Formal: 사랑합니다 (saranghamnida). Couples say it, and parents say it to children. Some older Koreans rarely say it to family in words. They show love with care and food instead. Example: 엄마, 사랑해요 (eomma, saranghaeyo) — "Mom, I love you." "I miss you" is a different phrase: 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo).

Casual (반말) · warm · Say it to: Partner, close family, very close friends

2K-pop

A fan sadly writes '나 탈덕했어'. What happened?

탈덕 [탈떡] (taldeok)

They stopped being a fan
They met their idol
They bought a light stick
They became a trainee

Answer: They stopped being a fan

탈덕 (taldeok) means to stop being a fan. 탈 (tal) means to escape or leave. 덕 (deok) comes from 덕후 (deokhu), a word for a big fan. 덕후 comes from 오덕후 (odeokhu), a Korean form of the Japanese word otaku. The opposite word is 입덕 (ipdeok), "to become a fan." 입 (ip) means to enter. Fans use these words online, often in a light, joking way. Fan activities are called 덕질 (deokjil). Example: 요즘 덕질이 너무 재밌어요 (yojeum deokjiri neomu jaemisseoyo) — "Fan activities are so fun these days." 탈덕 is not about meeting an idol or buying goods.

Say it to: Friends and fellow fans — it's fan slang

3Food

What is 호떡?

호떡 (hotteok)

A spicy rice cake
A fish cake
A sweet pancake filled with brown sugar
A seaweed snack

Answer: A sweet pancake filled with brown sugar

호떡 (hotteok) is a sweet, chewy pancake sold on the street in cold months. The dough is filled with brown sugar and cinnamon, then fried flat on a hot pan. Some places add seeds and nuts. The sugar melts into a hot syrup, so be careful with the first bite. 떡 (tteok) usually means rice cake, but 호떡 is made from wheat flour. It is said that Chinese traders brought this snack to Korea more than 100 years ago. Example: 호떡 두 개 주세요 (hotteok du gae juseyo) — "Two hotteok, please." It is not a spicy rice cake. That is 떡볶이 (tteokbokki).

Say it to: Anyone — it's a plain noun; your verb sets the politeness

4Grammar

Fill in the blank: 'I can't drink alcohol.'

저는 술을 ___ 마셔요. (jeoneun sureul ___ masyeoyo.)

Answer: 못 — 저는 술을 못 마셔요.

술을 못 마셔요 (sureul mot masyeoyo) means "I can't drink alcohol." 못 (mot) means "cannot." It shows you are not able, for health or other reasons. Put it right before the verb. 안 (an) means "do not," and it often sounds like a choice. In Korea, drinking with co-workers can be part of work life. 못 마셔요 is a polite way to say no, because it sounds like you have no choice. Example: 저는 매운 음식을 못 먹어요 (jeoneun maeun eumsigeul mot meogeoyo) — "I can't eat spicy food." 도 (do) means "also" and 잘 (jal) means "well," so they change the meaning.

Also read: Korean drinking etiquette — two hands, turning your head and 건배 (geonbae)

5Hangul

How is this actually pronounced?

맛있어요 [마시써요]

matiseoyo
masiteoyo
masiseoyo
masisseoyo

Answer: masisseoyo

맛있어요 (masisseoyo) means "It's tasty." It is 맛 (mat, taste) plus 있어요 (isseoyo, there is). So literally it is "There is taste." When a syllable ends in a consonant and the next one starts with a silent ㅇ, the consonant usually moves over. So the ㅅ of 맛 moves to the next syllable, and the ㅆ of 있 moves too: [마시써요]. That is why you hear ss. The official rules list [마디써요] first, but [마시써요] is also standard, and almost everyone says it. Example: 이 국 정말 맛있어요 (i guk jeongmal masisseoyo) — "This soup is really tasty." The opposite is 맛없어요 (madeopseoyo), "It's not tasty."