29 Korean Jokes to Sound Like a Native

The Best Korean Dad Jokes to Make Your Friends Laugh 😂

Want to impress your Korean friends at a party or in casual conversation?

Why not learn some Korean jokes?

Korean culture is not fully limited to traditional aspects such as food, names, hangul… There is also a lot of humour!

It’s a great way to show that your Korean is improving and that you’re taking it to the next level.

Making jokes in a foreign language is one of the first steps towards fluency.

It shows that you are comfortable enough to use certain words or phrases to make people laugh but also that you have a great understanding of Korean.

In this article, you will find a list of quick-fire Korean jokes and a few puns. Of course, we’ll give you an explanation for each joke.

Let’s get started!

Korean Jokes | Dad Joke Explanation

Korean Jokes | All The Best Korean Jokes

Korean Jokes | Useful Vocabulary

Korean Jokes | FAQ’s

Korean Slang // 25 Super Slang Terms You Must Learn (for 2024)

Ready to learn the most up to date Korean slang being used? This is the Korean slang that you will hear on the street or whilst watching K-Dramas and Movies

What is a Dad Joke?

There’s a word in Korean to refer to a “Korean Dad Joke”, this word is Play 아재개그 (ajaegaegeu).

This word is composed of two parts. The first part is 아재, is the contraction of the word 아저씨 (ajeossi) which means middle-aged man.

Koreans use this word to talk/refer to a man older than them. In 경상 dialect (Satoori dialect), “아저씨” (ajeossi) is pronounced Play 아재 .

Now let’s see what Play 개그 (gaegeu) means.

It is the word “gag” in English, meaning “joke”. Koreans probably use the word “gag” even more than native English speakers.

This leads us to the meaning of “dad jokes” (아재개그 ajaegaegeu). These jokes are silly ones that someone’s dad might say. Short and snappy in general with no crude factor or offence caused.

10 Common Korean Curse Words 🤬 Speak Like a Native

There’s no better way to speak like a native to use a swear word or two. The Korean language is no exception, check out 10 Korean Curse Words to learn.

All The Best Korean Jokes

Now let’s get down to business.

How many of these Korean Jokes will you get? Remember to drop us a comment below if you don’t understand any elements of the joke.

There are Korean jokes include English translations in addition to the explanations.

Some of these jokes are in Konglish. For those who don’t know, Konglish is a mixture of Korean and English.

63 Korean Words You Never Knew You Knew!

Did you know you already know loads of Korean words and that’s thanks to the inclusion of Korean Loanwords in the language. Here’s our favourites.

Jokes About People

What do you call a cute guy with no ears?
Play 귀없다! (gwieopda)

귀 (gwi) -> ears 
없다 (eopda) -> none or not existing
So, the word 귀없다 (gwieopda) means no ears. When pronounced quickly, it sounds like the Korean word for cute, which is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda).

Where does a Korean grandfather look for love?
Play e-할머니! (e-halmeoni)

할머니 (halmeoni) means grandmother. If you add an e at the beginning, you get e-할머니 (e-halmeoni), which sounds like the online dating website e-harmony.

Play 형 이씨 좀 불러줘 를 영어로 하면? How to say “Hyung, call Lee” in Korean?
Play 브로콜리 (beulokolli)

형 = bro
불러줘 = call
이씨 = Lee
= 브로콜리 Brocoli

Which celebrity used to bag groceries?
Play 짐캐리 (jimkaeri)

짐 (jim) in Korean means baggage. 캐리 sounds like carry. 짐캐리 (jimkaeri) sounds like the actor Jim Carrey. 

So, his name sounds like carrying a bag of groceries 😅

Korean Names // What are the Naming Customs in Korea?

Korean names are usually composed of three characters, but do you know about their meanings? What about generation names and clans? Follow our guide.

Jokes About Drinks and Food

Play 이 바나나를 먹으면 어떻게 될까요? What happens when you eat this banana?
Play 저한테 반하게 됩니다. You will fall for me.

This is a pun. When you read the word “바나나” it sounds exactly like the word “반하나” which means “to fall for.” It’s a silly play on two words that sound the same!

Play 저한테 불만있으세요? Do you have a problem with me?
Play 아니요, 물도 있어요 No, I also have water.

“불만있다” means “to have a complaint.” But you can also break it down to “불만 있다,” which means to “have nothing but fire.” They tell you that not only do they have fire, but also water…

What sound does milk make when it falls over?
Play 아야 (aya)

Milk in Korean is 우유, if we tilt the 우 90 degrees to the left we get 아.

Likewise if we tilt 유 we will see 야. 우유 > 아야 (aya)

It’s s clever play on the fact the letters can be turned around and change meaning.

What does a vampire drink in the morning?
Play 코피 (kopi)

We all know that vampires usually drink blood, right? In Korean 코피 means nosebleed, which sounds like 커피 (coffee).

Where does a vampire go to get a drink?
Play 코피 숍  (kopi syob)

코피 숍 Kopi syob sounds like the Korean word 커피 샵 (keopi syab) which means Coffee Shop, which also sounds like the English version.

As explained above, 코피 means nosebleed, so it’s a shop that sells nose-blood.

What did the cookie say to his friends when he was ready to go?
Play 과자! (gwaja)

When it’s time to go, you say “let’s go” to your friends. In Korean, we would say 가자 (gaja). This expression is similar to the word 과자 (gwaja), which means “snack” in Korean.

In Korea, biscuits are considered snacks. So when a cookie is ready to go, it says to its other cookie friends, 과자 (gwaja)!

What do you call a coffee that can’t move?
Play 모카! (moka)

In Korean, we say 못가 (mos ga) when we cannot go to a certain place or event.

This expression is similar to 모카 (moka), a type of coffee. Another pun to add to your list!

What is the most apologetic fruit?
Play 사과! (sagwa)

사과 (sagwa) can mean two things in Korean: apple and apology.

Sometimes, when Koreans want to apologize to someone, they give an apple to show their remorse.

What noise does a toaster make?
Play 빵! (ppang)

The word 빵 (ppang) sounds like a bang when a gun shot is heard.

It’s also means bread in Korean. What do you put in a toaster? 빵!

What do you call a 5 year old onion?
Play 오년 (onyeon)

오 (o) = 5 // 년 (nyeon) = year.

5년 means five years and it is actually spelt as onyeon. Sound familiar? Yes, it sounds just like onion.

Korean Numbers // Discover the Two Numbering Systems Used (with Quiz)

There are two numbering systems in Korean. Native and Sino-Korean numbers. Both are not used in the same instances. We’ll teach you when to use them.

Korean Jokes About Places

Where do Australians keep their money?
Play 호주머니 (hojumeoni)

In Korean, the word for pocket is 호주머니 (hojumeoni). But why Australians?

It’s because the word 호주 (hoju) in 호주머니 (hojumeoni) means Australia. 

What country has the biggest noses in the world?
Play 멕시코! (meksiko)

멕시코 (meksiko) is the way you spell Mexico in Korean.

코 (ko) means nose and 멕시 (meksi) sounds like maxi from maximum.

Which country has 4 arms?
Play 네팔! (nepal)

In the Korean number system, the number 4 is read as 넷 (net). But the ㅅ of 넷 (net) is usually omitted when combined with nouns.

팔 (pal) means “arms” in Korean. Thus, 네팔 (nepal) literally means 4 arms in Korea.

What’s the ocean’s favourite number?
Play 십! (sip)

십 (sip) is number 10 in Korean and is pronounced as ship.

Play 인천 앞바다‘ 반대말은? What’s the opposite of “Incheon Appada”?
Play 인천 엄마다 (incheon eommada)

If we look at the syllables of “앞바다” (Appada), we will see that it can also mean “it’s daddy”. 

The opposite will therefore be “엄마 다” (Eomma-Da), “it’s mum”!

Play 미국에서 내리는 비는? What do you call the rain in the US?
USB

“비” (Bi) in Korean means “rain”. So you call rain in the USA, USB.

Places in Korean | 100+ Useful Words for Beginners

Get a head start by learning the most common places in Korean and the vocabulary related to some of them. The bank, hospital and more. You’ll be ready.

Jokes About Animals

Where can you find a tired pig?
Play 피곤해 (pigonhae)

피곤해 (pigonhae) in Korean means “tired“.

In English this sounds like “Pig on hay”.

Play 직장인이 제일 좋아하는 말은? What is an office worker’s favourite horse?
Play 주말 (jumal)

Horse in Koreans means “말“ (mal), but “말” (mal) also means end or last in Korean.

“주“ (ju) means week, so “주말” (ju-mal) means “Weekend”. 

Play 가시없는 물고기는 무슨 말 했어? What did the boneless fish say?
Play 오 마이 가시!  o mai gasi!

The key to this joke is the word “가시” (gasi), which means “bone”.

The boneless fish simply says “오마이 가시!” (O-mai-gasi), which sounds like “Oh my gosh!”.

170+ Animals in Korean 🐙 The Ultimate Guide for All The Animals!

From Cat to Butterfly, Koala, Crocodile and Sparrow, find out the names of 170+ animals in Korean in this fantastic vocabulary guide. PLUS flashcards!

Others

What do you call a broken motorcycle?
Play 못타 사이클! (motta saikeul)

When a motorbike is broken, no one can use it, and so no one can ride it.

못타 (motta) means you can’t ride on it.

So when a motorbike is broken, it is called 못타 사이클 (motta saikeul) because no one can ride it.

What language do sheep speak?
Play 양말! (yangmal)

양 = Sheep and 말 = word

So 양말 in this joke would mean “sheep words” or “sheep language”!

FUN FACT | 양말 is also a real word in Korean and it means socks.

When is the best time to catch a snowman?
After Play 눈 (nun)

The word 눈 (nun) has 2 meanings: snow and afternoon.

With this double meaning, that is why the best time to catch a snowman is in the afternoon!

Dad: Hey Jimin
Jimin: Hey dad
Dad: How’s your shoulder?
Jimin: OK.
Dad: I know it’s  Play 어깨 , but how is it?

This is a dialogue between a father and son. The father asks the son (Jimin) about his shoulder, which means 어깨 (eokkae).

You’ll notice it is spelt exactly the same as “Okay”, hence the play on words.

Play 세상에서 가장 지루한 중학교는? What’s the most boring middle school in the world?
Play 로딩중 (lodingjung)

Korean colleges always end with “중 “. It is short for “중학교 “(college).

로딩 means something loading on the computer. So this is the most boring school, because you’re always sat waiting around for something.

Play 만인의 파이는 뭐게? What is everyones favourite pie?
Play 와이파이 (Wi-Fi)

Since the Korean alphabet does not distinguish between “P” and “F”, the “pie” that everyone loves is “wi-fi”. A very 21st century joke!

Best Apps to Learn Korean // Our Tremendous 12 [2024]

There have never been so many language learning apps on the market that nowadays! We analysed the best apps to learn Korean in 2021, so you don’t have to.

Vocabulary

Now that you’ve learned some Korean jokes, here are some common Korean words with basic sentence examples included.

If you are using your phone or computer to communicate with Korean native speakers, you can use these slang formats.

• JJ -> Korean slang meaning “very funny” JJ (John-Jam)
• ㅎㅎㅎ -> This is a character you can use to show that you are laughing. It looks like the English “h”, so ㅎㅎㅎ can be interpreted as “hahaha”. 
• 헤헤헤 -> “hehehe” this laugh has a similar usage as ㅎㅎㅎ.
• ㅋㅋㅋ -> pronounced as “keukeukeu”, it’s the most common way to express laughter in Korean.
• 키키키 -> essentially the same as ㅋㅋㅋ.
• ㅍㅎㅎ-> shortened version of 푸하하 (puhaha) which expresses a sudden burst of laughter.

Like learning jokes in other languages? Then why not check out our favourite Japanese jokes, Russian jokes, and our favourite Chinese Jokes also.

FAQ’s

Want More From LTL?

FANCY LEARNING KOREAN? Check out our online Korean courses here.

We offer a 7-day free trial to all online students where you can study Korean 24/7.

Want to study Korean in Korea instead? Our Korean courses in Seoul can either be taken in small groups of no more than 5 students or individually for a more tailored experience.

We even offer incredible homestay experiences in Seoul too.

To top it all off, it certainly doesn’t end with Korean. Check out the other languages we teach 👇🏻