In this article, we'll go over the meaning of the Korean exclamation heol and how it's used in everyday language. While heol is not a part of the official Korean language, it's a prevalent slang mainly used by the younger generation.
Table of Contents
Heol meaning
Saying heol (헐) is the equivalent of saying "what the heck," "really?" "are you serious?" or "no way."
It's used as a response to seeing or hearing something that you find shocking, ridiculous, or disappointing.
When to use heol
Heol is not a curse word but it is a slang word so it's not traditionally used in formal settings.
Let's look at some examples.
When you hear something shocking or ridiculous:
- A) He hasn't called me in over a week.
- B) 헐! Really?
- A) He said "I love you" on the first date.
- B) 헐! No way!
When you hear something disappointing:
- A) I'm so sorry I just woke up! I'll be there in 40 minutes!
- B) 헐! What the heck?
- A) Jagiya, I didn't feed Coco this morning!
- B) 헐! Ok, I'll try to go home early today.
헐 (heol) can also combined with 대박 (daebak) when reacting to shocking news or being pleasantly surprised such as accidentally running into a close friend, eating something extremely tasty, or hearing about the latest celebrity scandal.
헐 대박 means that's amazing or that's crazy.
Examples:
- A) Try this ice cream it's amazing!
- B) 헐 대박! This is the best ice cream I've ever had!
- A) Leah, what are you doing here?
- B) 헐 대박! I didn't know you were in Busan!
- A) I just took a picture with Tom Holland!
- B) 헐 대박! Let me see!
Polite form of heol
헐 does not have a polite form. If you're speaking to someone in the polite form, just make sure you end your sentence appropriately.
Example:
- 헐 괜찮으세요? (Oh my god, are you okay?)
- 헐 진짜 맛있네요! (Wow, this is so delicious)
- 헐 대박! 어디서 봤어요? (That's crazy! Where did you see them?)
Conclusion
- 헐 roughly means "what the heck," "really?" "are you serious?" or "no way."
- It's used as a response to seeing or hearing something that you find shocking, ridiculous, or disappointing.
- 헐 (heol) can also combined with 대박 (daebak) to emphasize the meaning.
