새끼

Korean

Alternative forms

• 삿기 (satgi) — Early Modern

Etymology

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 삿기〮 (Yale: sàskí).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛk͈i] ~ [sʰe̞k͈i]
• Phonetic hangul: [새끼/세끼]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	saekki
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	sae'kki
McCune–Reischauer?	saekki
Yale Romanization?	say.kki

Noun

새끼 • (saekki)

1. young animal
2. (vulgar, slang, derogatory) a contemptible person, usually male; a son of a bitch

   Synonyms: 놈 (nom), 개새끼 (gaesaekki)

   • 1995, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, 4th Republic, episode 1, spoken by Kim Jae-gyu (Park Geun-hyung):

     이 새끼 너 건방져!

     i saekki neo geonbangjeo!

     You (Cha Ji-cheol) arrogant bastard!

   • 2005, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, 5th Republic, episode 7, spoken by Jang Tae-wan (Kim Ki-hyeon):

     야 이 반란군 놈의 새끼야! 니들 거기 꼼짝 말고 있어! 내 지금 전차를 몰고 가서 니놈들의 머리통을 다 날려버리겠어!

     ya i ballan'gun nom-ui saekki-ya! nideul geogi kkomjjak mal-go iss-eo! nae jigeum jeoncha-reul mol-go ga-seo ninom-deur-ui meoritong-eul da nallyeobeori-gess-eo!

     Hey, you rebel bastards! Stay there and don't move! I'll send tanks to blow off all your heads!

   • 2023, “이 새끼!”, Kim Ho-cheol (lyrics), Kim Han and Kim Tae-hoon (music)‎^[1]:

     이 새끼 도대체 누구냐? 미국 일본의 간첩 새끼냐?
     젊은이들 전쟁터에 끌려가기 전에, 이 새끼 끌어내리세!

     i saekki dodaeche nugu-nya? miguk ilbon-ui gancheop saekki-nya?
     jeolmeuni-deul jeonjaengteo-e kkeullyeogagi jeone, i saekki kkeureonaerise!

     Who the heck is that bastard (Yoon Suk Yeol)? Is that bastard an American or Japanese spy?
     Take that bastard down before young persons are brought to the battlefield!

3. (vulgar, slang, especially by male speakers) bro, dude (any man)

   저 새끼 존나 잘생겼다 ― jeo saekki jonna jalsaenggyeotda ― That dude is fucking hot

4. (endearing, by grandparents of grandchildren) kid, child

Usage notes

When 새끼 occurs before an animal name, it has no derogatory sense:

새끼 원숭이 ― saekki wonsung'i ― baby monkey

When it occurs after an animal name, it has a vulgar, derogatory sense and is typically used to negatively compare a person to the animal:

원숭이 새끼 ― wonsung'i saekki ― [you] fucking monkey