걔 말투 진짜 킹받아

The line, explained

Everyone has that one person. They have not done anything terrible, but the way they talk drives you up the wall. This line is the text you send a friend to vent: 'The way they talk is seriously infuriating.' The star word is 킹받다, a playful piece of slang for being royally annoyed. It is not real rage. It is the kind of anger you complain about with a laugh, usually in a group chat.

걔 is the casual, slightly offhand 'that person', short for 그 아이. It is perfect for talking about someone who is not there. 말투 means a way of talking or a tone of voice: 말 is speech, and 투 is manner or style. It covers the whole package, the word choice, the attitude, the little sarcastic lift at the end. In casual speech the particle is dropped, so it is just 걔 말투, 'that one's way of talking'.

진짜 means really or seriously. It is the go-to intensifier in casual Korean, and in chats you will see it everywhere: 진짜 좋아, really good; 진짜 피곤해, seriously tired. Before 킹받아, it adds a sigh. The double ㅉ is a tense sound, sharper than a normal ㅈ, so it is jin-jja with a little snap in the middle. Its standard partner is 정말, which sounds a bit softer and more careful.

킹받다 comes from 열받다, to get angry. 열 means heat and 받다 means to receive, so getting angry is literally 'receiving heat'. Slang swapped 열 for 킹, from the English 'king', making the anger king-sized. It conjugates just like 받다: 킹받아, 킹받네, 킹받았어. The thing that annoys you is the subject: 말투 킹받아. To say someone does it on purpose, use 킹받게 하다. In sound, the ㄷ of 받 links into 아, giving king-ba-da.

Say it with a dramatic eye-roll: gyae mal-tu, then jin-jja king-ba-da. Then swap in whatever annoys you: 걔 표정 진짜 킹받아, their facial expression; 걔 웃음소리, their laugh; 걔 답장, their replies; 걔 태도, their attitude. Fans also use 킹받아 with a smile when an idol teases them on stage, meaning 'annoyingly cute'. Just keep it casual. It is not a word for serious arguments.