Sharing humorous mishaps, like a failed attempt to fix a leaky sink, is a common way friends bond. This guide provides Korean expressions for joking about a DIY disaster, specifically focusing on a botched sink repair scenario. Learn how to tease a friend playfully and understand their reactions in Korean.
Table Of Content
Core Expression
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Expression: 망했다 (망했어)
Pronunciation: mang-haet-da (mang-hae-sseo)
Meaning: It’s ruined / I’m screwed / It’s a disaster (The informal 망했어 is very common among friends.)
Joking Phrases from a Friend
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Expression: 여기서 뭐 했어?
Pronunciation: yeo-gi-seo mwo hae-sseo?
Meaning: What did you do here? -
Expression: 직접 고치려고 한 거야?
Pronunciation: jik-jeop go-chi-ryeo-go han geo-ya?
Meaning: Did you try to fix it yourself? -
Expression: 완전 난장판이네!
Pronunciation: wan-jeon nan-jang-pan-i-ne!
Meaning: It’s a complete mess! / What a disaster zone! -
Expression: 전문가 부르는 게 낫지 않았을까?
Pronunciation: jeon-mun-ga bu-reu-neun ge nat-ji a-na-sseul-kka?
Meaning: Wouldn’t it have been better to call a professional? -
Expression: 너 이거 할 줄 아는 거 맞아?
Pronunciation: neo i-geo hal jul a-neun geo ma-ja?
Meaning: Are you sure you know how to do this? -
Expression: 고치기 전보다 더 심해진 것 같은데?
Pronunciation: go-chi-gi jeon-bo-da deo sim-hae-jin geot ga-teun-de?
Meaning: It looks worse than before you tried to fix it? -
Expression: 싱크대랑 싸웠어?
Pronunciation: sing-keu-dae-rang ssa-wo-sseo?
Meaning: Did you fight with the sink? -
Expression: 이게 무슨 현대 미술 작품이야?
Pronunciation: i-ge mu-seun hyeon-dae mi-sul jak-pum-i-ya?
Meaning: Is this some kind of modern art piece? -
Expression: 본업에 충실하자.
Pronunciation: bon-eob-e chung-sil-ha-ja.
Meaning: Let’s stick to your day job. (Implying plumbing isn’t their strength) -
Expression: 설명서대로 한 거 맞아?
Pronunciation: seol-myeong-seo-dae-ro han geo ma-ja?
Meaning: Did you actually follow the instructions? -
Expression: 배관은 네 적성이 아닌가 봐.
Pronunciation: bae-gwan-eun ne jeok-seong-i a-nin-ga bwa.
Meaning: Maybe plumbing isn’t your forte. -
Expression: 시도는 좋았어!
Pronunciation: si-do-neun jo-a-sseo!
Meaning: Nice try! / Good attempt! (Often said sarcastically)
Describing the Mess
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Expression: 물이 사방으로 새고 있어.
Pronunciation: mul-i sa-bang-eu-ro sae-go i-sseo.
Meaning: Water is leaking everywhere. -
Expression: 완전 엉망진창이야.
Pronunciation: wan-jeon eong-mang-jin-chang-i-ya.
Meaning: It’s a total mess. -
Expression: 온통 물바다가 됐어.
Pronunciation: on-tong mul-ba-da-ga dwae-sseo.
Meaning: Everything is flooded / soaked. (Literally: It became an ocean of water) -
Expression: 파이프가 부러졌어.
Pronunciation: pa-i-peu-ga bu-reo-jyeo-sseo.
Meaning: The pipe is broken. -
Expression: 내가 더 망쳐놨어.
Pronunciation: nae-ga deo mang-chyeo-nwa-sseo.
Meaning: I made it worse. -
Expression: 뭐가 잘못된 건지 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: mwo-ga jal-mot-doen geon-ji mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I don’t know what went wrong. -
Expression: 연장들이 여기저기 널려 있어.
Pronunciation: yeon-jang-deul-i yeo-gi-jeo-gi neol-lyeo i-sseo.
Meaning: Tools are scattered everywhere. -
Expression: 이건 수리 불가능이야.
Pronunciation: i-geon su-ri bul-ga-neung-i-ya.
Meaning: This is beyond repair. -
Expression: 완전 재앙 수준이야.
Pronunciation: wan-jeon jae-ang su-jun-i-ya.
Meaning: It’s at a disaster level. -
Expression: 전쟁터가 따로 없네.
Pronunciation: jeon-jaeng-teo-ga tta-ro eom-ne.
Meaning: It looks just like a war zone. -
Expression: 포기했어.
Pronunciation: po-gi-hae-sseo.
Meaning: I gave up. -
Expression: 내가 이걸 왜 시작했을까?
Pronunciation: nae-ga i-geol wae si-jak-hae-sseul-kka?
Meaning: Why did I even start this?
Reacting to the Teasing
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Expression: 야, 그래도 노력은 했잖아!
Pronunciation: ya, geu-rae-do no-ryeok-eun haet-ja-na!
Meaning: Hey, at least I tried! -
Expression: 웃지 마!
Pronunciation: ut-ji ma!
Meaning: Don’t laugh! -
Expression: 알았어, 알았어. 내가 망쳤어.
Pronunciation: a-ra-sseo, a-ra-sseo. nae-ga mang-chyeo-sseo.
Meaning: Okay, okay. I messed up. -
Expression: 놀리지 마!
Pronunciation: nol-li-ji ma!
Meaning: Stop teasing me! -
Expression: 인터넷에서는 쉬워 보였단 말이야.
Pronunciation: in-teo-net-e-seo-neun swi-wo bo-yeot-dan mal-i-ya.
Meaning: It looked easy online! -
Expression: 나도 할 수 있을 줄 알았지.
Pronunciation: na-do hal su i-sseul jul a-rat-ji.
Meaning: I thought I could do it too. -
Expression: 그래, 그냥 사람 불러야겠다.
Pronunciation: geu-rae, geu-nyang sa-ram bul-leo-ya-get-da.
Meaning: Yeah, I should just call someone. -
Expression: 보기보다 어렵더라고.
Pronunciation: bo-gi-bo-da eo-ryeop-deo-ra-go.
Meaning: It’s harder than it looks. -
Expression: 치우는 것 좀 도와줄래?
Pronunciation: chi-u-neun geot jom do-wa-jul-lae?
Meaning: Can you help me clean this up? -
Expression: 그래, 네 말이 맞다.
Pronunciation: geu-rae, ne mal-i mat-da.
Meaning: Fine, you’re right. / Okay, you win. -
Expression: 웃기냐?
Pronunciation: ut-kki-nya?
Meaning: Is it funny? (Can sound slightly annoyed or genuinely asking) -
Expression: 다음부턴 안 건드릴게.
Pronunciation: da-eum-bu-teon an geon-deu-ril-ge.
Meaning: I won’t touch it from now on.
Cultural Tips
Playful teasing (장난, jang-nan) is common among close Korean friends. Joking about mistakes, especially DIY fails, often involves a mix of humor and lighthearted criticism.
Self-deprecating humor can be a way to handle embarrassment. Admitting you messed up (망했다, mang-haet-da) can diffuse the situation and invite friendly jokes rather than serious criticism.
While joking is fine, be mindful of not causing genuine embarrassment or loss of face (체면, che-myeon), especially if the person seems truly upset about the situation. Keep the tone light.
Compared to some Western cultures, DIY home repair might be less common in Korea, with many preferring to call professionals (전문가, jeon-mun-ga or 기술자, gi-sul-ja) for even minor issues. Joking about a failed attempt might also touch on this cultural tendency.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: Friend A (Minjun) visits Friend B’s (Suhyeon) apartment and finds the bathroom in chaos after Suhyeon tried to fix a leaky sink.
Characters:
- A: Minjun (Visiting friend)
- B: Suhyeon (Friend who attempted the repair)
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Expression: A: 수현아, 화장실 써도 돼? 어… 이게 다 뭐야?
Pronunciation: A: su-hyeon-a, hwa-jang-sil sseo-do dwae? eo… i-ge da mwo-ya?
Meaning: A: Suhyeon, can I use the bathroom? Uh… what is all this? -
Expression: B: 아… 그게… 싱크대 고치려다가…
Pronunciation: B: a… geu-ge… sing-keu-dae go-chi-ryeo-da-ga…
Meaning: B: Ah… well… I was trying to fix the sink… -
Expression: A: 고치려다가? 이거 완전 난장판인데? 여기서 전쟁이라도 했어?
Pronunciation: A: go-chi-ryeo-da-ga? i-geo wan-jeon nan-jang-pan-in-de? yeo-gi-seo jeon-jaeng-i-ra-do hae-sseo?
Meaning: A: Trying to fix it? This is a complete disaster zone! Did you have a war in here? -
Expression: B: 놀리지 마! 생각보다 훨씬 어렵더라고. 물이 사방으로 튀고… 망했어.
Pronunciation: B: nol-li-ji ma! saeng-gak-bo-da hwol-ssin eo-ryeop-deo-ra-go. mul-i sa-bang-eu-ro twi-go… mang-hae-sseo.
Meaning: B: Stop teasing! It was way harder than I thought. Water sprayed everywhere… It’s ruined. -
Expression: A: 하하, 전문가 부르는 게 낫지 않았을까? 배관은 네 적성이 아닌가 보다.
Pronunciation: A: ha-ha, jeon-mun-ga bu-reu-neun ge nat-ji a-na-sseul-kka? bae-gwan-eun ne jeok-seong-i a-nin-ga bo-da.
Meaning: A: Haha, wouldn’t it have been better to call a professional? Looks like plumbing isn’t your forte. -
Expression: B: 알았어, 알았어. 이제 그만해. 치우는 것 좀 도와줘.
Pronunciation: B: a-ra-sseo, a-ra-sseo. i-je geu-man-hae. chi-u-neun geot jom do-wa-jwo.
Meaning: B: Okay, okay. Stop it now. Help me clean this up. -
Expression: A: 알았어. 근데 다음부턴 그냥 사람 불러~ 응?
Pronunciation: A: a-ra-sseo. geun-de da-eum-bu-teon geu-nyang sa-ram bul-leo~ eung?
Meaning: A: Alright. But next time, just call someone~ Okay?
Practice Tips
Practice these joking phrases with your Korean-speaking friends next time a funny mishap occurs! Pay attention to their tone and reaction~ Watching Korean variety shows or sitcoms can also expose you to natural, humorous conversations and teasing.
Try role-playing this sink repair scenario with a study partner. Take turns being the friend who messed up and the friend who is teasing. This will help you internalize the phrases and react more naturally in real situations. Good luck, and don’t actually break your sink while practicing! 😉
