Daebak means: Korean exclamation meaning "amazing" or "awesome" . Used freely in K-pop fan English to react to good news, songs, or performances.. It comes from K-pop or Korean fan culture; common in fan accounts, Twitter/X stan communities, and TikTok edits. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
daebak
Korean exclamation meaning "amazing" or "awesome" (대박).
Etymology timeline
Born ~2010 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
Global
#1·Apr 26, 2026Global
Korean exclamation meaning "amazing" or "awesome" (대박). Used freely in K-pop fan English to react to good news, songs, or performances.
"Their new title track is daebak."
Origin: Korean loanword; entered international fan use through K-dramas and K-pop content from the 2010s.
For parents
Daebak means: Korean exclamation meaning "amazing" or "awesome" . Used freely in K-pop fan English to react to good news, songs, or performances.. It comes from K-pop or Korean fan culture; common in fan accounts, Twitter/X stan communities, and TikTok edits. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
daebak means: Korean exclamation meaning "amazing" or "awesome" . Used freely in K-pop fan English to react to good news, songs, or performances.. Register: very informal, K-pop fan community. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: exclamation
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "daebak" (D)
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