Korean word

쩔쩔매다

Pronunciation

Romanizationjjeoljjeolmaeda

Meaning

  • verbbe flustered

Example

갑자기 질문을 받아 쩔쩔맸다.kap jja gi chil mu neul pa da jjeol jjeol maet tta

I was flustered when I was suddenly asked a question.

Illustration for 쩔쩔매다 (be flustered)

More examples

길을 잃어서 약속에 늦어 쩔쩔맸다.ki reul i reo seo yak sso ge neu seo jjeol jjeol maet tta

I was flustered because I got lost and was late for my appointment.

Core concept

A person is so unsure how to handle a situation that their actions become hurried, awkward, and ineffective.

Common phrases

  • 사람들 앞에서 쩔쩔매다sa ram deul a pe seo jjeol jjeol mae da

    be flustered in front of people

  • 시간에 쩔쩔매다si ga ne jjeol jjeol mae da

    be flustered by time pressure

  • 문제 앞에서 쩔쩔매다mun je a pe seo jjeol jjeol mae da

    be flustered in the face of a problem

Similar words

당황하다tanghwanghada: Feel thrown off by something unexpected and have trouble reacting at once.
허둥지둥하다heodungjidunghada: Act in a hurried, confused way when a situation becomes difficult.
어쩔 줄 모르다eojjeol jjul moreuda: Be unable to decide how to proceed in a troubling situation.

Definition in Korean

어떤 일에 어떻게 해야 할지 몰라 허둥지둥하며 제대로 대처하지 못하는 상태를 이르는 말.eo tteon i re eo tteo ke hae ya hal ji mol la heo dung ji dung ha myeo che dae ro tae cheo ha ji mo ta neun sang tae reul i reu neun mal

Word origin

The expressive Korean element 쩔쩔 (jjeoljjeol, "helplessly flustered") joins 매다 (maeda, "to be tied") in a verb that portrays being stuck and flustered.

Usage tips

  • The word adds a lively spoken feeling to a description of confusion, so it often sounds more vivid and casual than a plain formal term.

Opposites

Word lists with this word