이 드라마 완전 꿀잼 — This drama is pure fun

Word by word

The line, explained

If you have scrolled through Korean comments under a drama trailer, you have seen this word a hundred times. 이 드라마 완전 꿀잼 — 'this drama is pure fun'. It is a full review in four words, with no verb at all, and it teaches the single most useful pair of slang words for a fan: 꿀잼 for things you love and 노잼 for things that let you down.

이 means 'this', pointing at something close to the speaker. 드라마 is a loanword from English 'drama', but in Korea it means any TV series — a romance, a thriller, a sitcom — not specifically something serious. 완전 is 'completely' or 'totally', and in casual speech it is one of the go-to intensifiers, like 'so' or 'totally' in English. 완전 좋아 is 'totally love it'.

꿀잼 is the slang. Split it in two. 잼 is a clipped form of 재미, the word for 'fun' or 'interest' — the thing a good show has and a bad one lacks. 꿀 means 'honey', and in Korean slang honey is shorthand for anything sweet and good. So 꿀잼 is 'honey-fun': fun so good it is sweet. The compound is pure internet Korean, but it is now spoken out loud everywhere, including on television.

노잼 is its mirror. 노 comes from English 'no', and 노잼 means 'no fun' — boring, flat, a waste of an hour. Together the two words are a complete rating system. 어제 편 꿀잼 (yesterday's episode was great), 이번 편 노잼 (this one was boring). Notice there is often no verb: slang Korean lets a noun stand as a sentence, the way English says 'ten out of ten' without 'it is'. Add 이야 if you want: 꿀잼이야.

The honey prefix is a key you can reuse. 꿀팁 is a great tip, 꿀잠 is a wonderful sleep, 꿀성대 is a honey voice — the compliment fans give a vocalist. Swap the verdict in today's line and you have a whole comment section: 이 드라마 완전 노잼 is a disappointed fan, 이 드라마 완전 핵꿀잼 adds 핵 (nuclear) for 'insanely fun', 이 드라마 완전 레전드 means it has entered the hall of fame.

Grammar · 꿀잼 / 노잼

“super fun” / “no fun” (slang)

잼 is a clipped form of 재미 (fun, interest). Stick 꿀 (honey) in front and you get 꿀잼, 'honey-fun' — really fun. Stick 노 (from English 'no') in front and you get 노잼, 'no fun' — boring. Both work as instant one-word reviews, with no verb needed in casual speech: 이거 꿀잼 (this is great), 그 영화 노잼 (that film was boring).

그 영화 노잼이야.That movie is boring.
오늘 콘서트 완전 꿀잼이었어.Today's concert was so much fun.
핵꿀잼!Insanely fun!

Why it hits

꿀 (honey) is Korean slang's favourite prefix for anything good — 꿀팁 (a great tip), 꿀피부 (perfect skin), 꿀잠 (a deep sleep). 꿀잼 and its opposite 노잼 are how fans rate episodes, variety shows and whole comebacks in comment sections, and idols use them about themselves too.

Practice

Make it yours

Swap one word and the line becomes your own.

이 드라마 완전 꿀잼

This drama is pure fun

Quick check

What are the two parts of 꿀잼?