From ‘Daebak!’ to ‘Jipdeuri’: Ace Your First Korean Housewarming Party!
Hello! Welcome to Maeil Hangul, where we upgrade your Korean skills every day!
Have you ever been invited to a friend’s new apartment in Korea? That special event is called a 집들이 (jipdeuri), or a housewarming party! It’s a wonderful chance to celebrate with your friends and see their new space.
Lately in Korea, there’s a huge trend of decorating homes to look like stylish cafés. People share pictures of their beautiful new places on Instagram with the hashtag #온라인집들이 (online jipdeuri). So, if you get an invitation to a real-life “home-café,” you’ll want to have the perfect phrases ready. Today, let’s learn how to be the best guest at a Korean housewarming party!
Key Expressions for Your First Jipdeuri
Here are some essential phrases that will make you sound like a natural!
1. The Essential Greeting: “Congrats on the new place!”
- Korean: 새 집 정말 축하해요!
- Pronunciation: [Sae jip jeong-mal chu-ka-hae-yo!]
- English Meaning: Huge congrats on your new home!
- Detailed Explanation: This is the first and most important thing to say when you arrive. 새 집 (sae jip) means “new house,” and 축하해요 (chukahaeyo) is the polite way to say “congratulations.” Adding 정말 (jeongmal), which means “really,” makes your congratulations sound extra warm and sincere.
2. The Perfect Compliment: “The house is so pretty!”
- Korean: 집이 너무 예뻐요!
- Pronunciation: [Ji-bi neo-mu ye-ppeo-yo!]
- English Meaning: The house is so pretty!
- Detailed Explanation: Koreans love to hear compliments about their homes. 집 (jip) is “house,” and 너무 예뻐요 (neomu yeppeoyo) means “so pretty.” You can use this phrase the moment you step inside. It works for the whole house, a specific room, or even a piece of furniture!
3. The Trendy Reaction: “This is awesome!”
- Korean: 대박!
- Pronunciation: [Dae-bak!]
- English Meaning: Awesome! / Amazing! / Wow!
- Detailed Explanation: 대박 (Daebak) is a super popular slang word you’ll hear everywhere in Korea. It literally means “jackpot” or “a big hit.” Use it to express that you are seriously impressed by something. The amazing view from the window? “대박!” The delicious food your friend cooked? “대박!” It’s informal, so it’s perfect to use with close friends.
4. The “I see the trend!” Compliment: “It’s totally like a café!”
- Korean: 완전 카페 같아요!
- Pronunciation: [Wan-jeon ka-pe ga-ta-yo!]
- English Meaning: It’s totally like a café!
- Detailed Explanation: This is the ultimate compliment for a friend who follows the “home-café” (홈카페) trend. 완전 (wanjeon) means “totally” or “completely,” and 카페 같아요 (kape gatayo) means “it’s like a café.” Your friend will be so happy to hear you noticed their hard work and great taste!
Example Conversation
Let’s see how these expressions work in a real conversation. Alex is visiting his friend Mina’s new apartment for her jipdeuri.
- Alex: 미나야, 새 집 정말 축하해요! (Mina, huge congrats on your new home!)
- Mina: 알렉스, 와줘서 고마워! 어서 와. (Alex, thanks for coming! Come on in.)
- Alex: 우와, 집이 너무 예뻐요! 인테리어 센스 대박! (Wow, the house is so pretty! Your interior design sense is daebak!)
- Mina: 정말? 고마워. 요즘 유행하는 홈카페처럼 꾸며봤어. (Really? Thanks. I tried decorating it like the trendy ‘home-café’ style.)
- Alex: 완전 카페 같아요! 여기서 마시는 커피는 더 맛있겠다! (It’s totally like a café! Coffee must taste even better here!)
See how easy that was? With just a few phrases, Alex was able to make Mina feel happy and appreciated.
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive: The Secret of Jipdeuri Gifts!
Ever wondered what to bring to a Korean housewarming party? The most traditional gifts are toilet paper (휴지 – hyuji) and laundry detergent (세제 – seje).
Why? It’s all about wordplay and good wishes!
* Toilet Paper: The way toilet paper easily unrolls (풀리다 – pullida) sounds like the wish for all of the host’s problems to be “unraveled” or solved just as smoothly.
* Detergent: The detergent creates lots of bubbles (거품 – geopum), symbolizing the wish for the host’s wealth and happiness to “bubble up” and grow.
While these traditional gifts are still common, many young Koreans now prefer to give and receive gifts like house plants, scented diffusers, nice coffee beans (perfect for a home-café!), or a bottle of wine. So if you bring a nice diffuser or a plant, you’ll look very thoughtful and modern!
Let’s Review and Practice!
Great job, everyone! Today we learned how to congratulate a friend on their new home, give amazing compliments, and even choose the perfect gift for a Korean jipdeuri.
Now, it’s your turn to practice!
- Fill in the blank: Your friend shows you their new, beautifully decorated room. You want to say, “Wow, it’s totally like a café!”
- 완전 ______ 같아요!
- Make a sentence: You just arrived at your friend’s housewarming party. What is the first thing you should say to congratulate them? (Hint: Use ‘새 집’ and ‘축하해요’).
Leave your answers in the comments below! We’d love to see you try out these new phrases. See you in the next lesson
