복불복 (bokbulbok) — hit or miss; down to luck.
Lesson 22 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang.
What 복불복 means
복불복 describes an outcome that varies unpredictably. It is common for a random draw or for uneven quality, such as ordering food without knowing whether you will enjoy it.
A short conversation
A: 어느 메뉴가 맛있어?
B: 여기는 메뉴가 복불복이야.
A: Which dish is good?
B: The menu is hit or miss here.
How to understand it
Start with the context in the dialogue. The speaker uses 복불복 to mean “hit or miss; down to luck.” A word-for-word reading can miss the tone. Compare the Korean lines with the natural English translation, and notice which part of the situation makes the meaning clear.
Use it with care
It can sound critical when applied to a shop or service. Give a concrete reason if you are writing a serious review.
A more neutral or polite alternative:
메뉴마다 맛이 달라요.
The quality varies by dish.
Try it yourself
Does 복불복 guarantee a good result?
Show the answer
No. The result could be good or bad.
Read the conversation aloud, then try the neutral alternative. Think about which one fits a friend and which one fits a polite conversation.
Based on the author’s slang collection, with additional learning notes. AI-generated illustration created for this lesson.
