집콕 (jipkok) — staying tucked away at home.
Lesson 28 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang.
What 집콕 means
집 is home and 콕 suggests staying put in one spot. 집콕 is a short, playful way to say you are spending time at home, often by choice or because of the weather.
A short conversation
A: 이번 주말 계획 있어?
B: 비도 오니까 집콕할래.
A: Any plans this weekend?
B: It is rainy, so I’ll stay in.
How to understand it
Start with the context in the dialogue. The speaker uses 집콕 to mean “staying tucked away at home.” 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 describes a plan, not necessarily loneliness. Ask what the speaker enjoys doing at home rather than assuming they are unhappy.
A more neutral or polite alternative:
주말에는 집에서 지낼 거예요.
I will spend the weekend at home.
Try it yourself
Does 집콕 mean going to a busy café?
Show the answer
No. The speaker plans to stay at home.
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.
