벼락치기 (byeorakchigi) — Last-minute cramming.
Lesson 44 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang.
What 벼락치기 means
Describe studying a large amount immediately before an exam. 벼락치기 is a familiar colloquial word for hurried study just before a test. It says when and how the studying happened; it does not say whether the score was good.
A short conversation
A: 시험 공부 언제 했어?
B: 어제 벼락치기했어.
A: When did you study?
B: I crammed yesterday.
Use it with care
An established colloquial word, not a recent internet coinage. The expression is most natural with friends or in an informal setting unless the context suggests otherwise.
A neutral or polite alternative: 시험 직전에 급하게 공부했어요.
I studied hurriedly just before the exam.
Try it yourself
Is 벼락치기 a methodical semester-long study plan?
Answer: No. It is last-minute cramming. Read the Korean conversation aloud and try changing one detail to fit your own day.
Based on the author’s slang collection, with additional learning notes. AI-generated illustration created for this lesson. Browse the Korean Slang series.
Keep exploring Korean expressions in the Korean slang book on Amazon.
