덕질 (deokjil) — Spending time on your fandom.
Lesson 47 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang.
What 덕질 means
Talk about enjoying fan activities, collecting content, or following a favorite artist. 덕질 names the activity of being a fan: following releases, attending events, discussing work, or collecting related items. It is a verb-like noun used in 덕질하다.
A short conversation
A: 주말에 뭐 했어?
B: 공연 보면서 덕질했어.
A: What did you do this weekend?
B: Went to a show and enjoyed my fandom.
Use it with care
Informal. Does not inherently imply obsession or excessive spending. The expression is most natural with friends or in an informal setting unless the context suggests otherwise.
A neutral or polite alternative: 주말에 좋아하는 가수의 공연을 봤어요.
I saw my favorite singer perform this weekend.
Try it yourself
Does 덕질 necessarily mean spending a lot of money?
Answer: No. Fandom activities take many forms. 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.
