티키타카 (tikitaka) — Easy, lively back-and-forth.
Lesson 53 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang. This expression appears in the book’s fandom and entertainment section.
What 티키타카 means
Praise two people whose conversation flows naturally or whose witty replies build on each other. The situation and tone help determine how natural the expression sounds.
A short conversation
A: 둘이 대화가 정말 잘 통하네.
B: 응, 티키타카가 잘돼.
A: You two really click in conversation.
B: Yes, we bounce off each other well.
Use it with care
Borrowed from football terminology. It is about a reciprocal rhythm, not simply talking fast or interrupting.
A neutral or polite alternative: 대화가 잘 통해요. — We communicate well.
Try it yourself
Can one person have 티키타카 entirely alone?
Answer: No. It describes a back-and-forth between people. Read the Korean exchange aloud, then replace one detail with something from your own life.
Learn the rest of the series in Basic Korean Grammar. Find more expressions in the Korean slang book on Amazon.
