잠수 타다 (jamsu tada) — To go silent or disappear from contact.
Lesson 37 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang.
What 잠수 타다 means
Describe someone who stops replying or becomes unavailable without explanation. 잠수 literally means diving. Figuratively, 잠수 타다 means dropping out of contact, often in messages or a group project. It does not tell you why the person is absent.
A short conversation
A: 담당자한테 연락됐어?
B: 아니, 갑자기 잠수 탔어.
A: Did you reach the person in charge?
B: No, they suddenly went silent.
Use it with care
Can sound accusatory. Check whether there is a practical reason for the silence. The expression is most natural with friends or in an informal setting unless the context suggests otherwise.
A neutral or polite alternative: 아직 연락이 닿지 않습니다.
I have not been able to reach them yet.
Try it yourself
Does 잠수 탔어 prove the person deliberately ignored you?
Answer: No. Ask or wait before assuming a motive. 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.
