10 Korean beauty words you’ll hear everywhere (with pronunciation)
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Save this for your next trip or K-drama binge.
Beauty vocabulary
- 피부pibu
skin
- 수분subun
hydration, moisture
- 진정jinjeong
soothing, calming
- 각질gakjil
dead skin, flakes
- 모공mogong
pores
- 선크림seonkeurim
sunscreen
- 물광mulgwang
dewy "water glow" skin
- 꿀피부kkulpibu
"honey skin" — flawless skin
- 화잘먹hwajalmeok
makeup sits well on the skin
- 쌩얼ssaeng-eol
bare face, no makeup
What does 화잘먹 mean?
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A few notes for the next time these pop up in a shop or drama: **꿀피부 (kkul-pibu)**is “honey skin”—a compliment for a smooth, healthy-looking complexion.**물광 (mul-gwang)**is that dewy, almost water-gloss finish; it’s a look, not a promise that your skin is literally hydrated.화잘먹 (hwa-jal-meok)is shorthand for makeup “sitting well” on your skin (from 화장이 잘 먹다). And쌩얼 (ssaeng-eol) means bare face, often said casually about someone’s no-makeup look.
Pronunciation tip: Korean final consonants can sound softer or more clipped than English speakers expect, so the speaker button is your friend. Also, 꿀피부 and 물광 are very beauty-ad coded; you’ll hear them in product content more than everyday conversation. Which phrase sounds most natural in your language?
Bonus word: 속건조 (sok-geonjo) — “inner dryness”, when skin looks oily on the surface but feels tight underneath. You will see it on a lot of product boxes.