I’m back with more webtoon onomatopoeia again by request! Onomatopoeia is found not only in webtoons but also used a lot in Korean reality TV shows like Running Man, I Live Alone, Knowing Bros, etc. You can also find them in Kakao emoticons/stickers or other texting platforms. But today I’ll be delving deeper into different sounds and Korean sfx, with a focus on genre.

Note that a lot can overlap, but to avoid repeating myself I just kept certain ones to certain genres. So just because something isn’t in the action section doesn’t mean it won’t come up in an action webtoon! Anyway, let’s get into it~

 

Korean Webtoon Onomatopoeia!

Onomatopoeia from People

First up is ubiquitous to all genres or platforms; people doing things! Laughing, crying, eating, you’ll see them everywhere so instead of tying these to one genre I kept them separate.

Reactions

아야: a-ya (general exclamation)
: ack!
웁찔: flinch
: gasp
: ummm…
: exhale
!: Shh!
소곤: whispering
끄덕: nod

열심: eager
유치: childish
힐끔: glance
막막: uncertain
패닉: panic/scared
긴장: nervous
고민: worried
무응답: no response
웅성: noisy

 

Laughing

오호호: a woman laughing haughty (like the ohohoho laugh you’d see in anime)
하하: laughing
크크/ㅋㅋㅋㅋ: laughing
: laughing but cut short, like you’re trying to hide it
시끌: snicker

 

Crying

엉엉: bawling/crying
어허회: sob
우휴휴/우유유: crying
을상: dejected

 

Eating/Drinking

냠냠: cutely chewing food
쩝쩝: nosily eating food
우걱우걱: eating
바삭바삭: crunchy
꿀꺽꿀꺽: gulping, drinking

짝짝짝: clapping

: blank stare
부릅: stare

 

Your Letter - Slice of Life Onomatopoeia

Your Letter – 바삭바삭: crunch crunch 덜컹: rattle

Slice of Life Onomatopoeia

: wrong bell noise (from game shows)
딩댕동: correct bell sound (from game shows)

딩동: doorbell
빵빵: car horn
째깍째깍: clock ticking
똑똑똑: knocking
삐걱삐걱: creaking/squeaking (like a squeaky door)
딸랑딸랑: jingling
달그락 달그락: clattering
덜컹: rattle
땡땡땡: clanging
딸깍: click

뚜벅: footsteps
다다다: running sound
바스락: rustle
휘이: swooshing/whooshing
옥신: moving
꾸벅: bow

: farting
너저분: messy
지저분: dirty

To find more daily life sounds check out my first onomatopoeia post, where I cover animal noises, water/rain effects, and more!

 

Onomatopoeia for Romance

두근두근: heartbeat sound
!: lip smacking kiss sound
뽀뽀: kiss/smooch
스륵: stroke
음찔: flinch
속닥: whisper
쭈글: timidly
쭈글: presses/hold tight

 

Action Webtoon Onomatopoeia SFX

: whack
: hit
: slap
: smashing sound or about to hit someone
: bang
: crashing sound
콰앙: crash
꽈악: grabbing
화들짝: surprise/shock

 

The Remarried Empress - Korean Webtoon Onomatopoeia

The Remarried Empress – 바스락: rustle 휘이: swooshing

Fantasy Webtoon Onomatopoeia

반짝반짝: sparkle/twinkle
보글: bubble

슥/스윽: something smoothly and quietly moving
: poof (suddenly appears/disappears)
파앗: zap
치료: heal
부활: revive/resurrect

 

Onomatopoeia in Thriller/Horror

: gasping/panting
부들부들: trembling/shaking
휘정이: sway/falter
털썩: thud, fall to the ground

바스락바스락: rustle rustle
촤악: quick swish sound, could be a slash/swipe
꾸깃: crumpling
화르륵: burning sound




2 Comments

kris · June 20, 2024 at 5:34 pm

wow thats amazing I had no idea there was so much webtoon onomatopoeia! I like that you featured Remarried Empress too, one of my favorite webtoons!

    Pam · June 20, 2024 at 11:06 pm

    yeah I’m looking forward to the new season!

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