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멍때리다 (meong-ttaerida) meaning in Korean
멍때리다 (meong-ttaerida) means: to stare into space with an empty head. Deliberately.
💬 Use it yourself: 나 그냥 멍때리는 중. (na geu-nyang muhng-tteh-ree-neun joong.) — "I'm just spacing out." · 불멍하러 가자. (bool-muhng-ha-ruh ga-ja.) — "Let's go stare at a fire."
⚡ There is a verb for sitting and staring at nothing on purpose. Seoul holds a national competition in it. With judges.
🔊 MUHNG-tteh-ree-da
Actually: to stare into space with an empty head. Deliberately.
Korea treats this as a legitimate activity — Seoul has hosted an official Space-Out Competition, where the winner is whoever zones out hardest, judged partly by heart rate. This is real.
🎬 Scene: she sits on the rooftop, hoodie up, staring at nothing for a full silent minute.
"그냥 멍때리고 있었어." (geu-nyang muhng-tteh-ree-goh ee-ssuh-ssuh.) — "I was just spacing out."
🎁 The variants are wonderful:
- 불멍 (bul-muhng) — zoning out at a fire. Camping's whole point.
- 물멍 (mul-muhng) — zoning out at water.
- 비멍 (bi-muhng) — zoning out at rain.
⚠️ Don't use it for absent-mindedness. 멍때리다 is chosen emptiness — forgetting things is 깜빡하다 (kkam-ppa-ka-da).
Quick answers
What does 멍때리다 (meong-ttaerida) mean?
멍때리다 (meong-ttaerida) means: to stare into space with an empty head. Deliberately.
How do you pronounce 멍때리다?
MUHNG-tteh-ree-da
When should you not say 멍때리다?
Don't use it for absent-mindedness. 멍때리다 is chosen emptiness — forgetting things is 깜빡하다 (kkam-ppa-ka-da).
It comes from Talk Like a K-Drama Lead — 75 Korean expressions with tappable audio, the scene each one comes from, and who you can safely say it to.
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