Aigoo Meaning In Korean (아이고)

Want to know what the Korean word aigoo (아이고) means? If you live in Korea or watch a lot of Korean dramas, you have probably heard this word ‘aigoo’ a lot and wondered what it means. In this short lesson, we will explain the meaning of aigoo (아이고) and how to use this expression when speaking Korean.

Aigoo Meaning (아이고)?

Aigo (아이고) is a Korean exclamation expression which is similar to the English expressions ‘Oh!’ ‘Oh Dear!’ , ‘Oh My!’, ‘Oh My God!’ ‘Geez!’, and so on. Aigo can be used to express shock or surprise in many different situations. Let’s look at some examples.

Example Sentences With ‘Aigoo’ (아이고)?

• 아이고! 고생했어요. [a-i-go! go-saeng-hae-sseo-yo.] = Gosh! You worked hard.
• 아이고! 괜찮아요? [a-i-go! kwen-chan-a-yo?] = Oh My! Are you okay?
• 아이고! 어깨가 계속 아프네. [a-i-go! eo-ggae-ga gye-sok a-peu-ne] = Gosh! My shoulder keeps hurting.

How To Pronounce Aigoo (아이고)

You may hear Aigoo pronounced as either 아이고 [a-i-go] or 아이구 [a-i-gu] and both of them are correct. The second one is just how people often say it in spoken language, but if you look it up in a dictionary it is 아이고.

Is ‘Aigoo’ (아이고) A Bad Word?

Aigoo (아이고) is not a bad word or a curse word in Korean. It is just used to express shock, or surprise in Korean. You can use this expression with people older than you as long as you remember to add a polite or formal ending at the end of your sentence.

Similar Expressions To Aigoo (아이고)

Here are some other useful Korean exclamations.

• 맙소사! [map-so-sa!] = Oh My God!
• 헐! [heol!] = OMG!
• 에이! [e-i!] = Are you kidding me?
• 뭐라고? [mweo-ra-go?] = What?
• 대박! [Dae-bak!] = Amazing!
• 진짜? [jin-jja?] = Really?

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