How to Be Cute in Korean: Aegyo Gestures, Vocabulary, & Makeup

The cutest aegyo gestures and techniques to charm any oppa

Co-authored by Bailey Cho

Last Updated: April 28, 2024 Fact Checked

In Korea, “Aegyo” is defined as acting cute or in a child-like way, and it’s a popular way to flirt with a guy or girl you like. Many Koreans do aegyo to appear more adorable, but it’s also used to get something you want. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to master aegyo—from changing your voice to drawing your aegyo-sal with makeup.

Things You Should Know

Raise your voice slightly higher to sound more cute, innocent, and bubbly.
Make eye contact with the other person and bat your eyelashes. If you’re feeling flirtatious, flash a wink or widen your eyes to make them look more doe-like.
Use the contour side of an aegyo-sal pencil to define your eye puff, then use the lighter side to highlight your inner corner and the area underneath your lashline.

Steps

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1
Raise your voice an octave higher. One of the easiest ways to do aegyo is to speak in a higher tone. Just play around with the volume and pitch of your voice until you find the perfect combination that’s cute and bubbly. ^{[1]
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- Need inspiration? Look up “K-drama aegyo scenes” on YouTube and take a cue from your favorite actors and actresses.
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2
Wink, blink, and flirt with your eyes. A huge part of doing aegyo is using your eyes to appear more cute and shy. Make eye contact with the other person, blink a little more rapidly than usual, and flutter your eyelashes. If you’re feeling extra bold, flash a flirtatious wink or widen your eyes to look more engaged during conversation.
- If you see something cute, you could make a fist and clench it to your chest, then point at what you’re seeing and say, “Aww, that’s so cute!” or “Geugeo neomu gwiyeowo (그거 너무 귀여워)!”
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3
Stretch the final vowels of your words. If a word ends in a vowel, exaggerate the vowel so it sounds almost baby-like. For example: “Annyeong Oppa (안녕 오빠)” can turn into “Annyeong OpPAAA,” with the letters in capitals being the sounds that are more pronounced. ^{[2]
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- "Annyeong" means "hello," and "Oppa" is a word that girls use to address their older brother or a close older male friend.
- If you're speaking to an older girl, you can say, “Annyeong Noona (안녕 누나)” instead.
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4
Add an ieung (ㅇ) or mieum (ㅁ) at the end of your words. For words that end in a vowel, feel free to attach either consonant at the end to sound even cuter. An ieung (ㅇ) sounds the most similar to “-ng” in English, while a mieum (ㅁ) is the closest to a traditional “-m” sound.
- Older brother: Change “Oppa (오빠)” to “Oppang (오빵).”
- I’m hungry: Change “Baegopa (배고파)” to “Baegopayong (배고파용)”
- Where are you?: Change “Eodiya? (어디야?)” to “Eodiyam? (어디얌?)”
- I miss you: Change “Bogosipeoyo (보고싶어요)” to “Bogosipeoyong (보고싶어용)”
- What are you doing?: Change “Mwohaeyo? (뭐해요?)” to “Mwohaeyong? (뭐해용?)”
- Thank you: Change “Gamsahabnida (감사합니다)” to “Gamsahabnidang (감사합니당).”
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5
Perform aegyo hand gestures. Including your hands will make you look so much more adorable when you’re doing aegyo. Throw out any of the following gestures to do classic aegyo, or search “ending fairy K-pop” videos on YouTube to discover unique options from popular K-pop idols:
- Finger heart: Put your index finger and thumb together like a snap to form a tiny heart.
- Cheek poke: Smile to puff up your cheeks, then use your index finger to poke at one cheek.
- Bbooing-bbooing: Ball your hands into fists, then shake them back and forth beside your cheeks.
- “V” pose: Make a peace sign with your index and middle finger, hold it beside your eye, and wink through the gap.
- Hand next to cheek: Place the palm of your hand on one cheek, then open your mouth and make a surprised expression.
- Flowering face: Put the top of your wrists together, then place your palms underneath your chin (so your face looks like a blooming flower).
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6
Define your aegyo-sal with makeup. Your aegyo-sal (애교살) is the puffy area of fat under your eyes that makes you look more cute and innocent. Smile to see the natural shape of your aegyo-sal, then use the contour side of an aegyo-sal pencil to create a shadow below your eye puff. Use the lighter side to highlight your inner corner and the area below your lash line. Blend any harsh lines with your finger. ^{[3]
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- Alternatively, use a neutral eyeshadow to define the crease of your aegyo-sal, then highlight the puffy area with a champagne or glittery eyeshadow .

Community Q&A

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Is it awkward to hear Korean words pronounced by non-native speakers with a poor Korean accent?

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A little bit, but if you keep practicing you'll get better, you may even be able to get the accent down.

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Could I do aegyo if I'm not Korean?

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Yes, but it may seem stranger in western countries and not as effective.

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Can I go to a Korean school and be from a western country?

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Yes, most Korean schools accept students from all over the world.

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Practice doing aegyo at home so you don’t overdo it—raising your voice too high or overexaggerating the final vowels of your words can come across as whiny or annoying.

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Study Korean to improve your pronunciation of words when doing aegyo. Take in-person language classes at your local community college, or take online learning courses like KoreanClass101, Talk to Me In Korean, Udemy, and Coursera.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Get inspiration by watching clips of popular K-pop idols and K-drama actors online. Wonyoung from IVE, Sana from Twice, and Jooheon from Monsta X are known for their adorable aegyo!
Don't know where to start? Search "Gwiyomi aegyo" on Youtube, and mimic the cartoon's motions and voices. It's a great tutorial for learning aegyo until you develop your own style.
Don't fake your aegyo. If you feel awkward raising your voice or winking, try something else. Aegyo is all about experimenting and creating your own unique behavior.

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How to Be Cute in Korean: Aegyo Gestures, Vocabulary, & Makeup

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