🍴 What Kind of “수저(Spoon)” Are You? Korean Family Background Slang Explained!
In Korea, 수저 (sujeo) literally means spoon and chopsticks(🥄숫가락+🥢젓가락), but it’s also used as slang to represent one’s family background or upbringing.
🥄 Common “Spoons”
1. Gold Spoon (금수저) & Dirt Spoon (흙수저)
▪️금수저-Gold Spoon: Born into a wealthy, privileged family.
▪️흙수저-Dirt Spoon: Born into a less wealthy, working-class or poor family.
These reflect familiar social-status contrasts, similar to “born with a silver spoon” in English.
💪 Newer Slang Variations
2. Muscle Spoon (근수저/근육수저)
Not about money—it means being born with natural advantages like athletic genes or physical talent.
근육=muscle
Example: “걔는 진짜 근수저야"(He’s a real musclespoon)—born with strong muscles.
3. Jjajang Spoon🍜 (짜장수저)
Literally refers to having Jjajangmyeon (black noodles) often—especially if your parents owned a Chinese restaurant.
You grew up eating it all the time!
4. Tangerine Spoon🍊 (귤수저)
Means growing up in a household stocked with tangerines, especially common in Jeju Island families.
5. Smile Spoon (웃수저) – Born with a naturally great sense of humor and always makes people laugh 😂
(Someone who was "born funny" – humor just comes naturally!)
💬 What’s Your Spoon?
Are you a 💪근수저? or a 😂웃수저?
Let me know in the comments!
If this sparked your interest, we can explore more modern Korean expressions together in our classes! 😊