하소연을 하다 vs 불평하다 vs 투정을 부리다
Hi, so I was curious about how you would say "to complain" in Korean and in the dictionary, the following three words came out: 하소연을 하다, 불평하다, and 투정을 부리다. Do all three mean the same thing and are they interchangeable in usage? If there are differences, please explain!! Thank you very much.

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Answer

하소연을 하다 means "appeal to someone for one's unfair, wrongful or pitiful situation"
불평하다 and 투정을 부리다 both means "complain"
But 불평하다 is formal and 투정을 부리다 is informal like as English words "whine, grumble, moan".
You should use 투정을 부리다 to a person younger than you.