불장난
bul-jang-nan · literally “Playing with fire”
♪ From the song 불장난 (“Playing with Fire”) by BLACKPINK, 2016
Situation: A friend describes someone's relationship as 그냥 불장난이야, and you ask AI what it means.
✕ What AI tells you
Translates it as 'It's just playing with fire', and you take it as 'It's risky'.
Why it fails: About relationships, 불장난 means a reckless fling that won't last, not just a risk. It carries a judgment: the speaker thinks it isn't serious love. BLACKPINK's 2016 song title 불장난 (English title 'Playing with Fire') uses the word.
✓ How it's used
Literal for children and matches; about love, 불장난 = a reckless, short-lived affair.
그건 사랑이 아니라 불장난이야.
geu-geon sa-rang-i a-ni-ra bul-jang-na-ni-ya
'That's not love, it's just a fling' — judging someone's relationship
애들 불장난 못 하게 해.
ae-deul bul-jang-nan mot ha-ge hae
'Don't let the kids play with fire' — the literal meaning
불장난하면 밤에 오줌 싼다.
bul-jang-nan-ha-myeon ba-me o-jum ssan-da
An old saying adults tell children: 'Play with fire and you'll wet the bed tonight'
Cultural nuance, in depth
Because 불장난 dismisses a relationship, it can hurt if used about a friend's partner. To describe your own relationship, Koreans would rarely call it 불장난 unless joking or looking back with regret.
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