Key Facts
- Word: 갑질 (gapjil), noun, mixed origin (hanja 甲 + native suffix 질)
- Register: negative, critical; common in news and everyday talk
- Senses: abuse of power by someone in a superior position, bullying by the powerful
- Pronunciation: [갑찔]
Abuse of Power in Korean: What Does 갑질 Mean?
갑질 describes behaviour, not a title: a manager who humiliates staff, or a customer who screams at a clerk because they feel entitled to. It is a common word in public debate, so you will meet it in news headlines such as 갑질 논란, a controversy over such behaviour. 갑 and 을 label parties A and B in contracts. In social discussions, they often stand for the stronger and weaker sides of a relationship. Adding 질, a suffix for actions that people disapprove of, produces "acting like party A". Speakers use it with 하다: 갑질을 하다.
How Do You Pronounce 갑질?
Say gap-jjil. The spelling is gapjil, but the standard pronunciation tenses the ㅈ after the ㅂ, giving [갑찔]. The final ㅂ of 갑 is closed with the lips and not released. With a particle such as 이, the final ㄹ of 질 moves across, and 갑질이 reads gap-jji-ri.
Example Sentences with 갑질
회사 상사의 갑질이 문제가 됐어요.
hoesa sangsaui gapjiri munjega dwaesseoyo
A manager's abuse of power became a problem.
상사 is a boss and 의 links it to 갑질. 문제가 됐어요 means "became a problem".
그 손님은 직원에게 갑질을 했어요.
geu sonnimeun jigwonege gapjireul haesseoyo
That customer abused their position over the staff.
직원에게 means "to the employee". The pattern 갑질을 하다 is the standard way to say someone did it.
갑질 문화는 사라져야 해요.
gapjil munhwaneun sarajyeoya haeyo
Abuse-of-power culture should disappear.
사라져야 해요 means "must disappear", which is how opinion pieces phrase a wish for change.
Common Phrases and Collocations
In news and daily talk the word keeps the same few partners.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 갑질을 하다 | to abuse one's power |
| 갑질 논란 | abuse-of-power controversy |
| 갑질 문화 | culture of power abuse |
The Mistake to Avoid
The pronunciation differs from the spelling.
Wrong: ✗ gap-jil, read exactly as written
Correct: ✓ gap-jjil, spoken [갑찔]
Standard Korean tenses the ㅈ after a final ㅂ. Even though the romanisation gapjil does not show it, the spoken form has a tense jj.
갑질 Compared with Similar Words
These words describe power, with different degrees of formality.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 을 | the subordinate party | Socially, 을 often means the weaker side; the contract labels themselves do not establish rank. |
| 횡포 | tyranny, high-handedness | More formal; 갑질 is the everyday term. |
| 권력 | power | Neutral noun; 갑질 is the abusive use of it. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
갑 and 을 come from 甲 and 乙, labels for the contracting parties, so 갑질 means acting like "party A" toward a "party B". The suffix 질 is native Korean and marks an activity, often a bad one.
After a Difficult Customer Leaves
Two café coworkers discuss a customer who shouted at an employee and demanded a personal apology. Both speakers use polite endings, but their description of the customer is openly critical.
Jisu
아까 그 손님이 또 소리를 질렀어요.
Akka geu sonnimi tto sorireul jilleosseoyo.
That customer shouted again earlier.
Minho
직원에게 갑질을 한 거예요?
Jigwonege gapjireul han geoyeyo?
Did they bully the staff?
Jisu
네. 직원에게 사과하라고 했어요.
Ne. Jigwonege sagwaharago haesseoyo.
Yes. They told the employee to apologize.
Minho
손님이라고 갑질을 해도 되는 건 아니에요.
Sonnimirago gapjireul haedo doeneun geon anieyo.
Being a customer does not mean you can bully people.
The last line challenges the customer's sense of entitlement. 손님이라고 means “just because someone is a customer” here. 갑질 does not require a job title: a customer can have power because the employee is expected to provide service and cannot easily push back.
What Does a Headline about 갑질 Tell You?
갑질 논란 literally means an “abuse-of-power controversy”. In a headline, 논란 tells you that behaviour is being disputed or criticized. The phrase names the controversy; it does not by itself tell you what happened or establish that an accusation is true. Read the details for the action, the people involved and their responses.
갑질 문화 shifts the focus from one incident to a repeated way of treating people. 문화 literally means “culture”. Here the phrase criticizes a setting where people with more power routinely expect unfair treatment of others to be accepted. A report about one customer's shouting may concern 갑질; a discussion of why staff must tolerate it may concern 갑질 문화.
You may also meet 갑질을 당하다, “to be subjected to abuse of power”. Compare the roles: 갑질을 하다 describes the person doing it, while 갑질을 당하다 describes the person on the receiving end. The same noun appears in both, so the following verb tells you whose experience the sentence describes.
When Is 갑질 Too Strong a Word?
갑질 is an accusation about unfair use of an advantage. A manager setting an ordinary deadline, or a customer asking for a mistaken order to be corrected, is not automatically committing 갑질. Humiliation, unreasonable demands or threats to someone's position explain why a speaker chooses the word.
In a workplace drama, listen for who can give orders and who feels unable to refuse. That relationship often explains the word better than a literal translation of “power”. Adding 요 makes the sentence polite to the listener, but it does not soften the accusation inside 갑질.
Words for Understanding the People Involved
| Related word | Meaning | What it helps you identify |
|---|---|---|
| 상사 | boss; superior at work | A workplace role that may give someone authority. |
| 직원 | employee; staff member | Often the person receiving a customer's demands. |
| 손님 | customer; guest | A service relationship can create the imbalance. |
| 사과 | apology | Look for who demands one and who gives one. |
The Korean social slang lesson places these discussions in the wider vocabulary of status and social relationships.
Quick Self-Test
- Can a customer commit 갑질 without being the employee's boss?
- Which phrase describes receiving the abuse: 갑질을 하다 or 갑질을 당하다?
- Does 갑질 논란 alone establish that an accusation is true?
Show answers
- Yes. The advantage can come from the customer–staff relationship.
- 갑질을 당하다. 하다 describes doing it.
- No. 논란 identifies a controversy; the details explain the allegation and responses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is abuse of power in Korean?
It is 갑질 (gapjil), bullying by someone in a superior position.
How is 갑질 pronounced?
It is spoken [갑찔], with a tense jj.
What are 갑 and 을?
갑 and 을 label parties A and B in a contract. In social discussions, 갑 often means the stronger party and 을 the weaker one.
Is 갑질 slang?
It is a critical everyday and news term, not just slang.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean social slang places 갑질 among the social-class words.
- Index: browse Korean words A to Z for more words like abuse of power.
- Practice: add 갑질 to your vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Compare: 횡포 is a more formal term for tyranny.