“dear, Si-eun-ssi”
Hey there, K-Drama fan! 🍪
You’re reading Behind the K-Drama Subtitles with Jennie, where you get bite-sized cultural insights that make every K-Drama moment hit different.
Let's dive in 🤿
Table of Contents
All images © Wavve/Netflix. Used minimally for educational purposes only
When Netflix Makes Your Day
Picture this: I'm on the train after work, scrolling through comments, when I see THIS:
Jennie! Netflix actually updated their Weak Hero subtitles – they're showing 'ssi' and 'hyung' properly now!
I literally wanted to fly straight to the sky 🫠
The second I got home – bag thrown down, couch plopped, remote grabbed – I dove into Netflix to check. And you know what? They were right.
I could actually see "Si-eun-ssi" and "hyung" in the subtitles!
You guys, go check Netflix this weekend with subtitles on!
(Now, do I actually think Netflix subtitle experts watched my "Wordplay That Made Si-eun Laugh" video? Zero probability. But my precious subscriber was trying to make me feel good, and it WORKED!)
What's the deal with 'ah' versus 'ya'?
This got me thinking about all the Korean language mysteries you've been asking about. So I posted this on Twitter:
Why does Su-ho say 'Si-eun-ah' but we say 'Su-ho-ya'? What's the deal with 'ah' versus 'ya'?"
60,000 views later, I realized you're genuinely hungry for these tiny Korean nuance differences!
Ready to see this explained visually? I just dropped a 4-minute breakdown on YouTube that makes it super simple 👇
It's Not Grammar, It's Just an Accessory
Forget the Grammar, Remember This:
Think of "ah" and "ya" as accessories you stick onto names. But not every name can wear the same accessory! It all comes down to whether the last syllable has a "hook" – a little attachment at the bottom.
The Hook Test:
Si-eun (은) → Has a hook (ㄴ) → Gets "ah" → "Si-eun-ah" ✅
Su-ho (호) → No hook → Gets "ya" → "Su-ho-ya" ✅
The pattern is everywhere once you see it!
The "No Hook" Rule
The hook is a vowel. If the name ends in a vowel, you use "-ya" and if the name ends in a consonant (has a hook), you use "-ah".
🍪 More Examples:
With a Hook (ends in a consonant):
Baek-jin (진) → Baek-jin-ah
Hyo-man (만) → Hyo-man-ah
Yeong-bin (빈) → Yeong-bin-ah
Jeong-chan (찬) → Jeong-chan-ah
Tae-hoon (훈) → Tae-hoon-ah
Hyun-wook (욱) → Hyun-wook-ah * ㄱ = hook
Remember: something look like ㄱ ㄴ ㅂ ㅇ
Remember: something look like ㄱ ㄴ ㅂ ㅇ
No Hook (ends in a vowel):
Seong-je (제) → Seong-je-ya
Yeong-i (이) → Yeong-i-ya
Seok-dae (대) → Seok-dae-ya
The Flutter Factor
Su-ho calling Si-eun "Si-eun-ssi" and Beom-seok "Oh Beom"? Those are nicknames because he adores both of them.