아줌마 (ajumma)

What it means

1. 1.

   A middle-aged woman. Neutral in the third person; said to someone's face it can sting, because it declares her no longer young.

   아주머니 is the polite form and is the safe choice when addressing a stranger. Getting this wrong is a common and memorable error.

2. 2.

   Also a cultural type — permed hair, visor, floral trousers, formidable in a queue — affectionately parodied and genuinely admired in roughly equal measure.

Examples with translations

• 아주머니, 여기 물 좀 주세요.

  Excuse me, could we have some water?

  Note: The polite form, which is what you should use in a restaurant.

• 시장 아줌마들이 제일 무섭다.

  Nobody is tougher than the women who run the market stalls.

Other forms

Romanised as:

ajumma