WHAT DOES HWAITING MEAN AND ITS CRAZE AMONG K-LOVERS?

Hwaiting is a frequently heard phrase among Koreans. Used mostly in the sense to cheer-up others and sometimes themselves as well.

 

If you are well aware, the word Hwaiting is a frequently heard phrase among Koreans. 

Korean's use the word Hwaiting more frequently in their day-to-day life and almost in every situation. Getting influenced by Koreans nowadays, most foreigners who are acquainted with Korean culture use the term Hwaiting too. 

If you are a K-enthusiast, you should recognize this phrase as it is often heard in Korean dramas or spoken by Kpop-idols.

What is Hwaiting?

Hwaiting is a word used for encouragement or to wish someone the best of luck. It may differ in the circumstances you may be in and offers a different meaning to it. 

 The term is also often accompanied by the word Aja Aja which has a similar meaning. Koreans would say, Aja Aja, Hwaiting! Which translates to don't give up or don't stop fighting!

 

In everyday situations, Hwaiting is used when someone is up for a challenge in a game. The teammates would cheer the person up by simply saying Hwaiting! Hwaiting!

This particular term could be used with any sentence, For example, "You can do it! Hwaiting!" 

You will often notice K-pop idols use the term Hwaiting when cheering their group name before a performance; generally used to motivate each other and to do their best.  

 

Why and how did it come into existence? 

In the English language, people often wish each other good luck, or you can do it. But Koreans have a phrase to summarize the sentence into one word, Hwaiting.  

Although we are unsure how the word initially came about, we know it shares similar meanings as phrases like Ganbatte! From the Japanese language and Jiayou! from Chinese. 

These phrases offer positive affirmations to encourage the person to do well or lift their spirits. 

As a way to cheer someone on in a competition or when doing something the person is not fond of, the expression would motivate the person. 

It is also one way of wishing someone the best in something they will be doing sooner or later. A simple expression may create such a significant impact on someone in times of despair.

 

How to write it in Hangul (Korean Alphabetic System)?

There are two ways Hwaiting is written in Korean:

화이팅 – Hwaiting

파이팅 – Phaiting

As the Korean alphabets do not consist of the letter 'F', similar consonants are used for the words to be written or pronounced similarly. 

Though it has two different spellings, they both share the same meaning. 

 

Is it pronounced as Hwaiting or Fighting? 

In some cases, Koreans may perceive the word as Fighting instead of Hwaiting. 

Which, as a result, confused foreigners on how to pronounce the phrase correctly. 

To make it simpler for you to understand, the word Hwaiting is derived from the word Fighting. 

They share a similar meaning which is included in the Konglish expressions.  

As Hwaiting is the most common term, the word's spelling may be auto-corrected when typed out to 파이팅, which means Painting and has a similar pronunciation as Fighting. 

However, it can be used either way but would usually be addressed as Hwaiting. 

 

Craze among K-Lovers

As the world of K-Culture has expanded globally, the word Hwaiting has made its way into the Oxford English Dictionary along with 25 popular Korean phrases. 

It is so often associated with anything related to Korea that it has developed into a craze among all the K-Lovers! 

Foreigners adapted the phrase and used it as a daily expression to offer encouragement to friends or families. 

 

The Korean language has impacted the world positively and increased the interest of many foreigners to learn the language. 

It is interesting how similar some of the words may be to the English language while retaining the equivalent meaning of the phrases. 

Now that you have learned the meaning behind the word Hwaiting, which other Korean words have piqued your interest?

 

Let us know in the comments below! 

 

If you love the Korean language, you must love the snacks as well! 

We have our Seoulbox specially curated for all the K-Lovers to savor the taste of Korea from wherever you are!

 

Author - Estella.