이상형 (Isanghyeong) & 첫인상 (Cheot-insang) — Talking About Your Ideal Type in Korean
💝What’s Your Ideal Type? — A Classic Korean Question
안녕하세요~ I’m Hangeulia ^-^
Welcome to Part 3 of our Korean Dating Styles series!
So far, we’ve explored 모솔 (motae solo), 자만추 (jaman chu), the thrill of 썸 (sseom) and 플러팅 (peulleoting), plus bold characters like 직진남·직진녀 (jikjin-nam/jikjin-nyeo) and the chemistry game of 에겐 vs 테토.
Now, let’s dive into another fun — and sometimes surprisingly revealing part of Korean dating culture:
✨ 이상형 (ideal type) and ✨ 첫인상 (first impression).
💜 Ideal Type (이상형) — The “Type Talk”
In Korean dating culture, asking about someone’s 이상형 (isanghyeong, ideal type) is a friendly ice-breaker you’ll hear in everyday chats, K-dramas, and even 연애 예능 (dating reality shows). Here are two natural ways to say it ^-^
1) 이상형이 어떻게 되세요?
- Pronunciation: isanghyeongi eotteoke doeseyo?
- Meaning: What’s your ideal type? (more polite/formal)
- When to use: interviews, TV, or when you want to sound respectful to someone older or not close yet.
2) 이상형이 뭐예요? / 이상형이 뭐야?
- Pronunciation: isanghyeongi mwoyeyo? / isanghyeongi mwoya?
- Meaning: What’s your ideal type? (casual/natural)
- When to use: everyday conversation with friends or in relaxed settings.
Asking about 이상형 (ideal type) is lighthearted and playful, but also reveals a lot about someone’s taste. Answers often mention age preferences like 연상/연하/동갑 (older/younger/same age), first impressions 첫인상 (cheot-insang), and even conversation vibes like 티키타카 (tikitaka).
You’ll often see idols being asked this on variety shows, and their answers can spark huge reactions from fans 😅
❤ Age Preferences — 👩❤️👨연상·연하·동갑 (Yeonsang / Yeonha / Donggap)
In Korean dating, one of the first things people often bring up is age preference.
- 연상 (yeonsang) — someone older
- 연하 (yeonha) — someone younger
- 동갑 (donggap) — same age
Typical phrases include:
– “난 연상이 좋아.” (nan yeonsang-i joa → I prefer someone older.)
– “난 연하가 좋아.” (nan yeonha-ga joa → I prefer someone younger.)
– “난 동갑이 좋아.” (nan donggap-i joa → I like people my age.)
– “나는 나이는 상관 없어.” (naneun naineun sanggwan eopseo → Age doesn’t matter to me.)
❤ Age Dating Terms — 👩👦연상녀·연하남 (Yeonsang-nyeo / Yeonha-nam)
In Korea, age has always been an important part of dating talk. In the past, most couples were either 동갑 (the same age) or had the man older — it was seen as the “normal” pattern.
But times have changed. These days, more people say “Age doesn’t matter”, and couples with different age dynamics are everywhere. Out of this shift, two expressions became especially popular:
- 연상녀 (yeonsang-nyeo) — an older woman in a relationship
- 연하남 (yeonha-nam) — a younger man in a relationship
That’s why you’ll often hear:
– “연상녀 어때?” (What do you think about dating an older woman?)
– “연하남 어때?” (How about a younger guy?)
What once felt unusual is now considered trendy — and K-dramas or variety shows love highlighting these couples. ^^
❤ Looks & Vibes — ✨외모 (Appearance)
When describing an ideal type, Koreans often talk about certain “styles” they look for:
- 키가 큰 사람 (kiga keun saram) — a tall person
- 웃는 모습이 예쁜 사람 (utneun moseub-i yeppeun saram) — someone with a pretty smile
- 고양이상 (goyangi-sang) — “cat-like” features: sharp, chic, mysterious
- 강아지상 (gangaji-sang) — “puppy-like” features: warm, friendly, cute
- 남자다운 스타일 (namjadaun style) — manly type (테토남 vibe)
- 여성스러운 스타일 (yeoseongseureoun style) — feminine type (에겐녀 vibe)
❤ Personality Traits — 🌿성격 (Personality)
Instead of perfection, Koreans often describe small but warm qualities:
- 말을 예쁘게 하는 사람 mal-eul yeppeu-ge ha-neun sa-ram (someone who speaks kindly)
- 배려심 있고 다정한 사람 bae-ryeo-sim it-go da-jeong-han sa-ram (considerate and warm-hearted)
- 마음이 따뜻한 사람 ma-eum-i dda-tteut-han sa-ram (someone with a warm heart)
- 유머 감각이 있는 사람 yu-meo gam-gagi it-neun sa-ram (someone with a sense of humor)
- 함께 있으면 편안한 사람 ham-kke i-sseu-myeon pyeon-an-han sa-ram (someone you feel comfortable with)
- 티키타카가 잘 되는 사람 ti-ki-ta-ka-ga jal doe-neun sa-ram (someone who has great “tiki-taka” with me)
Many people say their ideal type isn’t just about looks, but about finding someone they can really talk to. In Korean, we often say 말이 잘 통한다 (mal-i jal tong-handa, “to really connect in conversation”). These days, a trendy word for that is 티키타카 (tikitaka) — quick, fun back-and-forth talk.
I’ll dive deeper into tikitaka and kemi (chemistry) in the next part of this series, so stay tuned! ^-^
💜 이상형 vs. “Dream Guy/Girl”
In English, people usually say “my type” or “my dream guy/girl.”
“He’s totally my type.” / “She’s my dream girl.”
But in Korean, the most common word is 이상형 (isanghyeong). It literally means “ideal type.”
So if someone in Korea asks:
"이상형이 어떻게 되세요?" / "이상형이 뭐예요?"
Just think of it as: “What’s your dream guy/girl?” or “What’s your type?”
💜 First Impression (첫인상) — Love at First Sight?
❤ Example Phrases with 끌리다 and 호감이 있다
-정목씨에게 끌려요💜 Quick Recap
- 이상형 (isanghyeong) — ideal type; dream guy/girl; my type
- 첫인상 (cheot-insang) — first impression
- 연상 (yeonsang) — someone older
- 연하 (yeonha) — someone younger
- 동갑 (donggap) — same age
- 연상녀 (yeonsang-nyeo) — older woman in a relationship
- 연하남 (yeonha-nam) — younger man in a relationship
- 고양이상 (goyangi-sang) — cat-like features
- 강아지상 (gangaji-sang) — puppy-like features
- 티키타카 (tikitaka) — smooth back-and-forth banter; conversational chemistry
💜 Hangeulia’s Tip
When talking about your 이상형 or 첫인상, keep it light and playful. It’s less about strict requirements and more about vibes. You can say:
– “My 이상형? Someone I can laugh with all day because our 티키타카 never stops.”
– “For me, 첫인상 isn’t everything — I like when someone turns out to have 따뜻한 마음 (a warm heart) later on.”
Every love story begins with a 첫인상, but it’s the 티키타카 moments — the playful banter, the shared jokes, the comfortable silences — that turn an 이상형 into something real.
With love,
Hangeulia 😊
