Seven Korean words including dalgona (honeycomb candy) and maknae, or the youngest member of a group or family, have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. (iclickart) *[Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of the above photo is strictly prohibited under copyright laws and regulations.]

By Lee Jihae

The terms dalgona (honeycomb candy) and maknae, or the youngest member of a family or group, are among seven Korean words newly added to the Oxford English Dictionary of the U.K.

The dictionary's latest word update on Jan. 7 also mentioned the entries noraebang (karaoke room), hyung, aka hyeong (elder brother), jjigae (stew), tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and pansori (traditional lyrical opera).

This marked the first addition of Korean words to the dictionary since September 2021, when 26 terms were entered including K-drama, Hallyu (Korean Wave), mukbang, aka meokbang, a livestreamed video showing the host eating and interacting with viewers, and daebak, a noun form of "something lucrative or desirable, esp. when acquired or found by chance" or an interjection "expressing enthusiastic approval."

Dalgona was descibed as "A Korean confection made by adding baking soda to melted sugar, typically sold by street vendors in the form of a flat disc with a simple shape such as a heart, star, etc., carved on its surface."

It defined maknae as "the youngest person in a family or group" or "youngest member of a K-pop group."

First published in 1884, the dictionary is updated every three months with new words.

This is the definition of dalgona on the Oxford English Dictionary's official website. (Screen capture from website)