선생님이 화장실 가는 방법과 아이들 지도

What does “마렵다” mean in Korean?

English says “I need to pee.” Korean uses one adjective that only exists for this urge: 마렵다. You say 오줌이 마렵다 (I need to pee) or 똥이 마렵다 (I need to poop), and 마렵다 means the pressure has arrived. It is a plain, everyday word for children and family, and it sits in the same group as 배가 고프다 (hungry) and 졸리다 (sleepy): a body feeling, reported as an adjective.

The clip is a kindergarten teacher’s PSA to the class. She announces 선생님 화장실 좀 다녀올게, then lectures on holding it in: 내 몸이 마려우면, 참지 말고, 싸야 돼 (“don’t hold it, let it out”), because 참으면 아파 (“it hurts if you hold it”). Note that 싸다 is the blunt verb; with adults you’d say 화장실 가고 싶어요. The clip’s tone shows why: this is kid talk, where blunt is fine.