What does “뻑뻑하다” mean in Korean?

뻑뻑하다 describes food that has dried out and gone stiff — overcook an egg and it turns 뻑뻑하다 instead of 부드럽다 (soft, smooth). It’s the mouthfeel of dry bread, parched rice, or a chicken breast with no moisture left: edible, but hard to swallow. One word captures that whole sensation of “too dry, not soft,” which is why Korean cooks reach for it constantly.

The image underneath is “lacking moisture, so nothing slides smoothly,” and that stretches well past food. Your eyes can be 뻑뻑하다 when they’re dry and gritty (눈이 뻑뻑해요), and a stiff steering wheel or a machine that won’t turn freely is 뻑뻑하다 too (핸들이 뻑뻑하다). Don’t confuse it with 뻣뻣하다 (rigid, like stiff posture) or 퍽퍽하다 (crumbly-dry, like a dry sweet potato) — 뻑뻑하다 is specifically the dry-and-draggy one. In the clip it’s the warning: cook the egg too long and it goes 뻑뻑하다 rather than staying soft.