What does “소름” mean in Korean?

소름 is the Korean word for goosebumps, but you’ll rarely hear it as a plain noun. Koreans fire it off alone — “소름!” — the instant something raises the hairs on their skin: a singer nailing an impossible high note, an uncanny coincidence, a twist nobody saw coming. Crucially it isn’t only fear. Awe and delight give you 소름 too, which makes it one of the highest compliments a performance can earn.

소름 is a native Korean word. The full expression is 소름(이) 돋다 — literally “goosebumps rise,” since 돋다 means to sprout or arise (the same 돋다 as a plant budding). A close cousin, 소름(이) 끼치다, leans creepier and more negative. Younger speakers stretch the vowel for emphasis — “소오름” — the way English draws out “so good.” Here the guessing game snaps into place with an impossible-to-predict answer, and the natural payoff is a single, stunned “소름.” No sentence needed — the word is the whole reaction.