What Does "Eottoke" Mean? The Korean "Oh No, What Do I Do?"
Eottoke (어떡해) means oh no or what do I do in Korean. Learn when Koreans say it, why it is different from 어떻게 (how), and its cute use for overwhelming feelings.
By a native Korean teacher · · 2 min read
Eottoke (어떡해, officially romanized eotteokae) is the Korean "Oh no!" or "What do I do?" It is a short form of 어떻게 해, "how do I do it." Koreans say it in a panic, in sympathy, and also when something is so cute or exciting they can't handle it.
Word at a glance
어떡해eotteokae
- Literally
- how (should I) do it
- In natural English
- oh no, what do I do?
The basic meaning of eottoke
어떡해 comes from 어떻게 해 (eotteoke hae), literally "how (do I) do it?" Over time the two words merged into one quick exclamation. You will hear it in K-dramas the moment something goes wrong: a dropped phone, a missed bus, a secret about to come out.
It can be a real question or just an emotional sound, like "Oh no, oh no."
어떡해! 지갑을 잃어버렸어.
Eotteokae! Jigabeul ireobeoryeosseo.
Oh no! I lost my wallet.
이제 어떡하지?
Ije eotteokaji?
What do I do now?
Eottoke for sympathy
When a friend shares bad news, 어떡해 also works like "Oh no, that's awful" or "I'm so sorry." Said softly and slowly, it shows you feel for them. 어떡해요 (eotteokaeyo) is the polite version.
감기 걸렸어? 어떡해.
Gamgi geollyeosseo? Eotteokae.
You caught a cold? Oh no.
Eottoke for "I can't handle this"
Fans use it when something is overwhelmingly cute or exciting, a puppy video, a surprise announcement, a perfect stage. Here it means "I can't cope" in the happiest way.
너무 귀여워, 어떡해!
Neomu gwiyeowo, eotteokae!
It's so cute, I can't handle it!
어떡해 vs 어떻게: a classic spelling mix-up
Even Korean speakers mix these up in writing, because they sound almost the same. 어떻게 (eotteoke) means "how" and is followed by a verb. 어떡해 (eotteokae) is a complete expression meaning "what do I do?" and usually stands alone or ends the sentence.
A quick test: if you can put "how" in English, write 어떻게. If you mean "what should I do," write 어떡해.
어떻게 알았어?
Eotteoke arasseo?
How did you know?
늦었어, 어떡해?
Neujeosseo, eotteokae?
I'm late, what do I do?
How to pronounce it
Say "uh-ttuh-kae." The ㄸ is a tense t sound, and the ㅎ hidden in the original 어떻게 해 turns the k into a breathy k. That is why the official romanization is eotteokae, while fans usually write eottoke, otoke or ottoke.
Questions people ask
Is eottoke rude?+
No. It is casual. Use 어떡해요 (eotteokaeyo) with people you speak politely to.
What does eottokaji mean?+
어떡하지 (eotteokaji) means "What should I do?" It sounds more like thinking aloud than 어떡해.
Is otoke the same as eottoke?+
Yes. Otoke, ottoke and eottoke are all fan spellings of 어떡해.
What is a good reply to eottoke?+
If someone is upset, 괜찮아 (gwaenchana), "It's okay," is the natural comforting reply.